FlooringFirst glossary of A to Z guide to terms relating to timber and wooden products.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W

A

African Walnut - bronze-coloured wood, yellow-brown with irregular dark lines which is how the name tigerwood was derived. It is extremely hard, heavy, close-grained, and resists water well, making it a valuable hardwood. Increasing that value is the fact that it can come in large sizes, has an attractive appearance and easy to shape with tools. Woods from tropical Africa are coming under export restrictions to curb excessive logging.

African Teak - or Iroko is a hardwood from tropical Africa. It is one of the woods sometimes referred to as African Teak, although it is not always suitable as a substitute for teak. Color is initially yellow but darkens to a richer brown over time. The wood is used for a variety of purposes including boat-building, domestic flooring and furniture.

American Black Walnut - durable and strong type of wood used in the construction of furniture including worktops and american black walnut flooring.

B

Bamboo Wood - mistaken for wood by many it is in fact a type of rapid growing grass which is considered to be environmentally friendly as it could be harvested every 3 years unlike wood (every 15 years).

Beech Wood - sourced from a beech tree, it is extremely strong wood which is used in the construction of flooring, beech worktops, chairs and other types of furniture.

C

Cumaru Wood - commonly used as the base for garden hardwood decking cumaru wood originates from South America and is extremely strong (5 times harder than pine, cedar and redwood).

Concrete Subfloor - type of subfloor also known as cement screed used as the subfloor for hardwood flooring.

D

DIY - also referred to as do-it-yourself it is a type of work done without the intervention of a 3rd party contractor.

E

Engineered Hardwood Flooring - also known as semi solid floors they are a type of wooden floor made up of plywood or HDF core with a hardwood top layer.

Decking - the act of surfacing an area normally a garden with timber decking boards and making practical use of slopes in garden by creating different levels and steps.

F

Finger Jointing - used in the making of timber worktops it is the process that gives a stable durable construction to the worktop panel.

Foor Joist Subfloor - type of subfloor also known as battens used as the subfloor for hardwood flooring.

Floating Installation - type of hardwood flooring installation method often used for engineered hardwood floors installation.

G

Glue Down Installation - type of hardwood flooring installation method often used for solid hardwood floors installation.

Garden Decking - type of wooden timber normally ipe, iroko or teak covering a surface area in the garden. often used to cover holes and other garden imperfections

 H

Hardwood Flooring - type of flooring made from pieces of timber.

Hardwood Flooring Underlay - a thin layer of soft materials such as sponge and rubber. Flooring underlay is placed beneath the floor boards to provide comfort, to reduce wear on the floor, and to provide insulation.

 I

Ipe Wood - used as a base for ipe decking the wood originates from South America and is three times harder than oak.

Iroko Wood - also known as African Teak it is used as a base for iroko decking, worktop and flooring. It originates and from Africa. Iroko wood is extremely durable and often used in the boat making industry.

K

Kitchen Worktop - surface area used for preparing food located in the kitchen and often made from timber or granite. 

L

Lumber Decking - also known as decking boards it is the timber substance from which wooden decks are made from.

Laminate Flooring - a type of flooring made from a multi-layer synthetic flooring product, fused together with a lamination process.

M

Mahogany Wood - type of tree native to Brazil used in the furniture and worktops industry. Mahogany worktop is very popular because of its unique rich reddish-brown colour.

M^{2 -} measurement unit often used to calculate the total surface area. 

N

Nail-Down Installation - type of hardwood flooring installation method often used for solid hardwood floors installation it requires a high skill level.

Natural Grade / Wood - this terms refers to the grade / quality of the wood, which is in between the Prime and Rustic grades. It allows small knots on the planks and minor colour variation between each plank in a packet of flooring.

O

Oak - type of strong wood widely used in the construction of furniture including oak worktops and hardwood flooring.

P

Premium Oak - type oak wood with extra wide staves used in the construction of furniture including worktops and hardwood flooring to give enhanced durability.

Prime Engineered Wood - the highest grade of wood flooring with a unique uniformed look due to having slight color variation between the boards.

R

Rustic Grade / Wood - timber with a distinct rustic rural and natural look, in solid wood flooring or engineered wood flooring it will refer to the grade of the wood as well. Rustic grade allows any size of knots of the wood and colour varioation between each plank in a packet.

S

Floor Sanding - the process of leveling or removing the top layer of the floors by using wood floor abrasives.

Solid Floors - also described as hardwood floors they are a type of wooden floor made from one piece of hardwood timber.

Semi Solid Floors - also known as engineered hardwood flooring they are a type of wooden floor made up of plywood or HDF core with a hardwood top layer.

Staves - the process of laying planks of wood one on top of the other to create one homogenous panel.

Staining - is the process of changing the original colour of the wood using an wood dye or colourants mixed in the sealer, usually applied on bear wood just after floor sanding is completed.

Staple-down - a type of flooring installation method which is similar to nail-down, however staples are used instead of nails.

T

Teak Wood - used the basis for teak decking the wood originates from Indonesia and is golden in color with dark markings.

W

Worktops - timber wood worktops are made from strips or staves of solid wood. These strips are cut, selected, graded and kiln dried before they are glued together to form one homogenous panel.

Worktop Oil - a type of treatment which leaves a durable and water-resistant seal on the worktop. Worktop oil also ensures that the worktop is not vulnerable to scratching or chipping.

Wooden-Plywood Subfloor - type of subfloor also known as chipboards used as the subfloor for hardwood flooring.

Wood Refinishing - the process of renovation of the wood surface (furniture or wood floors) using a sanding process, staining and sealing.

White Wash Effect - typically staining effect which gives the wood translucent white finish. White wash effect on wood floors has become popular with designer ideas.

Wenge Wood - a type of wood with a distinctive figure and a strong partridge pattern. Its heaviness, durability and strength make it popular as a Wenge worktop.