As a building component, wood must abide by the laws of Mother Nature. In wood flooring, all of the variations and peculiarities that are found in your natural environment must be given due consideration. This is why it is important to consider the appearance and performance of each species before you make your selection.
Appearance
Color: In its natural state, the color variation of wood ranges from nearly white (as in sugar maple) to nearly black (as in wenge).
Finish: Due to the wide variety of staining, tinting and finishing techniques available, almost any appearance can be achieved from the species commercially available through Virtu.
Cut: Along with finishing, there are open grained and closed grain woods, and plainsawn or quartered and riftsawn faces to provide variations in texture and pattern to achieve a distinctive look and feel.
Grade: Face grades range from clear and color matched to heavy in character and rustic.
Variation: Unique patterns in the grain itself, such as curly or bird’s-eye, or flaking in the quartered oaks, add to the one-of-a-kind nature of a Virtu custom made floor.
Performance
Stability: Virtu is consistently more stable than solid wood overall, although stability varies from species to species.
Hardness: Wood ranges in hardness from very soft (such as pine that dents and scratches easily), to medium (such as walnut and cherry that work well as "bedroom" species), to hard (such as the maple floors in your local bowling alley).
Workability: A species’ natural response to machining, sanding, nailing and finishing is an important consideration when calculating the cost of a successful installation. If a wood species doesn't sand well, it is harder and more time consuming to finish. If it doesn't take a stain evenly, it will be problematic, no matter how much time is taken. If it splits when nailed, it may need to be replaced and pre-drilled.
Photosensitivity: Wood’s natural exposure to the ultra-violet rays of the sun (hard maple will “yellow”, cherry will darken) are important to consider when deciding on a species. This can be quite dramatic on floors upon which area rugs have been in place for a number of years.
In creating custom made and engineered wide plank wood floors there is no substitute for experience. Virtu is equally qualified to provide you with a wide range of species from the most popular to the most exotic. Our expertise allows architects and designers to rely on Virtu to express their vision, understand their job site conditions and comply with their environmental considerations.
On the following pages you will find just a few of the species we use in producing the custom-crafted, precision engineered, Virtu Wide Plank floor. Allow us to work with you to facilitate your selection of the best floor for your most demanding clients. Your greatest virtue in specifying a Virtu floor is in gaining our knowledge and experience to aid you in achieving your desired look and performance. Only then will you realize your vision without worry or concern.
