Eva Hjarup Preisler describes the benefits or ensuring you have great quality wood when it comes to flooring
WOOD quality is paramount when selecting flooring for your home or business. It affects the flooring’s aesthetic appeal, durability, and sustainability.
As environmental concerns grow, responsible wood sourcing and understanding the significance of high-quality wood have become more important than ever. As manufacturers, we know why wood quality matters for flooring, the impact of sustainable sourcing, and how the right choices lead the way.
How wood quality transforms your flooring experience
Wood is a natural material – beautiful and strong. However, the quality of the wood used for flooring can vary significantly. High-quality wood flooring, whether solid planks or engineered, offers several advantages. It provides natural elegance and warmth that other materials can’t replicate. Additionally, fine, quality wood promotes well-being by being gentler on joints, improving indoor air quality and supporting mental health, as nature-inspired spaces elevate mood and provide a sense of comfort.
Wood types like oak and ash are sought after for their longevity and hard character, especially for high-traffic spaces. At the same time, softer species like Douglas and pine add tranquillity and harmony to any space. Engineered wood flooring combines layers of wood, offering enhanced stability and less prone to expansion or contraction from humidity. For example, a manufacturer may have a collection of engineered planks which consists of solid wood in three layers, transcending the level of quality and sustainability to another level. In both types of wooden flooring, the quality of the wood affects the floor’s lifespan and performance.
Choosing wide, long floor planks, which can be as long as 15 metres in some collections can require the finest wood to ensure each floor is visually stunning and can last centuries. High-quality, well-maintained wood flooring ages beautifully and adds timeless, natural elegance, making it a desirable choice for residential and commercial spaces.
Sustainable wood sourcing
Sustainability is a key concern for consumers and suppliers, and wood sourcing is essential in reducing environmental impact. While wood is a renewable resource, unsustainable forestry practices can lead to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and soil degradation. Dinesen’s wood is sourced from the Black Forest, where forestry is managed sustainably, ensuring the wood is harvested responsibly and the health of the forests and ecosystems is maintained.
In addition, certification systems like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) help ensure wood is sourced responsibly. The FSC and PEFC certifications guarantee that wood is harvested in ways that protect the environment, respect local communities, and support long-term forest management. As a manufacturer, we adhere to these principles by collaborating with suppliers that provide FSC and PEFC-certified wood, ensuring our entire product range is certificate-available. We also provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) across our product range, offering transparency and detailed information about the environmental impact of our flooring solutions.
Sustainable forestry practices involve selective logging, where only specific trees are carefully felled to guarantee that forests thrive for generations. This approach reflects a profound respect for nature and sustainability. Some companies have long-established relationships with forest owners and foresters, which are essential for selecting the appropriate trees. The people who manage the forests know each tree intimately and understand when it’s ready to be felled, beginning its new journey with the manufacturer.
The future of sustainable wood flooring
As demand for sustainable products increases, innovation to reduce environmental impact is necessary. It’s important that companies continuously develop their product ranges through advanced manufacturing techniques, meticulous handcrafting and five generations of expertise in working with wood.
Advances in engineered wood floors, for example, contribute to sustainability. As an example, Dinesen Layers provides floor planks with the benefits of a solid wooden floor in an engineered format. It consists of a solid wood top layer, offering the same aesthetic appeal as the company’s solid floors, while the middle and bottom layers are made of Dinesen finger-jointed offcuts. This way, Layers incorporates more sustainable aspects, as it utilises wood that would otherwise be discarded. Additionally, this type of flooring is easy to work with, as the planks are simpler to install. These engineered floor planks offer an excellent balance between responsibility and quality, making them a versatile option for any home.
Quality matters
The quality of wood flooring is closely linked to its environmental impact. By prioritising high-quality wood and supporting sustainable sourcing, consumers can enjoy beautiful, long-lasting floors while contributing to a healthier planet. As awareness grows and the industry continues to innovate, the future of wood flooring looks beautiful and sustainable.
www.dinesen.com
Eva Hjarup Preisler is copywriter and communications manager at Dinesen
