From Little Acorns to Oak Flooring
Traditional public houses trying to recapture the old world look in the bar areas would be well advised to look at using oak flooring as a tough hard wearing product.
If a bar is to be successful it does not only have to provide excellent drinks; they must also create an atmosphere and ambience customers can relax and enjoy. Running parallel to this is the requirement for a hard wearing floor that can stand up to a daily onslaught of staff and customer traffic.
The face of the oak plank used for flooring has fabulous grain and markings making it interesting to look at. Most of the wood visible in many old public houses is oak.
Traditionally oak has been used in the construction of anything from buildings to seafaring ships. Its can be used in many different ways during the construction of buildings to include the main frame, rafters, struts, panelling and of course flooring.
Oak flooring, despite the fact it needs far more work to get the finished product immaculate, is well worth the wait. Taking time to prepare the oak planks properly pays dividends when it comes to the overall effect of the floor. An acorn can take from 6 months to 18 months to mature and some oak trees, it is said can live for one thousand years. So what is the rush!
These days most oak is imported into Great Britain from North America or Europe; unfortunately we cannot produce oak in sufficient quantities anymore.
The oak flooring comes in a variety of widths 135,165 and 185mm and is normally 20mm thick; length varies with the average length being 1500mm. Although oak flooring can be bought as planks, i.e. they just butt up to each other, it is normal to buy tongue and groove to give more strength and connectivity between each section.
When the wood first arrives on site it is highly recommended to allow the wood to acclimatize for 3 to 5 days in the room it is to be fitted. This will allow it to return to its original condition, should it have suffered from humidity during the journey.
It is not recommended to slot each section into the next without some kind of fixing agent, therefore the floor should be fitted using a wood adhesive and/or secret nails.
Most planks will arrive on site planed and some may arrive on site sanded. A decision will need to be made once the floor is in situ whether it needs to receive a final sanding; once this is completed it is very important that all surface dust is removed prior to the application of oil or lacquer.
This in itself brings on a quandary! Is it to be finished in lacquer or oil and wax? Very, very simply lacquer is easier to apply and easier to maintain in the short term however oil and wax needs more work to apply but comes out ahead in long term maintenance. Personal choice dictates which one looks the better.
Oak flooring can deliver a resilient, tough but eye catching finish and can withstand the heavy traffic of any bar or restaurant.