Wood is considered an ecological building material with excellent structural and aesthetic properties. The natural advantages of wood include the positive energy balance, the uniqueness of each trunk and the moisture regulation. The wood look has been artificially reproduced in the flooring market for many years. Imitation wood such as laminate or vinyl flooring has become more and more authentic in recent years. Nowadays, some replicas can hardly be distinguished visually from the wooden original. However, due to the visual impact of artificially created floor coverings, builders often forget to take the naturalness of the floor covering into account when making their purchase decision.
Looks aren't everything
Even if they look like,Laminates and vinyl floorsare not real wood floors and therefore do not have their natural properties. If you walk on a real wood surface without shoes, you will feel the difference immediately. The wooden surface feels warm and comfortable – even without underfloor heating. Building owners often only long for this “authenticity and sincerity” when they live in the premises themselves for a longer period of time.
Seal or oil parquet?
For a long time, applying a protective layer of varnish was the undisputed surface treatment for parquet. Sealing with varnish protects the wood from moisture and mechanical forces with a hardening film, but direct contact with the wood is prevented. This durable and easy-care surface treatment is particularly used in rental properties.
Anyone who consciously chooses a real wood flooring, a quality parquet, is well advised to choose an oxidatively oiled surface. With oiled parquet, the oil absorbs into the wood and hardens in the pores. Direct contact with the wood is maintained, the parquet can regulate moisture as in its natural state and remains open to diffusion. Since the surface treatment with oil does not form a film, there is no static charge that creates dust swirls. Oiled parquet can also be repaired in places. With a sealed surface, the entire area must always be sanded and resealed.
Design options with oxidatively oiled parquet
Proven specialists such as the Swiss pioneers of oxidatively oiled wood surfaces,Count Parquet, know how to give the wood almost any color appearance using different treatment methods. With alkalis, stains, soaps and coloring, they fulfill the client's wishes - from the raw wood look to every color nuance.
