Do you know what wood consist in?
In this article we explore the essence and the composition of wooden floors starting from the raw material: the tree.
 
Observing the cross-section of a trunk, we see a set of concentric rings: they represent the amount of wood that forms during a year of life of the tree.
There are two areas for each ring:
-          The prime zone which is created at the beginning of the period of vegetative growth (spring-summer);
-          The late zone, which is formed in the period of vegetative stasis (fall-winter).
Each ring is formed by several types of cells, where the two main ones are the fibers, which play function of support and resistance, and the vessels, which serve for the passage of lymph necessary to nourishment.
 
Alternating between color areas primaticce and late rings form the grain, while the dimensions of the cells constituting the woody tissue determine the texture, that can be the thin (beech wood), average (walnut) and coarse (oak).
The cross section of the trunk shows the particular concentric structure, and consists of five layers: bone, wood, exchange, book (or phloem) and bark.
Of these two layers, the one that affects the flooring sector is wood, consisting primarily of heartwood and outward from sapwood.
In some species the heartwood and sapwood have a different color, such as walnut, while in others, such as maple, there is this difference.
Generally speaking, the heartwood has more features related to the use in the flooring, as increased density, improved strength and hardness.
 
Wood is a living thing that breathes and eats, and in it there is always a certain amount of water (humidity): in the production of wooden floors, the logs are completely dried and brought to the anhydrous state, without water.
In particular, the amount of water (humidity) is at the maximum felling the tree, and gradually decreases with the drying process.
 
To become parquet, the wood must maintain certain specifications, according to European regulations transposed into national rules: The definition of PARQUET can be attributed only and exclusively to solid wood elements or elements in which the thickness of noble wood is greater than 2,5 mm all constituted by wood or its derivatives.
It follows that technical characteristics and performance of the wooden floor imply, among other, high wear resistance, good thermal insulation and a good acoustic behavior.
All these reasons make the parquet flooring material of choice for every type of sports facility, from gyms to sports arenas, through the velodrome and bowling alleys.
But this will be exposed in the next round.
If the world of wooden floors fascinate you, do not miss the opportunity to discover secrets and news from those who produce them!