Engineered Wood a Natural Choice

When Timberland refurbished its store in the duty-free section of OR Tambo International Airport, and opened a new one in the upmarket Melrose Arch Piazza, the use of anything other than natural wood floors was not an option.

The flooring used in both instances was Kuhrs 15mm Oak Cornwall engineered wood, which has a brushed surface and a matt lacquer finish, supplied and installed by Interior Wooden Floors which is the sole South African importer of the extensive Kuhrs range of natural wood products.

The technology incorporated into this product includes a glueless Woodloc joint claimed to be the first time this has been used on an engineered wood product which provides a faster installation time with perfect results every time and, by eliminating the use of glue, makes this a truly environmentally friendly installation.

The installation at OR Tambo was a necessary upgrade, in line with the ACSA R53-million extension and refurbishment programme being undertaken at the airport to cater for the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The natural oak wooden floor used for the new Timberland store at Melrose Arch Piazza is in keeping with the high-quality decor and finishes that are a prominent feature of this upmarket centre.

Engineered wood is a development that is extremely eco-friendly whilst still providing a natural wood floor. The boards (or tiles) used in these floors are of a multilayered design with a 4mm top layer of the selected hardwood factory-applied to a stable cross-laminated hard pine or poplar wood construction in three layers, laid at 90 across the base to reduce and stabilise the movements in the solid wood material.

It has been proven that this type of construction reduces the expansion and contraction movement by approximately 85% in comparison with solid wood planks.

The 4mm hardwood top surface is environmentally desirable because it enables more flooring to be produced per tree, thus making far less environmental impact in comparison to solid wood floors. In addition, the softer woods used in the multilayered construction are well-controlled, renewable-resource products.

This design also enables these floors to be competitively priced in the marketplace, and has lent itself very well to the introduction of unique fixing systems that simply click together without the need for glue, nails or staples. This means that they can be laid as floating floors, making the installation quick and easy.

Timberland is a global outdoor lifestyle brand, proud to be a 21st century example for socially responsible corporations around the world, and the new concepts employed on these two projects embrace a simple, wholesome, warm palette of materials.

This is achieved through the use of natural, raw and green finishes incorporated into the overall objective of making the ambience of the stores resemble a marketplace experience that is authentic, purposeful, welcoming and enduring.