Frequently Asked Questions
01. How old is the principle of “balanced construction”?
02. What makes Virtu Floors more stable?
03. Why aren't there more 3-layer, true balanced floors available?
04. What is the wear layer compared to regular flooring? Is there “less life” in a Virtu floor compared to
a solid wood floor?
05. Can I specify Virtu for in-floor, radiant heat conditions?
06. There is a lot of 2-ply flooring in the market, with a top layer of wood glued to 1/2" or 5/8" plywood.
Why should I specify Virtu Wood Flooring over 2-ply engineered?
07. Is your wood “old growth”?
08. Are your floors pre-finished?
09. Other floors are pre-finished. Why not Virtu?
10. What widths and lengths are available?
11. What grades are available?
12. Why don’t you use plywood in the core?
13. Is the core a different species?
14. Why are there no grooves in the back of the board?
15. Should my builder / flooring installer order the wood?
16. Do you have a minimum order?
17. Can I use Virtu if I do not have room for a NWFA approved sub-floor?
18. How long should Virtu flooring be on-site before being installed?
19. Does Virtu import any products?
20. What is quartersawn lumber?
21. Why does Virtu use quartersawn lumber?
22. What is the difference between quartered and rift lumber?
01. How old is the principle of “balanced construction”?
The use of adhering crossbanded layers, or plies, of wood goes back to ancient Egypt and China. The French and the British also used the technique beginning in the 17th century. The most common use of this principle today is plywood. Almost all plywood is constructed with an odd number of plies of crossbanded material, enabling the movement of each layer to be countered by an opposing layer. The principle of balanced construction is what gives plywood the stability it is known for.
02. What makes Virtu Floors more stable?
A) What we call True Balanced Construction: a balanced face and back sandwiching a thicker, crossbanded core. This is the most stable type of flooring construction available. The face and back are the same thickness, species and grain alignment (quartersawn or flatsawn). The core, with its grain running perpendicular to the face and back, minimizes shrinkage and maximizes stability. It is the combination of True Balanced Construction and the stiffness of the core that makes the Virtu floor more stable than the average floor.
B) A ratio of core to face and back of 55% to 45%. This scientifically-derived ratio provides the optimum in stability and wear layer for a 3/4" floor.
C) The glue used is a specially formulated elastomeric flooring adhesive. This VOC-free glue is not rigid, but instead has the ability to move slightly in the direction of the shrinkage, greatly reducing the stress generated by moisture-related movement. Because of the glue, each layer can move independently, with the overall construction always working to maintain flatness. It is more expensive than many glues used in other engineered floors, but the difference is the superior quality of the final product.
03. Why aren't there more 3-layer, true balanced floors available?
Three layer floors are traditionally much more expensive to manufacture. We have developed some of the most technologically advanced production techniques to produce a 3-layer floor more efficiently, without sacrificing quality.
04. What is the wear layer compared to regular flooring? Is there “less life” in a Virtu floor compared to a solid wood floor?
Most 3/4" solid wood flooring has a wear layer of about .22" (just under 1/4") above the nail pocket groove. Virtu flooring has a wear layer of .17". The difference of .05" is less than a 1/16" difference. In addition, Virtu comes sanded to 100 grit, so initial sanding is less. And its True Balanced Construction will maintain its flatness more reliably than other products, so less material will be removed when sanding is required. When all of this is considered, Virtu flooring will have the same life—possibly a longer life—than conventional solid wood flooring.
05. What are the advantages of wide plank flooring with in-floor, radiant heat applications?
In-floor, radiant heat is gaining in popularity, but having the heat transfer through wood flooring presents challenges for wood flooring. A heat source that is operating for 16 to 20 hours every day will force moisture from the wood, to the extent that gapping between the boards will occur. This is because solid wood in wide plank applications is more susceptible to not maintaining its stability as a result of the significant temperature and relative humidity changes that are present in radiant heat installations. Which is why narrow material no wider than 3" is recommended for solid wood applications over radiant heat. The option to use a wide plank, long length floor on radiant heat has traditionally been too risky until now.
However, Virtu is one of the most stable wide plank flooring options available. By using the forces of natural wood movement to counteract the problems of stability, True Balanced Construction has proven to be the perfect solution for those who want both the beauty of wide plank and the luxury of a radiant heated floor.
Virtu Wide Plank Flooring uses the natural balance created by opposing top and bottom layers of the same species, cut and thickness, sandwiching a stiff, cross-banded wood core. The result is a floor that stays flatter, and moves on average 67% less than solid non-engineered flooring of the same species and cut. This means a 7" Virtu plank will have movement in service equivalent to a 2-1/4" solid wood floor of the same species and cut. It moves less and distorts less, all the while providing the beauty and richness of a wide plank floor.
This level of stability makes Virtu Wide Plank Flooring a natural choice for radiant heat applications, as well as kitchens and baths, below grade conditions and coastal locations.
06. There is a lot of 2-ply flooring in the market, with a top layer of wood glued to 1/4" or 5/8" plywood. Why should I specify Virtu Wood Flooring over 2-ply engineered?
First of all, there is the underlying physical principle of the floor. 2-ply floor stability is based on the premise that a stable base of plywood is strong enough to overpower the solid wood top layer’s moisture-related movement. This is not an unreasonable assumption if the flooring is narrow, but as the plank gets wider, the stresses generated by the increasing amount of movement in the top layer become much greater, and can lead to myriad types of flooring failure.
Virtu’s underlying principle is True Balanced Construction, with a top and bottom of the same species, thickness and cut balancing the stresses uniformly around a stiff, solid core. This balance maintains flatness, and the core minimizes shrinkage. It is a more natural, elegant and long lasting solution to the problem of movement in a wide plank floor.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wood Handbook 11-5, "The tendency of crossbanded products to warp, as the result of uneven shrinking and swelling caused by moisture changes is largely eliminated by balanced construction.
Secondly, there is the economics of the floor. 2-ply floors are common primarily because they are relatively easy to manufacture. As such, they are manufactured in countries around the globe, so the array of producers is wide and the competition in this sector is fierce. The result of this level of competition is a race to the bottom in order to maintain a competitive price. If the producers are consistently pushing for lower prices for lumber, plywood and glue, quality will eventually suffer. Stories of engineered flooring failures are common, and it has many architects concerned about specifying 2-ply engineered floors.
3-layer floors are more difficult to produce, but are in production to serve the needs of the customer base that requires a better quality, better performing wide plank floor. Virtu sources the highest quality lumber and has selected its adhesive based on performance, not price. As we have said many times, “Good is never good enough to be considered a Virtu.”
07. Is your wood “old growth”?
“Old growth” means mature growth. We make all of our flooring from old growth trees. Hardwoods are “selectively cut,” which means a forester walks the tract of land to be harvested and marks the mature trees to be cut. This has been the accepted and practiced forestry method in the U.S. and Canada for the past 100 years, and there are towns in New England that have maintained wood lots that they have selectively harvested for much longer than that.
This forestry practice is important because when a tree reaches full maturity, it is beneficial to harvest the timber before it begins to decay. Selective harvesting gives the younger trees more sunlight, nutrients and water and the ability to grow into mature trees. This tract of land will be left to grow undisturbed for as long as 40 years before it is selectively logged again. The forest maintains its range of flora and fauna, and the new growth actually increases the consumption of carbon dioxide.
08. Are your floors pre-finished?
Our floors are generally ordered unfinished, and are custom finished on the job. Pre-finished options are available. Contact us to discuss how we can help achieve the finish you desire.
