Down here in New Zealand, we’re getting a reputation for having harsh UV rays.

​A recent Houzz article mentioned that: ​"The combination of low ozone, distance from the sun, lack of pollution and high surface reflections (all that water!) means that our peak UV rays are some 40 per cent greater than comparable latitudes in the northern hemisphere.” – 13 Smart Ways to Minimise Sun Damage In your Interiors.

​This means that our car bonnets and precious skin are not the only things we should be concerned about. Timber flooring often bears the brunt of this damage which is known as ‘aging’ or ‘weathering’. Prolonged and direct UV exposure can often result in the tone of your floor softening or accelerating the darkening of wood colours.

Use Curtains + Blinds
 
Sheer curtains fabrics can soften the sun light that reaches your flooring and adds some extra protection especially in north facing rooms that are exposed to more sunlight. The bonus is added privacy during the day without completely blocking out the glorious daylight. Keeping blinds or curtains closed during the hottest parts of the day will make sure that sun exposure will not change your floor colour prematurely.
 
Consider UV Films
Some window films can substantially reduce the amount of UV rays that enter your home, without hindering your views. Make sure to check which companies promise solar protection and not just a tinted window.
 
Open up Your Living Space
Installing outdoor awnings not only means visibly opening up living areas in your home but helps to block those damaging rays off the windows or doorways to your beloved timber floor!

Change the Furniture Layout
Regular rotation of your furniture and rugs is not only a quick and inexpensive option but allows the floor to age more uniformly than developing patches of differing colours. This could be as simple as moving a rug or moving a sofa to the other side of the room.
You may have purchased a home with existing timber flooring or maybe you’re installing new flooring. While it is possible to minimise the suns effects and prolong the colour of your floor through the above suggestions, it is expected that all timber floors will fade over time from UV exposure.
 
Resources:
https://www.houzz.co.nz/ideabooks/70702251/list/13-smart-ways-to-minimise-sun-damage-in-your-interiors
https://polycure.com.au/can-minimise-effects-sunlight-damage-timber-floors/
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Air Circulation
Avoid leaving rooms with timber flooring locked up for long periods of time during warmer weather. Any wood flooring requires some air circulation to prevent boards from shrinkage. If you are out for the day or plan to be away on holiday. An easy measure to prevent this is ensuring that the house is ventilated during this time. Oven like conditions can be created when houses are closed up and this is where you may start to see signs of board shrinkage, splitting and cupping in your flooring.
 
Underfloor Heating
Preferably, the underfloor heating should be turned on 2 weeks before the timber flooring is laid. Once the flooring is installed, the concrete SLAB temperature should never exceed 27 degrees Celsius!!
Ideally the slab temperature should sit around 24 - 25 degrees Celsius. Once the floor has been finished it is best to slowly alter the temperature, moving it either up or down by 1 degrees Celsius per day to begin. A sudden change in temperature will damage your flooring and failing to follow this recommendation, can cause the floor to expand, shrink, split or cup.

For best performance, the heating system should be operating at all times, all year round to avoid the floor cooling and taking on moisture from the environment.  If the underfloor heating does not run at a constant temperature all year round, more movement should be expected in the timber flooring, with gaps appearing and closing up from season to season.
 
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We are your expert timber flooring specialists, specialising in solid and engineered wood flooring! If you would like more expert timber flooring advice, contact us!

Clean Wisely
Just like most purchases today that have specific cleaning recommendations; timber flooring is no different. It is vital to clean your wood floor with the recommended flooring cleaner.
There are so many different types of flooring finishes that you need to make sure that you are cleaning with the right product. We ensure to send our clients their first cleaner free, so they are familiar with the brand and products that they should be using to care for their floor.
 
These are just a few tips to help prevent damage to your flooring, check out our other blog article about choosing the best flooring for coastal homes to see how your floor choice can make beach side living a little more breezy...
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Need to repair the timber flooring in your beachside home? Speak to us about your options by emailing us at office @ timberfloor dot nz
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Living in New Zealand, we are surrounded by an abundance of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! While living by the beach has many joys, your selection of timber flooring can either add to your joy or start to diminish it.

Here are some tips on choosing the best floor for your coastal home, to ensure the longevity and durability of your stunning wooden floor.

• Go For Engineered Flooring

Let’s face it.. New Zealand’s changing climate with warmer temperatures and higher humidity levels is undeniable. Due to the layered construction of engineered flooring, it has a higher resistance to moisture levels and greater stability against environmental changes. This means that it's less likely to shrink or cup when compared to solid flooring. While you still might experience some expanding and shrinking between boards, you would be minimising this by going with an engineered product.

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• Go for Texture and Grades

Choosing a Rustic or Farmhouse grade is generally a more affordable flooring option and adds depth and character to a home. Choosing a product that has more natural grains and effects will make scratches or marks in the floor a lot less obvious and won’t detract from the overall beauty of the floor.

• Go for the Right Colours

Darker floors are alluring and enchanting and we love how they look in a home. However, living by the beach might be better suited to lighter palettes such as nudes and other white wash tones that don’t draw as much attention to things like dust that usually stand out on darker floors.

• Think About Board Widths

Timber flooring that comes in wider board widths has become a lot more popular in recent years. Choosing to go wider can create a relaxed and open feel even if your coastal home is a smaller space. 

We love to hear what ideas our clients have, so speak to us about your home’s design and see what kind of stunning floor suits you best! We are Auckland's flooring experts and timber and wood are our forte!
​Email or call us today!

Although not a common problem, this is a problem that affects polyurethane finishes and can occur soon after a timber floor is finished. And with long term effects! The only way to remove ghosting is a total re-sand and finish!! 😲😱👎

​Here are some images that we have pulled from the web, that demonstrate the damage of "Ghosting" on timber flooring.

How can you prevent this issue?
It is very important that you do not walk on the floor with wet feet or get water on the floor for 7 days. Also, do NOT walk on the floor with shoes for a minimum of 24 hours up to 48 hours after. The floor can be walked on ONLY in socks. 

WHY!? 

Over time as the coating darkens with UV, these marks show up as a lighter cloudy appearance. Sometimes imprints only become obvious after one year or more! 

So, taking precautionary care and following maintenance instructions for your new floor, will ensure you have a great floor now and into the distant future!

We are Auckland based flooring experts, speak to us about your wood flooring enquiries! 

With its timeless appeal, timber flooring has been used as a core material for building homes over the years. Timber flooring is the preferred flooring choice for consumers because of its natural character, environmental sustainability, reputable quality and aesthetics. All of these factors add long term value to your property.
 
Resources: (BRANZ Ltd. 2017) - Indoor Air Quality in New Zealand Homes and Schools.

Many products are claiming low or 0% VOC’s but what does all this mean? Should you be concerned about 'VOC exposure'?

​What are VOC’s?VOC’s (Volatile organic compounds) are the chemical substances (including both man made and naturally occurring chemical compounds) that evaporate into the air from certain solids or liquids as they dry at room temperatures.

​‘Organic’ refers to the chemical make up of the ingredients/ components and ‘Volatile’ refers to its evaporation into the air, making them easy to inhale.

Where are these VOC’s?These organic chemicals are used in many household products. This includes products such as paints, varnishes, cleaning products and many other household consumables.
All of these products can release VOC’s while you are using them, and, to some degree, even when they are stored. Exposure to many VOC’s are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.

How are we exposed to these VOC’s?Chemicals can enter our bodies through either breathing, touching or swallowing. This is known as exposure. Differences in age, health conditions, gender and level of exposure to other chemicals all affect potential effects of exposure to VOC’s. When it comes to VOC’s, effects to one’s health depends on the level of chemical toxicity, the amount of chemicals present in the air and how long the air is inhaled.
Why are they hazardous?Products that contain VOC’s, release hazardous vapours that not only affect humans and animals but also the environment. These VOC’s have varying health effects, some being short term and long term. Excessive exposure can cause allergic reactions, breathing and eye issues. Harmful VOC’s typically may not be acutely toxic for humans but have compounding long-term health effects.

Additionally, the gasses emitted affect the atmosphere, contributing to our current greenhouse gases issues.

So then, What is safe? Are There Any Alternatives?Thankfully, there are many legislative bodies that are intervening to reduce the dangers of VOC’s. The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has issued a maximum criteria of 140g/L for coatings, and 100g/L for adhesives which has been in place since 2010, with this maximum criteria tightening more so since then.

Timber flooring is a stunning way of beautifying your home, and now there are a range of products that are either low in VOC's or completely VOC free and safe to use in your home. Choosing to opt for VOC free products, is one way you can contribute making a difference to the environment and to your long term health.

Talk your flooring experts to discuss what VOC free options you can use for your dream flooring!

No doubt, like most other New Zealander’s, you spend most of your summer evenings outside, soaking up the last of the sun’s rays. No matter the size of your areas, the key to creating the perfect indoor-outdoor flow is to design or incorporate a transition that is as seamless as possible.  Here’s how to achieve a smooth transition:
 
Remove Visual and Physical Barriers
Many Kiwi homes connect to back yards with little or no windows. Removing these visual and physical barriers can open up your space, create easy access and allows more light to enter, which is an easy way to create a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor. Making use of large windows, sliding, French or bi-fold doors, you can create an illusion that there are NO walls, therefore, blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor.
 
Use the Floor to Unite Your Spaces
Creating a feeling of unity and connection between your indoor and outdoor areas is best achieved by maintaining a consistent floor level between the different spaces. This unity creates a feeling of one large open space. For example, decking works well with connecting to internal timber floors.
 
Tip: By maintaining a consistent floor direction and similar floor colouring or materials, you can integrate these different areas together as one space.
 
Incorporate Illusions
You can try this with some of your key design elements. By mirroring or echoing elements of your kitchen, living or dining areas can create an illusion of blurred lines between your indoor and outdoor areas, unifying them and making them feel connected as one.

Don’t Let the Weather Stop You From Entertaining
In the case of unpredictable weather, having back-up entertaining areas is a great idea. By designing a combination of covered and uncovered areas, this creates options to connect with the outdoors, even if the weather turns sour.

Relocating or shifting internal areas such as living or dining furniture closer to your windows and doors, is a cost effective way to create the impression that your room is larger or more connected than it is, with your outdoor garden area in close view.

If you have specific design objectives and goals that you want to incorporate to better improve the indoor- outdoor flow of your home or project, let us know so we can make sure the interior flooring side is taken care of, so you can meet your design visions with precision. After all, we are flooring experts! Let us know how we can help!

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