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Wooden terrace floors versus wood composite terrace floors
WOODEN TERRACES AND COMPOSITES MAKE A GOOD MATCH FLOOR FITTERS CAN PROMOTE THEIR OWN PREFERENCES PERFECTLY WELL Wood has been deployed much more in daily life since we discovered all its uses as a raw material. And so, ‘consumption’ has increased year by year. Yet there’s no need to worry! In a logical world forests and woods form an endless supply of this lovely material. Sadly, this world isn’t logical and illegal cutting and the terror of forest fires caused partly by global warming ensure that the emerging ‘sustainable forest management’ often merely papers over the cracks. Alternatives such as wood composite do bring ‘ecological’ relief. The question is: Do they bear comparison with real wood?
Real wood or composite? In the wooden flooring industry it has long been the case that what floor fitters recommended as the ‘best solution’ was not necessarily the ‘best solution’. Floor fitters of the old school were trained by their ‘instructors’ within a particular mindset and had been taught to use the same products and the same working method all the time. They used that ‘best’ wood sort, that ‘best’ adhesive, and that ‘best’ finish. They bore no malice, but they were set in their ways. Then, sometimes, if that solution perhaps wasn’t the best one, it was ‘good enough’, so there wasn’t a problem. Floor fitters preferred not to take risks. You only took risks if you had to choose between alternative solutions where you weren’t really aware of the benefits and drawbacks. That dilemma in the terrace world is now history. Hardwood or composite? You can recommend both options with peace of mind.
Equal standings! In terms of quality all terrace materials are comparable. The best sorts of wood are on offer and composites are so technically advanced that they ‘hold their own’ as regards strength and durability. From a decorative point of view it is extremely hard to tell the difference between many composites and the ‘real thing’. We can certainly use the term ‘ecological’ both with real wood and composites, something of which clients are becoming increasingly mindful. Wood usually comes from sustainably managed forests, but that also applies to wood fibres in composites which emerge from waste wood. Synthetics are generally made from recycled raw materials. The maintenance is easy in both cases and technical extras such as anti-slip are possible in both cases. The price, too, bears comparison, at least in terms of euros, depending on the brand and market situation.
Photo – La San Marco Profili
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Floor Forum International 110
The lifespan This suitability of hardwood for use in outdoor floors is determined via a generally acknowledged and accepted system of grading wood sorts in five classes. The classes have been established empirically.
