FEATURE
Spotlight on: EUCALYPTUS FLOORING
This month, Tomorrow’s Flooring Assistant Editor, Eve Douglas, looks into an alternative flooring choice that is easy on the eye as well as the environment.
The eucalyptus tree is a fast growing one and because of this, the foremost benefit of them is their wood. The Eucalyptus tree is native to Australia, New Zealand and other nearby islands, and it’s tendency to grow very quickly and reach maturity much sooner than other trees is partly why it’s often deemed quite an “aggressive” tree, as it has a very big appetite for water when it’s not in one of the locations in which it would have grown naturally. Obviously, this can negatively affect the surrounding environment, which means it could be argued that cutting down a eucalyptus tree doesn’t necessarily come at the expense of the rainforest.
54
Besides which, the rate at which they grow means that they can be chopped off at the root and still grow back again. While eucalyptus trees aren’t as fast growing as bamboo trees, they grow at least twice as fast as other, more popular flooring materials such as pine and oak. And, what many people don’t realise is that eucalyptus is actually over 50% harder than white oak.
But it’s not just the speed at which eucalyptus trees grow that make them an ideal source of flooring material. Its popularity is rising due to it having very similar properties as some of the best hardwood floors available on the market, and the fact that it is also
available in various patterns and colours. Once installed, eucalyptus flooring has a very smooth and refined finish, while still maintaining the depth and shimmer of an exotic wood, making it an increasingly popular choice amongst home owners.
Duro Design, a Canadian flooring manufacturer, specialises in eucalyptus flooring and use plantation- grown eucalyptus from sustainable, managed and PEFC certified European forests. (PEFC is the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). Getting eucalyptus from a PEFC-certified forest is a safe option, however if you have chosen a company that
doesn’t state that they use eucalyptus trees from PEFC-certified forests, you can look out for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified eucalyptus woods which are also quite common and just as safe an option.
Like many other manufacturers, Duro Design can install the floor by either gluing or nailing it down, and promise a 25-year structural and 5-year renewable finish warranty. They also have 13 colours to choose from, and can use premium German and Swiss pigments for “higher optical definition and colour vibrancy.”
So, aside from the visual benefits of installing
www.tomorrowsflooring.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64