Before you take the decision of fitting oiled oak flooring in your living room, you need to consider the benefits as well as problems associated with oak flooring. We generally prefer oak floors because it gives a distinctive look to the home.
As laying engineered oak flooring is pretty expensive, it will naturally add to the value of your dwelling.
If the oak flooring in your home has been looked after with a lot of care, then it will look good for years to come.
One of the main benefits of oak floors is its durability. If looked after well, then it will last for many years to come.
Another reason for our desire of oak is that you will find oak in a wide range of tones and hues. So, you do not have to worry about matching your new floor to the theme of the house as there are plenty of choices available for you.
The negatives of hardwood oak flooring, on the other hand, mostly due to its maintenance process. Despite its hard wearing properties, oak is vulnerable to heavy objects like table legs so you should take necessary precautions with items placed on the floor with such items as rugs,
Besides this oak needs to be protected from strong sunlight so it would be advisable to keep the curtains drawn during the day. Again, oak can start drying out after some period of time. To stop this, you need to maintain the floor with lacquer refreshes at the specified time slots.
Ultimately, the beauty of oak hardwood floors, are far too many for homeowners to seriously consider the disadvantages of installing oak. The fact is that it imparts such a lovely feel to the house that people crave to have oak flooring.
To fit oak, you can contact a dealer and ask for the details. Since oak is can be expensive, a lot of retailersoffer credit terms so that more homeowners are able to purchase this dream flooring in their homes.
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Apr 17th, 2009. Comment. 
One of the biggest sources of accidents in both the home and in public places is from trips and slips – an area of health and safety which holds major risks for specifiers and installers who do not recognise the need to both assess and insist on slip resistance test results from their suppliers. Furthermore the ongoing maintenance of the floor has an effect as to how the surface slip resistance performs on installed floors.
With this in mind, some oak flooring manufacturers have now developed a range of solid wood and engineered wood products geared towards the demands of regional public safety officers and the comfort of the public. Providing Satra certified results as to how these hardwood floors perform against the industry standards is a great improvement on the previously outdated requirements for costly and time consuming post installed finishing.
So why is this so important and what does it mean?Â
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive estimate that there are a least 35,000 injuries each year from slips in the work place – so considering many un-reported incidents in homes and public places; the hidden figure and the risk is vast.
There are combinations of factors which contribute to the slipperiness of floors – many of which can be measured and minimised. Is the surface texture too smooth? Is the finish of the floor too shiny? Are the cleaning materials suited to removing grease without destroying the floor?Â
Through specialised preparation and finishing reputable antique oak flooring suppliers can offer clear data as to the projected performance of the floor. The Health and Safety Laboratory, in conjunction with the UK Slip Resistance Group and the British Standards Institution have devised a test process which can accurately assess the slipperiness of wood flooring materials – using portable scientific test equipment, which is commercially available.
This formula is now the basis of standard information – being used by local authorities to both improve performance and as a measurement scale in HSE cases.
The methodology can be used in both laboratory based tests and on installed floors using two principle instruments:-
- A pendulum system which measures the friction/resistance that can define the level of slipperiness.
- A surface roughness meter which can read the textural differences that relate to rough or flat surfaces.
The pendulum – is often used to measure the skid resistance of roads but it was originally created to simulate a slipping foot. The action is designed to re-create a swinging imitation heel which sweeps over the test floor in a standard manner. The slipperiness of the floor has a direct effect on how the pendulum moves and can be measured as the Slip Resistance Value. This test is considered to be reliable and accurate – hence it is now being adopted by HSE to assess floors in situ.
The measurement scale is known as PTV ( Pendulum Test Values ) and the levels are as follows:-
0 – 24 represents High Slip Potential
25 – 35 indicates Moderate Slip Potential
36+ suggests Low Slip Potential
The Roughness Meter – is more commonly used on floors post installation to assess the surface roughness of materials – it is often used to test the affects of change such as wear – or – contamination to a floor such as water or grease. The meter can read the peaks and troughs in a micro structure that forms a surface.Â
It can be used in conjunction with the pendulum tests and results expressed on a similar scale:-
Below 10 microns represents High Slip Potential
10 – 20 microns suggests Moderate Slip Potential
+ 20 microns indicates Low Slip Potential.
As this instrument is also used with contaminants it can be used to help specifiers predict if the end use is going to dangerously affect the properties of the floor.
These tests must be carried out by qualified personnel with regulated methods and controlled conditions, there are a few accredited test houses that are approved to certify products and results.
One such test house is Satra who process the test work enabling them to guarantee the slip resistance levels of approved suppliers range of pre-finished solid and engineered hardwood floor boards. Satra certified suppliers can prove suppliers products can perform to the stringent slip resistant standards for public areas.
So you’ll have peace of mind about –  Just how slippery is that floor?
Filed under Home Improvement Tips by on Mar 15th, 2009. Comment.