Designing Timber issue 10 for online - Flipbook - Page 68
———— TALKING HOMEGROWN TIMBER ————
Wood 昀氀ooring
UNDERSTANDING
to cladding. The joinery wood
EWT supplies is mainly oak,
of which there is a mixture
between French and English,
and is subdivided into around
half a dozen di昀昀erent feature
grades. But they also provide
ash, sweet chestnut, elm and
walnut.
Elm is an interesting timber
for furniture projects, and one
which EWT is able to supply
thanks to partnerships with
forest managers in the north
of England and the Scottish
Borders. Elm has an interlocking
grain which resists splitting,
allowing joiners to craft pieces
that can endure heavy use,
such as tables, benches, and
dressers, and it is perfect for
mortise-and-tenon joinery.
While elm’s grain can pose
some machining challenges,
it is a rewarding material to
shape and 昀椀nish: it is often used
for carved details and unique
forms.
DESIGNING TIMBER
68
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Renton Hall is a
Georgian manor
near Edinburgh,
for which kitchen
designers Inglis Hall
crafted a bespoke oak
kitchen that blends
heritage details
with contemporary
Solid oak 昀氀ooring is EWT’s
most popular un昀椀nished
hardwood 昀氀ooring product. It
has subtle, honeyed tones and
a beautiful grain; it is cut from
sustainably managed English
woodland. It is characterful,
as the grain is not always
straight and even and has
“pippy” characteristics which
feature across the board. Its
colour varies from paler to
darker honey tones which are
determined by the mineral
content of the soil where the
tree has grown.
Ash is a superb wood for
using in a dark room, or a
bedroom, where the aim is to
bring brightness into a space.
It’s extremely durable, with
a beautiful grain and pale
creamy tones. It seldom has
any knots and can sometimes
have a stunning contrasting
darker grain running through
the boards.
Perhaps the most visually
striking of EWT’s English
hardwoods is elm, which
can create a stunning 昀氀oor.
The colour of elm solid wood
昀氀ooring ranges from what could
be described as dark purple to
light green, with various hues
of silver and brown in between.
Extremely hardwearing, it
does require care as the wood
is sensitive to variations in
moisture. In modern homes
EWT recommend the use of
English Wych Elm as it o昀昀ers
greater stability.
design. EWT supplied
prime-grade wide
oak 昀氀ooring blanks
in various sizes for
the seamless kitchen
components.
NOV/DEC 2025
Why use homegrown
timber?
The distinctiveness – the
di昀昀erent looks, textures and
strengths – of UK timbers
is one reason to use them.
Another is that sourcing
