Flooring

Strip or structural (19 or 22 mm)

Flooring of this type is generally tongue-and-groove, and laid on floor joists, so strength properties are important. The timber should be allowed to come to equilibrium in the room before nailing, preferably for two to three weeks. Timber has hygroscopic properties, i.e. it can shrink or swell as it either loses or gains moisture. In winter conditions when equilibrium moisture content is high, the boards should be cramped tightly while laying because some shrinkage will occur in the following summer. Conversely, in summer conditions the boards should have little cramping to allow for swelling with moisture uptake in the winter months.

Overlay

Overlay flooring refers to floating floors, which are not attached or glued to the concrete slab or particleboard generally used as a base. Each section is laminated, generally with three laminates, and is tongue-and-grooved to allow easy laying.

Parquet

Parquet sections are small sections laid in geometric designs, and are usually glued to the sub-floor. The small sections mean that movement is negligible with changing equilibrium moisture levels in different seasons.

Joinery and mouldings

Joinery is the art of preparing and fixing the wood finishings of buildings, with the woodwork prepared by a joiner but not having structural purposes.

Mouldings are generally long lengths of wood in which rectangular sections have been shaped to various contours suitable for end use ornamentation.