Winter may be almost coming to its end and the days get longer and warmer. However, spring may seem like a sunny and bright season, but it always surprises us with colder days that only remind us that winter was not that too long ago and we still need our heating system on for a couple of months more. Of course, there are days that simply don’t need anything more than you just to let the warm sun rays enter the house, but in the UK there are also many days that require a bit of heating system assistance in order to keep your house or workplace extra cosy and pleasant. Well, everything is ok, but have you ever wondered how energy efficient your wooden floor really is?
Wooden flooring is top choice for many households and businesses around the world. It wins over the hearts of so many people because of its beauty and appearance and the promise of longer life, hard-wearing power and durability. However, something that many of us just forget to consider, when going for wood floor installation project is the energy efficiency of the floor!
In general, wooden floors are neither the lowest energy efficient option nor the highest one ineffectiveness, when it comes to keeping the inside of the house extra warm and keeping your feet toasty. If you want to go for extra effectiveness, then the carpet is most probably your best alternative. Of course, if you go for natural stone, marble or granite floor, then wood is ten times better in energy efficiency. The truth is that wood is not that good at keeping the warm air inside the house, but there are many ways you can make sure your wooden floor is improved in terms of energy effectiveness.
Let’s start with the basics, otherwise said – with the installation process. The installation of the wooden boards is the time when many things can be done in order to make sure your wooden floor will survive a lifetime and still look flawless even in one hundred years. It is also the right time to be aware that energy efficiency can be improved right now. What do we mean? No matter the subfloor you are going to fit your wooden boards over, you can always have installed an underlay that ensures not only sound-proof and moisture-barrier abilities, but also higher energy efficiency. Especially when it comes to a concrete subfloor or wooden boards that are fitted floating, an underlay layer is almost mandatory and it will work as a natural barrier stopping warm air to leave the house and cold drafts to enter the room.
Another important part of increasing wood floor energy efficiency is by providing the wooden boards with the right maintenance. What do we mean? It is normal for wooden boards to start “moving” and changing in time. Due to the effect of moisture and humidity wood is often enlarging and shrinking, which leaves the boards not that sturdy and also leaves gaps in between. Once these gaps start to appear, your floor gets worse at energy efficiency and professional gap filling service have to be your number one priority, if you want to improve its efficiency again.
