UNDERSTANDING WOOD FLOORING TEXTURES
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WOOD PROPERTIES
Perhaps, wood is the most attractive material for builders and DIY lovers. It offers a selection of products tailored to many applications in our daily lives. From a functional perspective, wood provides a wide range of benefits that positively impact indoor air quality. For example, wood is considered an excellent insulator, and its porosity improves its sound absorption abilities.
GRAIN AND TEXTURES
Wood texture involves the relative size and the size variation of the wood cells. The cell’s arrangement in bands is called rays (their function is to store and horizontally distribute the food material of the tree), and the size and distribution of the pores make the difference between fine-textured and coarse-textured wood. When woodworkers and carpenters say “fine-grained” and “coarse-grained” instead of using the word “texture,” they describe this characteristic of wood.
GRAINS
Fine-grained woods have closely spaced cells, while coarse-grained woods have relatively larger cells. The grain differences between early and latewood are relevant for any woodworker, as lighter earlywood is simpler to cut than denser latewood. In general, woods with evenly grained growth rings are the easiest to work with and apply the finish to
DENSITY
Density is one of the most relevant properties of wood as it is closely related to its physical-mechanical performance. Generally, when the wood’s density increases, so do its strength properties. Therefore, it is necessary to use the most suitable wood for each application, considering its density.
EARLY AND LATEWOOD
Regardless of whether it is soft or hardwood, earlywood (springwood) is formed in the spring, and latewood (autumn wood) forms during the winter. Wood formed during the winter is denser because the tree goes into seasonal dormancy during these months.
Wood texture is not the same that wood finishes. Hardwood floor finishes are the result of a human-made process where sanding, polishing, and other techniques are involved. For example, a smooth finish may provide a hallway or dining room with a classic and elegant look. While you can give a smooth surface to any hardwood floor, woods such as white oak offers excellent possibilities, given its tight grain.
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