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We prefer engineered construction to solid wood for a number of beneficial reasons and even wrote a blog on the topic: What’s so Great About Engineered Flooring?
Primary benefits include:
Higher performance.
Less movement.
Less susceptibility to moisture retention.
The ability to the apply over radiant heating without obstruction.
And most importantly, we are using 2/3 less of a precious slow growing resource on a substrate you will never use or see—making this a far more sustainable product than the alternative.
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Yes, we love being part of these projects! Forest Stewardship Council® certified products are available by request; we also have a Declare Label we can provide. All our wood is locally grown and manufactured, so it's a perfect fit for all sustainability certifications.
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Our eco-friendly engineered flooring is made from real wood and has a thick wear layer that can be sanded and refinished for multiple generations, translating into about 120 years of life expectancy.
Laminate flooring is simply a very thin layer of plastic with a picture of wood printed on it and glued to low-grade substrate. It is not eco-friendly and can be difficult for people with chemical sensitivities. Laminate flooring also has a limited lifespan that ranges between 15 to 20 years, at which point it will need to be completely removed and a new floor purchased and installed. -
We partner with Trillium Pacific Millwork in Hubbard, OR, to make our engineered flooring. They use a massive glue press to adhere the two parts of the floor together with a CARB II compliant no added urea formaldehyde Type II glue that is made in Woodburn, OR. In other words, it's the best and most non-toxic glue available. More information is available on our Wide Plank Declare Label.
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Yes. In fact, we pride ourselves on using only native wood including Oregon White Oak, Bigleaf Maple, and Oregon Ash from Oregon’s Willamette Valley for the wear layer which is adhere to an engineered backing currently made of FSC certified Baltic birch.
For more information on engineered flooring check out our blog topic: What’s so Great About Engineered Flooring?
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Each type of hardwood has its own characteristics of color, grain and density.
Oregon White Oak is the densest of the three species and has bright white sapwood contrasting with darker heartwood. Bigleaf Maple has a wide spectrum of interesting colors and figured grain while Oregon Ash has light to medium-brown and honey colors often containing lots of marbling. Words don’t do this wood justice. Ask us to see samples or look at our Wide Plank Flooring page to see pictures. -
We offer two grades of engineered flooring:
Character: uses the full scope of the tree and all its inherent dimensions, including knots. Available in Oregon White Oak, Bigleaf Maple, and Oregon Ash.
Select: omits major distinctions and limits sapwood. Available in Oregon White Oak and Bigleaf Maple.
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Mixed-width floors, also called variable-width, best represent the variety inherent in trees. Any given log will produce boards of varying sizes, so variable width floors do a better job of using all the wood a tree has to offer without waste. As for install, many folks choose to lay the widths randomly. You can also lay the boards in a pattern, and we make it easy by including a laying pattern that makes sure you don’t run out of one width before another. Still seem confusing? Call us—it’s not as tricky as it sounds.
Single-width flooring is also available.
Widths include 4.25”, 5.25” and 6.25”, as well as 7.25” and 8.25” on accumulation basis.
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Our flooring comes random length. Our boards vary from 14" to 8' depending on face width. High percentage of pieces over 5'.
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No, we don’t. The natural character inherent in our local species is plenty interesting on its own. We prefer to sell unblemished flooring and let your lifestyle give it a one-of-a-kind patina over generations. All of our floors will include a combination of quarter, rift, and flat sawn cuts.
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Our engineered flooring has a 4 mm wear layer of sandable material. Depending on the use and care of your floor over time, this gives you 4-5 sandings. With regular wear and tear, you should figure on a refinish every 30 years, giving you a floor that will last many generations.
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Our flooring is sold unfinished, allowing you to pick the finish that works best for your use patterns and color palette. It needs to be sanded and finished on site. This makes a better quality, longer lasting floor that is much more water resistant and doesn’t have any distracting grooves between boards.
There are many finishes on the market. Talk to your installer or designer to help narrow down the options. Be sure to look for non-toxic, UV protected, low VOC products. Our two cents: we tend to like simple, waterborne finishes like Pallman’s Pall-X 96.
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In our experience we have found that beveled floors have several drawbacks that include:
Dirt collecting in the bevels making it more difficult to clean.
Moisture can more easily penetrate to sublayers.
Can be more difficult to install.
Needing to sand down more of the wear layer, thus reducing the overall life of your floor.
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If you're hoping for something that we don’t stock, let's talk. Keep in mind that custom runs require longer lead times and full payment upfront.
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We recommend planning for an overage of 7% additional material for on-site grading, trimming and installation factors. Please note that this can vary by layout and we are happy to help you calculate what you will need for your project.
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Your finish manufacture will have specific instruction but in general it’s easy. For small spills, just a little soap and water with a rag or sponge will do the trick. Be sure to wipe the floors dry with a towel after cleaning. For routine cleaning, sweep with a broom or use a dust mop. Don’t clean your hardwood floor with a wet mop or a steam cleaner. These will damage the floor over time.
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Certainly. Arrange a mill visit, or contact us to have samples mailed to you by calling 503-687-2626 or by emailing us at info@zenaforest.com.
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We don’t install, but we have a network of trusty installers who we can recommend. Contact us for a recommendation in your area.
