When it comes to solid oak floors, there are two widespread expectations that contradict each other. On the one hand, there is a desire for wide and long planks in regular formats. On the other hand, there is an expectation of visually uniform grain. You only need to look at an oak tree to understand how incompatible these expectations are: the wood presents a myriad of singularities such as knots, burls, cracks, etc.

This is why we present this solid oak parquet where all possible visual singularities are welcome. It is made from wood that is usually excluded from flooring production for aesthetic reasons (although it is technically suitable for such use).

Here is a non-exhaustive list of these singularities:

• Insect holes: The so-called ‘piqure’ is caused by tree-boring insects that create tunnels in the freshly cut heartwood in the forest - a different insect species than the one that can be found in houses. Of course, the wood is sanitized during kiln drying, so it is 100% free of parasites.

• Knots of all sizes and shapes: A knot is either the base of a side branch or a dormant bud around which the grain flows. In conventional flooring production, a piece of wood is rejected if it contains too many knots or if the knots exceed a certain size.

• Heart shakes: Cracks in the heartwood, near the centre of the tree, propagating usually along the line of the medullary rays, that often occur in old oak trees.

• Burls: following small wounds, the tree defends itself by forming a burl - a ball of variable size and irregular shape consisting of a tangle of wood fibres and knots.
  

• ‘Bleus’: The forest in the north-east of France where these oaks come from saw battles during WW1, which left shells and bullets in some trees, creating oxidation marks and deformation.
  

Solid oak floor with tongue and groove on all 4 edges. No chamfer on the edges. It can be laid as a floor finish on a supporting surface or used as a structural floor when nailed onto joists. There are no grooves on the back of the planks, making them particularly suitable for applications where the underside remains visible (e.g. a mezzanine). The material contains only heartwood (the central part of the tree, which is mechanically strong and resistant to decay) and no sapwood (the softer, living outer layer of the tree).

 
Forest origin: North-East France (century-old oaks).

Condition: New, never installed. The wood has been kiln dried for 4 to 5 weeks with temperature cycles of up to 60°C in order to bring the moisture content of the wood to 8-10% for interior use. It also guarantees that xylophages are no longer present.

Installation recommendations: Simulate the composition of the boards to ensure that knots and other singularities are evenly distributed. After installation and rough sanding, fill the knots and cracks with the paste obtained by mixing the sawdust from sanding with wood glue. Fine sanding is then carried out. Ensure that the ends of adjacent planks do not coincide for better stability and appearance (for example, leave a minimum distance of 20 cm). After installation, we recommend the use of a wax oil to protect the wood.

Solid oak flooring is not recommended for use with underfloor heating, especially with 2 cm thick boards.