Engineered Oak Flooring – Suitable For A Kitchen?
When considering a kitchen conversion and looking for something different to floor tiles or a cushion floor product for a decorative finish then look no further than a wood finish product. Engineered oak flooring is one particular example of flooring that can take the ‘heat in the kitchen’.
So what is engineered oak flooring and how does it differ to conventional planks of wood? A simple answer is it is a manufactured piece of flooring that allows for easy assembly and stable fit. The composition of a section of flooring is normally made up of several layers of wood and several layers of finish and protective coatings.
The layers of wood are bonded together giving it a strong flexible finish that is ideally suited to the kitchen environment. An added benefit with the engineered version is it is designed to fit together for an even stronger closer fit.
The better quality oak wood flooring consists of either two layers of spruce softwood and a genuine oak hardwood veneer or a layer of spruce softwood with a middle layer of pine softwood and then topped with the oak hardwood; then six layers of a UV based substance are applied to the oak surface. The reason for applying the substance to the oak is to protect the veneer from wear and tear and micro scratches thus keeping the visual finish superb. Although oak is a tough hardwood the layer applied is still only thin and excessive damage may very well penetrate the veneer and expose the softwood beneath.
One of the reasons for using oak in the kitchen area is the stunning effect from the surface of the wood; the reason for using the UV finish is to protect the floor from the harmful suns rays; so it acts a bit like sun block for wood.
The advantage of using engineered oak is it does not suffer the normal side effects that occur with conventional oak flooring. Solid oak flooring suffers with the vagaries of climate expanding when the weathers humid and shrinking when the weather is dry; in the UK this is a distinct disadvantage.
The fitting of this type of flooring can be completed in one of several ways; it can be floated, this just involves it being slotted together relying on the closeness of the fit to hold it in place, or it can be pinned with board pins or glued. How it is fitted would be a personal choice but the latter two will give more stability.
For a good, strong and flexible finish with the appearance of real quality use engineered oak flooring.
Parties with Marquees Yorkshire
Have you got a big event coming up soon? Maybe you have a special birthday or anniversary to celebrate this year? Perhaps a welcome-home party or even a going away party? If you have, but you’ve not yet decided on a venue or have simply been unable to find the perfect venue, have you considered the freedom that hiring a marquee using marquees Yorkshire will give you?
If your garden is big enough, you could set up a marquee next to your own home, so that you have all the convenience of being “at home” but without the inconvenience of having to party-proof your home or not having enough space. Instead of hiring a dull Yorkshire hotel venue or the village hall, you could have your own uniquely styled marquee that will reflect your own individual style and that will be perfectly tailored for the event. You can choose your own caterers for the event or even do your own catering from the comfort of your own, familiar kitchen whilst having your guests comfortably seated with plenty of room in the marquee in the garden. Marquees give you so much freedom of choice and piece of mind when it comes to party planning.
Children’s parties can get notoriously messy, with all that jelly and ice cream and fizzy drinks and birthday cake. With your child’s party safely held in a marquee in your own garden you can enjoy the event without having to fret about your carpets and furnishings getting wrecked. All the children will be safely under one canvas roof and nobody will be able to go astray. You could even set up a Mr Whippy-style ice-cream machine or a candy floss maker to really impress your kid’s friends. Or how about a chocolate fountain as a fabulous centrepiece and talking point? You can prepare simple platters of marshmallows and pieces of healthy fruit for the children to dunk in the liquid chocolate. At the end of the party, the marquee is simply removed and your house remains unscathed. Hiring your next venue for your child’s party will be so much easier with marquees in Yorkshire.
For 21st birthday parties, engagement parties or anniversary parties, you can have a mobile bar set up in your marquee and so you won’t need to worry about keeping your guests’ glasses topped up or not having sufficient refrigeration room in the house for bottles of wine or champagne. If you’re planning a fancy dress party, maybe with a mediaeval theme, you could set up a hog roast or a mediaeval banquet along with gallons of fruit punch or mead, served up by wenches in costume and really go to town on the marquee’s internal décor to fit in with your chosen theme.
Whatever the occasion for your next party, make it really special and stress-free by choosing marquees Yorkshire.