Wood: an ideal material for flooring
Wood is a wonderfully useful and versatile material, in many ways. For example, it has very good thermal properties. In older buildings, solid wood was even used to provide insulation.
Wood expands and contracts in all three directions. The anisotropic and hygroscopic properties of wood are of the greatest importance when it comes to floor manufacturing. This is why Kährs patented multi-layer design is so successful. The anisotropic nature of the wood counteracts the wood's hygroscopic nature simply, but brilliantly.
- Wood is anisotropic, it has different properties in different directions, e.g. when it absorbs or loses moisture.
- Wood is also heterogeneous, which means that different parts of it have different properties. Spring wood is not the same thing as summer wood, and wood from branches is not the same as wood from the trunk.
- Wood is hygroscopic, it adjusts its moisture content to the relative humidity of the ambient air.
- Wood is also rheological, which means that it can change shape under a sustained load, and it can change colour over time.