UNFINISHED OAK

We are the first choice for builders, renovators, architects, specifiers and developers, due to our experience as the pioneers of Bamboo in NZ and the longest-established supplier. We have conducted an exhaustive search for the best quality products available, with regular visits to China and a local agent on the ground.

We offer:

⇒ Competitive pricing
⇒ Quality products
⇒ Constant attention to technical improvements
⇒ Sound advice
⇒ Largest, most up-to-date Oak & Bamboo Flooring ranges, with
⇒ Constant expansion of range,  in keeping with worldwide flooring colour trends
⇒ Showroom with large demonstration floors and free samples
⇒ Installation advice and service
⇒ After-sales backup

It is not possible to install solid Oak on new concrete as it must be nailed or glued down. Ecodure Engineered Oak on the other hand is suitable for new concrete sub-floors, either as a floating or glue down option.

The labour cost of installing laminates and Engineered floors is very similar, but the resulting floor will be very different. The main difference in cost of flooring installation is between a glued down floor and a floating floor. Remember you will have your floor for many years and the cost of installing a premium wood floor over a laminate floor will pay off over time.

In 3 -5 strip flooring short narrow planks are laminated together into larger sheets, which give a much more varied grainy appearance, not dissimilar to many laminates. Often the shorter, off-cut lengths which have not reached the highest grade are used for 3 or 5 strip floors. Ecodure Premium European Oak floors are manufactured as premium wide (189mm) boards of the higher, less knotty AB grades of timber.

With the correct Care and Maintenance a floor should last for many years. As Oak is a medium dent resistant wood, it's unlikely it will need sanding to remove unsightly dents for many years, as is often the case with other softer species. If sanding is needed, there is plenty of thickness in all boards for several sandings. Both plank and coating have a warranty.

Sanding of glued down floors is possible, but you must not remove more than 1-2 mm of the Oak layer, as this may weaken the UNICLIC join.

From the Janka Chart can be seen that Oak sits at a 6kN dent resistancy - which means Oak has half the dent resistancy of Compressed or Strandwoven Bamboo, yet it is twice as dent resistant as any of our NZ Native Timbers - making it a good wearing, timeless, stylish flooring choice that offers reasonable dent resistancy. Please refer to the section on Durability where a hardness graph will clarify hardness levels of Oak compared to other species of timber.

Floating or glue down installations are both possible depending on the sub-floor conditions. We have developed common sense Installation Guides which give more advice, please refer to either Installation on Concrete or Installation on Timber Substrate in our Additional Information download link.

Yes, we stock stair nosings to match all our flooring - the treads and risers created from the flooring boards.

The Treffert finish is UV resistant, but it's possible that colour may change over time, due to the amount of UV in the NZ environment. Unlike old-fashioned solvent- based coatings which can darken or turn yellow almost immediately, waterbased polyurethanes are a huge advance;  however the usual common sense precautions we take against our harsh sun should apply. In areas exposed to direct sunlight, like with any other wood, carpet or tiled flooring;  UV protection to the windows, curtains or blinds are recommended and also to avoid placing rugs, pot plants, etc on the floor as these will leave obvious marks when removed. If there is a colour change it is minimised visually, by allowing the floor an equal and even gradual change.

Our flooring has been tested for slip resistance (dry test) and meets this standard.

With a floating floor, the carcasses of the kitchen units should be installed before the floor. Leave fitting of the toe-kicks, end panels which meet the floor and waterfall bench tops until after the floor has been installed. With a glued down floor, the floor can be installed before the cabinets, however take care to protect the floor from tradespeople in the installation period.  For full details, please refer to our Kitchen Floor Installation Guide on the Additional Information download link.

A glued floor is permanently fixed to the substrate with a specialised flexible adhesive. This must be left to cure properly before the floor can be walked on. A floating floor uses the gravity or mass weight of the product along with perimeter trims to hold it in place. Floating floors also use a special underlay which is crush-proof, providing comfort cushioning, acoustic and moisture management, as well as being an excellent draught excluder!

A floating floor is very slightly softer to walk on, while a glue down floor is subtly firmer. Not all installation situations or products are suitable for a glue down floor, while a floating floor can always be installed regardless of circumstances. For more detailed advice on installation please go to our additional information download page and download the guide for either Installation on Concrete or Installation on Timber Substrate as well as Taking the Mystery out of Floating Floors. For specifiers and architects we have a more detailed specification, available on. For specifiers and architects we have a more detailed specification, available on request.

The effectiveness of underfloor heating will be greatly reduced by the density and poor conductive properties of timber flooring. We think on balance it is better not to have underfloor heating. We do have further advice on this, please either contact us for advice or download Underfloor Heating Specification on our additional information downloads page.

The edge of the floors need an even expansion allowance. There is no hard and fast rule for this - the bigger the floor the bigger the allowance. This can be provided under the skirtings and gib board and under kitchen cabinetry. Around doors and floor to ceiling windows an aluminium trim is used which neatens the edge and covers any expansion or shrinkage. The best procedure is to remove skirting boards and leave them off until the floor is down, this enables the perimeter to be seen. If this is not possible, skirtings and architraves will need to be under-cut with a special saw. Where floors adjoin carpet or tiles special trims are available from flooring suppliers.