The structural integrity of an exceptionally engineered Element7 wide-plank floor, combined with the technical supremacy of our finishes, ensures a luxury world-class floor that will last a lifetime, without refinishing. Today’s average wood floors typically need refinishing within 3 to 5 years and replacing well within a decade.
Our fabulous wide-plank floors are renowned for their inimitable stunning looks, as our clients will testify. The easiest of wood floors to clean – pH neutral wood floor soap and a 100% cotton mop is all that is required.
The significant Element7 difference………
Not all engineered floors are equal, construction techniques vary making some floors less stable than others – raw material quality also differs affecting the product overall. Element7’s world-class engineered floors are the industry benchmark. This is achieved by our uncompromising approach to plank stability in manufacturing – the wood raw materials we use are of the highest quality and our beautiful lifetime floor finishes unequalled.
A luxury Element7 hardwood floor though initially more expensive than an average wood floor is completely cost effective. An Element7 floor has a lifespan of at least 3 times that of an average wood floor and never needs refinishing.
N B, refinishing an installed hardwood floor cannot duplicate a factory-controlled colour finish. Additionally, the refinishing sanding process destroys the floor’s original brushed texture and micro-bevels.
Quality and Grade of Oak
Element7’s West European factories use only certified sustainably sourced Oak. Most products on sale today manufactured in Eastern Europe, Russia and the Far East use low-cost unsustainable oak.
There are three grades of wood used in an engineered board top layer:- prime – (no knots), knotty – (normal knots) and country – (large knots and filled splits). Most company’s prime grades are considered a knotty grade by Element7.
Plank Widths and Lengths
Element7’s longer plank lengths and wider widths are a major factor in wide-plank aesthetics. Shorter lengths (check them) and narrower widths are of course cheaper but very much affect the overall look.
Engineered Construction
An Element7 Benchmark 3 layer wide-plank construction uses the same wood species on both the top and bottom layers. It also incorporates a softwood centre core that is made from softwood blocks. This Element7 “blocked and balanced” construction is recognised worldwide as the most stable engineered wide-plank construction available.
Plank Core and Secondary Layers – Softwood
Engineered middle or bottom layers are often fabricated using softwood. Element7 use the more expensive slow-grown softwood pine as it is much more stable than fast-grown pine used by less fastidious manufacturers.
Plank Core And Secondary Layers – Plywood
Element7 uses only Birch plywood fabricated with Phenol resin which meets the following standards:- EN 314 / 3 class; BS-1203 / H4; DIN 68705 Part 3 / type BFU-100. We do not use the cheaper poplar, or poplar mixed plywood commonly used by other manufacturers as it is less stable and more prone to delamination.
Finish
There is a vast difference between a bare minimum finish of a stain (that will fade away) sealed with one coat of solvent based varnish typical within the industry, and an Element7 eight coat, colour enhanced, water-based varnish finish, abraded and cured between each coat. The latter will last a lifetime and the other will need refinishing within 3 to 5 years.
Element7’s oiled and wax finishes last a lifetime too. See finishing
Installation
An Element7 installation guarantees perfection, whereas the installations of many others, frequently aims at best, to hastily achieve an arguably acceptable standard only.
An Element7 installation is the difference between average and excellent and therefore takes longer. Floors installed by Element7 are fully guaranteed. See installation
