What are hardwood floor finishes?
Learn about the different finishes and treatments of Yvyra’s hardwood floors collection and how they change the wood’s color, texture the look and feel.
Choosing the perfect engineered or solid wood flooring for your interior project is a very important decision. All woods have something in common: they need a finish to keep them looking their best for years and avoid dryness, cracks or swelling due to moisture.
Let’s have a look at Yvyra’s available options to protect, embellish and make indoor wooden floors from Millesime, 1OAK ÚNICO and Caracter Collections keep their beauty forever:
Finishes
A finish is a top coat that protects the wooden floors from wear and external aggression. Different finishes can also make the colour and texture of the floors look and feel different.
Smoked
The smoked finish is done by exposing wood to ammonia smoke, which reacts to the tannins of the wood and modifies its colour, giving your hardwood floors a deep, earthy brown tone. Ej Tarquinia, Jerez, Barolo, Somontano, Duero and Mencia from Millesime Collection and Viento from 1OAK ÚNICO Collection.
Double Smoked
Hardwood floors with a double fumé finish, have a much more intense, dark colour. The final result depends on the colour of the wood you are starting with. Ej. Margaux, Toro, Verdejo, Eclano and Pinot from Millésime Collection and Sirocco from 1OAK ÚNICO Collection.
Thermo treatment
Thermo-treatment consists of putting wood in a chamber heated between 190 and 230ºC. This produces alterations to the wood at the cellular level, giving it stronger structural stability. Thermo-treated woods have a chocolate-brown colour with a slightly red tone.
Raw
This type of finish penetrates the wood and protects its surface and structure. They slightly alter its look and texture, so it is important to know the differences between the protection layer finishes to know what your hardwood floor will look like
Protection layer finishes
This type of finish penetrates the wood and protects its surface and structure. They slightly alter its look and texture, so it is important to know the differences between the protection layer finishes to know what your hardwood floor will look like.
Natural oil
Natural oil finishes have been protecting floors and furniture for centuries. This finish is done by applying vegetable oils that penetrate deep into the wood, which increases protection for your floor against any threats. Rather than covering up the natural appearance of the wood, a natural oil finish will bring out its natural beauty. With proper care and periodic maintenance, hardwood floors with a natural finish can last for a lifetime. Ej Margaux, Tarquinia and Verdejo from Millesime Collection.
UV oil
Similar to natural finishes, UV oil finishes enhance your wooden floor’s longevity by penetrating deep into the wood. In UV oil finishes, UV lights are used to cure and harden the wood after applying a layer of natural vegetable oil to it. With its slightly matte appearance, a hardwood with a natural oil finish will make scratches and dents less noticeable, while still keeping your wooden floors looking like wood. See Jerez, Toro, Barolo, Somontano, Napa, Duero, Tannat, Bourgogne, Mencia from Millésime Collection.
White UV Oil
White U.V. Oil confers a subtle lighter colour to the surface. UV Oil finish has an extremely low build thickness (thin coat) which makes for an attractive furniture type finish. The lack of gloss of this type of oil is beneficial when it comes to dents, dings, and other common household or commercial mishaps. Environmentally, UV oil is made of 100% solids and contains no solvents or after cure products. U.V. Oil has the best combination of two surface treatments: natural oil and lacquer as it enhances the natural aspect of the former and the protection against wear and stains of the latter. See Priorat, Barolo and Mencia from Millesime Collection
Invisible lacquer
Instead of penetrating the wood like oils, sealers create a thin layer on top of your hardwood floors, sealing in the natural oils and resins that the wood contains and protecting it from scratches. Sealed floors need less periodic maintenance than oiled finishes, but require resealing over the years to eliminate the scratches and erosion caused by foot traffic. Invisible lacquer is a high-quality water-based ultra-matt floor lacquer developed to give the wood a raw, bare wood look. The lacquer is based on a polyurethane binding agent, which will leave the surface with a texture resembling newly-sanded wood. Some examples are Galerna, Levante and Bora from 1OAK UNICO Collection.
Matt lacquer
Matt lacquer smoothens small scratches, increases the resistance of the surface and provides effective protection against wear. This extends the lifetime of the surface or floor. Because matt lacquer does not build up a thick coating, you can use it whenever it is required. Examples: Aire, Brisa, Viento, Poniente, Mistral, Greco, Garbino and Cierzo from 1OAK UNICO Collection
Hardwax oil
Hardwax oil finish is made from all-natural ingredients, combining vegetable oils with hardwax. As it penetrates the wood, it protects your wooden floors from within and acts as a barrier against moisture and stains. The oil component penetrates deep in the wood, hardening it and making it more resistant, while the wax remains on the surface and repels water and humidity. Hardwax oil finishes give your wooden floor a natural texture and bring out the natural beauty of the wood grain. For example, see Eclano and Merlot from Millesime Collection and Sirocco from 1OAK ÚNICO Collection.
Treatments
These treatments are applied to hardwood floors before using any surface or protective treatment and alter the texture and feel of the wood.
Smooth
The smooth finish is achieved by sanding wood before applying any other treatment, giving your floors a smooth, polished touch.
Brushed
Brushed finishes are done with a steel wire brush that goes over the surface of the wood. This gives a textured finish to the wood, and the depth of the texture can vary from light to heavy. See Napa and Duero from Millesime Collection and Aire, Brisa, Viento, Poniente, Mistral, Greco, Garbino and Cierzo from 1OAK UNICO Collection.
Light brushed
With this type of wire-brushed finishes, the wood obtains a light, discrete texture, showcasing the natural streaks of wood. Combined with oil or sealer finishes, light wire brushed floors offer soft, natural-looking colours to your interiors. See Galerna, Levante and Bora from 1OAK UNICO Collection.
Deep brushed
Heavily wire-brushed finishes give your hardwood floors a deeper texture, accentuating their natural grain. This deeper brushing gives your interior space a more rustic look and feel. See Eclano, Merlot, Pinot from Millesime Collection and Sirocco from 1OAK UNICO Collection.
Handbrushed
Millesime floors are truly fashioned by hand from premium quality hardwood. Like a true piece of art, each plank bears the signature of the proud craftsman who created it.
Hand-scraped
Handscraped floors are done by scraping the surface of wood by hand, creating an irregular texture. This gives the floor a traditional, handmade look and feel, as well as a worn and somewhat old appearance. Hand-scraped floors are unique and come in a wide range of different looks. See Priorat, Somontano, Bourgogne and Mencia from Millesime Collection.
Irregular Sawn Cut
Achieved by cutting the surface of the wood with a saw, this technique gives floors a very rough, time-worn texture ideal for public spaces with a high amount of foot traffic. See Verdejo from Millésime Collection.
Distressed
This finish gives your floor a seasoned look by adding minor blemishes, dents and nicks to the smooth wood planks. Distressed wood floors have an antique look and have the ability to hide new flaws. To enhance the natural look of the wood, distressed finishes can be combined with a natural or UV oil treatment. Ej Jerez, Toro, Barolo, Tannat and Mencia from Millésime Collection.
Filled open cracks
YVYRA flooring collections confers a strong contrasted surface with filled deep cracks. These are merely aesthetic and consequently don’t affect the mechanical and technical flooring characteristics. Eg. Margaux, Tarquinia, Verdejo, Eclano and Merlot from Millésime Collection
Wooden butterfly plugs
The Margaux Millesime oak wood floor features oak butterfly-shaped inlays. A grasp of true traditional and antique blending. See Margaux from Millesime Collection.
Elephant skin
A process consisting of a unique carving on the surface resulting in a floor with a very strong identity and full of character. See Viura and New Etna from Millesime Collection.
Whitewashed
On whitewashed floors, one coat of white oil is applied and later removed by hand, leaving the white colour only in the grain of the wood. This manual process is always done after brushing and will provide interesting patterns full of contrast. See Tarquinia, Napa and Duero from Millesime Collection and Brisa and Poniente from 1OAK UNICO Collection.
Grading
Each wood plank we work with at Yvyra is unique: its knots, streaks and colour variations can not be repeated in any other plank. Grading helps us classify the wood and group it according to a series of features and character, to achieve a consistent feel across each of our floorings..
Natural
Natural wood is carefully selected for its few small knots and minimised graining, character and colour variation, giving floors an overall smooth look while preserving the beauty of real wood.
Rustic
Rustic wood has bigger knots and features more graining and colour variation, as well as darker streaks.
Extreme rustic
Extra rustic wood includes great colour variation, cracks and big knots, so that no plank is the same. This gives your hardwood floors a unique look and personality.
Need more information or have extra questions about indoor wood flooring finishes, treatments or gradings from Millésmie, 1OAK ÚNICO or CARACTER Collections? Please, contact us by sending us an email to [email protected] or through our YVYRA contact form