Hardwood Floors April/May 2024

Thermal treatment of wood has been used for decades to improve wood’s properties against dimensional changes in severe environments and degradation to fungal attack. The thermal treatment process

degrades certain chemical constituents in the wood cell wall, limiting its applicability primarily to non-structural products.

Engineered wood flooring manufacturers experimented with thermally treated face veneers on flooring products. They believed that thermally treated veneers could address some of the dimensional issues of wood flooring while providing unique, rich aesthetics. These manufacturers quickly discovered that the thermally treated veneers were too soft to perform well long-term, showing significant indentation and gouging. Other, more commercially successful technologies were developed and implemented to improve physical performance. Some proprietary methods were invented to fill the void space in wood with different polymers cured or hardened with pressure and heat. The resulting wood product is dense and highly resistant to indentation from static and dynamic loads, making it an ideal option for most light commercial applications. This technology typically does not significantly alter the wood’s dimensional properties because the chemicals do not alter the wood cell walls. Other wood chemical treatment technologies alter the wood cell wall to improve dimensional stability or increase physical properties. Alternate proprietary technologies were developed to increase

the hardness and bolster the dimensional stability of wood. Controlled compression of heated and plasticized wood improves the indent resistance significantly. The heating process is achieved differently and occurs below the temperatures of traditional thermally treated wood used in exterior applications.

Mark your calendars now to join us THE SCIENCE OF ATYPICAL WOOD FLOORING PRE-EXPO SYMPOSIUM Tuesday, April 16 | 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Moderator: Dr. Brian Beakler

Panelists: AHF Products, Carlisle Wide Plank, Dinesen Floors, Kaswell Flooring Systems, Olde Wood Ltd., Oregon Lumber, and Välinge/Bjelin

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

91