Reclaimed parquet block: Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Beech is found throughout Europe, and is a well-known British hardwood. It is regarded as a very hard timber, the strength being a benchmark for other wood types. It is the most widely used timbers in the UK for all types of joinery. In more recent decades it has been used for parquet, generally speaking since the 1960s onwards. Despite being very versatile, it is not considered suitable for external use.  Trees grow to an average of 100 ft (30 m) with a trunk diameter of about 4 ft ( 1.2 m ). Beech characteristics Beige-white or ..read more

Reclaimed parquet flooring: Maple (Acer saccharum) Grown widely in North America, both across Canada and the United States. It is also called Rock Maple (as in hard), which is an indication that this timber is used for robust flooring. The trees grow to  about 100 ft ( 30 m). In the UK it was widely used in commercial premises from the 1930s to 1950s. It is often reclaimed from places such as school gyms, post offices and large warehouses. The wood-block can sometimes be found in 12″ lengths. This species is generally milled in quite a thick block as it was used for heavy wear. Maple ..read more

Reclaimed parquet flooring Columbian Pine (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Columbian Pine known as Douglas Fir, as well as Oregon Pine. It refers to British Columbia in Canada. It is an abundant timber, widely grown in North America i.e. Canada and United States. Named after Scottish botanist David Douglas, although the scientific name is for Archibald Menzies, who first described the tree in the 1790s. The trees grow up to 200 ft ( 60 m), even as high as 300 ft in North America with a diameter of up to 5 ft (1.5 m). Columbian Pine characteristics The wood has clear growth ring definition and this prod ..read more

Reclaimed parquet flooring Muhuhu (Brachlaena hutchinsii) Muhuhu is a species of tropical hardwood from Africa. The main countries of distribution are Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. In addition the range does extend as far as Angola. Also known as Silver Oak, Muhugwe and Kipugupugo. This species is on the IUCN Red List and classified ‘Rare’ within its natural growth range in Uganda. Listed as ‘endangered’ due to a tree population reduction of over 50% in the past three generations. A decline in the natural range of growth, as well as the exploitation of the species  causes the tree populatio ..read more

Reclaimed parquet flooring: Apitong (Dipterocarpus spp) Apitong is from South-East Asia, principally Indonesia, Malaysia and Burma. It belongs to the genus dipterocarpus. There are numerous species within this group, all traded under the name Apitong, as well as others such as Keruing and Lancewood. There are other trade and local names, often depending on the exact origin of the lumber. This is a robust and very hard-wearing flooring timber which is medium to heavy in weight. The colour ranges quite widely due to the range of species included under this trade name. Generally ho ..read more

Acclimatising parquet is really important to the end results of a reclaimed floor. The relative humidity ( rh ) between the blocks and your ambient room temperature matters. If the blocks are too high in humidity and you run your heating quite high, there will be shrinkage and gaps. That is, unless you get that relative humidity much closer before you get your floor fitted. The wood type is also important because each species expands and contracts differently. Each wood type has a classification of the amount of ‘movement in service’. This means that anything that is small movement in service ..read more

Reclaimed parquet flooring Makore ( Tieghemella heckelii  and Tieghemella africana) Makore is an African redwood from western Africa. Grown in Nigeria (where it is called agamokwe) and Ghana (known as abaku and baku). The wood also comes from Cameroon and Gabon where the local name is douka. As well as from Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Liberia. The trees grow from 120-150 ft (37 – 45 m) with a diameter of 4 ft (1.2 m). Although rarely used now, the trade names for this wood were Cherry Mahogany or African Cherry. Makore characteristics The heartwood of Makore has pink-red t ..read more

Reclaimed parquet flooring Agba – (Gossweilerodendron balsamiferum) A prolific species of tropical hardwood mainly from west Africa. The countries of distribution are: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo as well as Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and finally Zaire. Other names for Agba are Nigerian cedar, Ntola and Pink mahogany. This tree is one of the largest in tropical west Africa. It reaches heights of up to 200 ft (60 m) and a diameter of 7 ft (2m). Despite its size, it is a relatively lightweight timber as well as being strong. Agba Characteristics The species resembles that of African ma ..read more

Maple reclaimed parquet in the public areas of a cinema: The Everyman Cinema, at the new Trinity Shopping Centre, Leeds. These photos show the foyer, cafe and gallery of a cinema fitted by a contract flooring company. Our maple reclaimed parquet block was the flooring selected. The blocks supplied by us was at the scruffier end of the reclaimed spectrum because it all had a carpet adhesive on the surface. Therefore, as per design specification, the parquet had to be cleaned back. However, the cleaning had to be done without looking too ‘perfect’. That is no mean feat when you start with glue o ..read more

Reclaimed Parquet Flooring Danta (Nesogordonia papaverifera) Danta is also known as Kotibé, Otutu or Aborbora. It comes mainly from West Africa: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zaire. This species is a beautiful, fine quality timber. Danta characteristics The heartwood colour is pale purplish brown, to red, with some brown tones. The lustrous surface is similar to that of darker mahogany with an extremely fine texture. The interlocked grain produces characteristic stripes or ribboning, which shows in some ..read more