Sunday, October 18, 2015

October 2015 Floor of the Month

Wickham Hardwood Natural Yellow Birch Cottage Collection 5" Wide 3/4" thick 100% Canadian Made Solid Hardwood takes the stage for the Owen Flooring, October 2015 Floor of the Month!

Natural Hardwood Flooring is personally one of my favourite looks when it comes to hardwood flooring. The timeless look of natural wood is always in style, it was popular back in the early 1900's and continues to be sought after today. To me the biggest plus of having a natural hardwood floor is that when is gets marked or scratched (and it will) the marking will also be natural showing far less noticeable over a darker floor.
Wickham Cottage Collection Birch
Wickham's Cottage Collection  will give your home a distinctive look as it is made up of a combination of 50% Select grade & 50% Rustic grade wood flooring. With it's broad country style boards and its natural features like knots and variation in graining, you will feel like you have brought nature right into your home!

Janka Hardness Scale
So why Yellow Birch? isn't Yellow Birch soft? Actually No! The hardness of wood is rated on an industry wide test called the Janka hardness scale. Janka shows yellow birch at 1260 and Northern Red Oak at 1290, this is not much different considering Walnut is only 1010 and Hickory is 1820, therefore when asked if Yellow Birch is soft, I often respond with "do you think red oak is soft?" Actually often times wood marks and scratches have nothing to do with the hardness of the wood, but everything to do with the quality of the finish. Another thing you should know about Yellow Birch is that it is more pliable than harder products made with Hickory or Maple and when purchasing a solid wide plank floor, this is very important. With changes in humidity, pliability is probably the most important aspect of buying solid wide plank flooring because When Harder woods like Hickory expand and contract they tend to split unlike Yellow Birch that can move better with South-Western Ontario's humidity changes. Another big reason I love Birch is that it has one of the most beautiful natural grains of any of the Hardwood's and simply looks stunning as a floor. Another thing I love about this product is that the wood is grown, cut, milled and finished into a floor, right here in Canada and that means we are supporting Canadian industry and keeping jobs close to home! Oh and I almost forgot this Canadian Made Solid Hardwood Product, retails at Owen Flooring for only $4.99 sf.

So if you are looking for a beautiful new wide plank hardwood floor, consider the Owen Flooring October 2015 Floor of the Month Wickham Hardwood Cottage Collection Birch!