More and more pub owners are under pressure to attract clients by being a bit different from the ordinary. There’s no getting away from the fact that the economic climate in the UK has had a detrimental effect on the number of times a week that people either visit the pub or eat out. If you’re planning a re-look or a renovation for your pub, there’s little doubt that wood flooring is likely to be one of the things high on your wish list.
When it comes to shops, pubs and restaurants, wood flooring isn’t just a stylish solution; it’s a practical and hardwearing solution as well. That said, in order to make sure that your floor stands up to the test of time and stays looking great as long as you hope it will, it’s important to make the right decisions at the outset.
Essentially there are two types of wood flooring: solid and engineered. Put really simply, solid wood flooring is made from solid planks of the species of wood you choose for your floor. Engineered wood flooring, on the other hand, is a man made board which is constructed of layers of wood which is bonded together to create a really stable base for a solid wood lamella or top layer. It’s this solid wood lamella which makes engineered wood flooring so much like the real thing.
When it comes to a pub environment, there’s a lot to be said for solid wood flooring over engineered wood flooring because it can be sanded and refinished more often than engineered wood flooring. That said, an engineered wood flooring board with a relatively thick lamella or top layer will allow a good number of sandings.
The likes of a 21/6 engineered wood board, whereby the board is 21mm thick and the solid wood top layer is 6mm thick, should typically stand up to up to 7 sandings in its lifetime. That said, this thickness of board isn’t recommended for installation over under floor heating. If you’re planning under floor heating for your bar or pub, the likes of a 15/4 thick engineered wood flooring board, will allow up to 5 sandings in its lifetime and is suited for installation over under floor heating. It’s important to be aware that solid wood flooring isn’t recommended for installation over under floor heating. So, when you’re planning your project, it’s important to bear in mind the impact that under floor heating will have on the flooring options open to you.
Once you’ve established whether or not engineered wood flooring is the best for your project, or that solid wood would work out better for you, it’s then time to think about the species of wood you’ll choose, as well as the finish. In choosing the species of wood for a pub, it’s a good idea to pay respect to the strength of the different woods available because in many ways, strength is what will help your floor stand up to the footfall it will need to put up with.
The types of wood used in wood flooring production range in durability from oak, through to teak and walnut. Typically, Brazilian by origin the likes of teak and walnut, often known as cumaru and ipe respectively, while more expensive than oak, are harder wearing, more durable options. The durability of wood is measured using a technique called the Janka Ball Hardness Test. This test is used to measure the force it takes to embed half the diameter of a steel ball (measuring just over 1cm) into a wood. With results ranging from the high 00’s into the thousands, the Janka Ball Hardness Test for the likes of oak will normally be around the 1,300 mark with cumaru and ipe scoring much higher, at around 3000. This is definitely worth checking out with your wood floor supplier for your pub before making a final choice.
The next important thing to consider is the finish you choose for your pub floor. The two extremes of the flooring finish spectrum include oil at one end and varnishes at the other. The best option for you will depend to a large extent on the look you want to create. Varnishes tend to be shiny, even if you choose a matt finish, whereas oils are natural looking and simply enhance the wood without adding shine, but it is important to consider durability and the ability to repair your floor if you should need to.
Once again, your flooring supplier should be able to guide you if you’re having problems identifying your best options.