The KWD range of timber is a thoughtfully and carefully considered range of the finest engineered timber flooring available in the marketplace. We are so excited to be able to bring this beautiful timber flooring directly to you via KWD&Co., our sister brand that presents a curated collection of our most loved timber, carpets, rugs, tiles, stone and paving. The colours and finishes we have developed specially for the KWD timber range are superb and we are so proud that you can now order this fabulous product to lay in your own home.
KWD strongly believes that there is no better flooring timber than European Oak. It really is the best choice for timber flooring because it’s not so hard that you can’t repair it and it’s not so soft that it can damage easily. Oak is also the most responsive in terms of colour absorption, stains or treatments.
Importantly, any timber flooring must adhere to a strict environmentally-conscious framework, and only sustainably forested plantation timbers are used in the KWD range. The European Oak that KWD imports is sourced specifically for us.
The European Oak veneer is adhered to an engineered solid plantation Poplar core that is not laminated, thus reducing the use of glues. In fact the whole KWD timber range has been designed to be extremely low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and in terms of formaldehyde content the timber has one of the lowest ratings possible.
The floorboards we feature in our KWD collection are all hand finished (not machine finished) and are naturally cured on drying racks. Whilst there’s a lot more worked involved in creating this high-quality timber, the results are worth it – creating a product that is as natural as possible and that looks so beautiful. So many timber boards available in the market are machine finished, coated with polyurethane UV oils and cured by light. It’s these mass-produced products often use toxic chemicals with no regard for the safety of the end user.
The KWD range uses natural oils from the Tung Tree on the surface of the timber that contain only organic VOCs and have a really pleasant natural scent. These Tung oils are made from the cold-pressed seeds from the nut of the Tung tree which date back as far as the 14th century, and were originally used to waterproof and protect wooden ships from the eroding powers of the sea. Completely natural and renewable, you can even apply this oil to baby’s toys and chopping boards as there is no harm associated with them.
The standard KWD timber flooring range is based on a 2.2m long board that is 240mm wide and 20mm thick with a 6mm wear layer, and it can be used for a traditional lay format or herringbone pattern. However custom-made board lengths and widths can be ordered to suit any design.
KWD runs a range of tones and a few different grades as well. The AB timber board has been specially selected so that it has minimal knots, grain and fillers – each board is really one in one thousand in terms of the selection criteria. It creates a beautiful, clean design and the invisible oil makes for a really subtle foundation. There’s also an ABCD grade board and CDD grade board which have more character with knots and fillers.
KWD timbers gets its colour toning from the use of Whittle Waxes that enhance the natural beauty of timber. These stains are quick drying, easy to maintain and above all provide a hard wearing and super smooth finish with low VOCs. Two coats are applied by hand at the source, and we also recommend that once the floor is laid another final coat is applied and buffed so it works its way into the timber, sealing the floor beautifully. It’s dry to the touch within five hours or so. This also means that you never have to sand back a KWD timber floor. Many engineered timber floors that have a polyurethane coating, and it’s the coating that wears over time, not the timber itself. With the KWD range using only natural oils, you’ll find that the timber flooring can last a lifetime.
For more information have a chat with the KWD team, or order online at http://www.kwdandco.com.au