Oak Wood Flooring

The mighty oak: what makes this incredible tree so big and popular in the world of hardwood flooring?

Oak is long-lived

Well, first of all, after its first hundred year birthday party it only grows at around an inch every year, and it can live to a ripe old age - in fact there are a number of oak trees in Europe (including at least two in the UK) that are over 1,000 years old!

It's pretty big too, growing on average to about 30 metres high, with some girths reaching 10-12 metres. However, if we're talking big and famous, then the major oak in Sherwood Forest (which was once associated with Robin Hood) measures a whopping 20 metres around.

Oak has been trusted for hundreds of years

If we are to believe in folklore, then King Arthur's Round Table was cut from a single piece of oak. One of the most famous British gunships ever, The Mary Rose, had its hull made almost entirely out of oak. It may have sunk and remained submerged in water for over 400 years, but it survived, and can now be seen in its full glory (well nearly) in Portsmouth's historic dockyard. So, is oak tough? Well... just a little.

Oak is not only tough but versatile

It is the fact that it grows so slowly that makes oak an extremely durable hardwood; in fact it's almost indestructible. Its durability as well as its stability makes it ideal for wood flooring and furniture-making, but also many other uses - from shipbuilding and construction to cabinet making and musical instruments.

In case you're wondering what instruments are made out of oak, go and check out a Yamaha drum kit. The density of the Japanese oak used for their drums gives the drum a much brighter tone - and a louder one!

Where does Turgon's oak come from?

At Türgon, we're pretty specific about the wood we choose to manufacture our floors. A lot of the oak we use is sourced from the Ukraine; because of its wet cold climate, the trees are extremely slow growing, and therefore incredibly tough. We also find the colour easy to work with. Ukrainian oak has a much more neutral tone than, say, French oak (which has a strong yellow tone), and is therefore favoured by many interior designers for its versatility.

For our extremely wide planks (i.e. planks over 300mm wide and 5 metres in length) we select oak from the Black Forest in Germany, which is dominated by huge trees growing up to 40 metres in height. These trees are ideal for our super-sized planks, and Türgon regularly have some of these gigantic trees milled to yield flooring planks that are up to 9 metres in length!

Oak lends itself to many different looks

Oak has an interesting and attractive grain pattern, which becomes even more interesting when you select different cuts of the log (for example crown sawn or quarter-sawn).

If you want to make a difference to how your floor will look, then try quarter sawn for an elegant look, or rustic for a more 'farmhouse' look. Quarter sawn creates a very stylish clean look, and is usually reserved for parquet or pattern floors. However, it is also far more expensive, as the wastage in cutting the log this way is far greater. For this reason we'd always recommend that you ask about the grade when choosing an oak floor; just another reason to talk to a genuine flooring expert.

At Türgon, we love to work with oak

Our hardwood floors can be solid or engineered, and our planks are available in whatever thickness, length or width you require.

To see some more examples of our work, why not take a look at our installation gallery - or to speak to an expert, call us now on 0800 169 3743.