Wood floor in the bathroom? Here's how it works!

In summer nothing beats walking barefoot on a wooden boardwalk; it does you good body and soul, because wood gives off warmth. Who says you can only get that kind of feeling outdoors? Why not get the same inviting feeling of comfort and well being in your own bathroom? What better place for natural flooring like wood than where you go barefoot? Don't worry, with professional installation the supposition that water and wood don't go together needn't keep you from enjoying the pleasure of having wood in the bathroom too.

According to the European Federation of Parquet Industries, for quality wood flooring to stay beautiful over time, certain strict criteria must be met right from the planning stages. What's most important is choosing the right sort of wood. Only types of wood subject to minimal swelling and shrinkage, that means the least affected by moisture, like doussie, mirabau, or naturally oily teak, are suitable. To ensure the long life of the wood in the bathroom, water should not be left on the floor for too long. Of course the wood can get a lot of water on it from water fights in a family with three children. All that means is that splashes have to be wiped up afterwards, to keep water from seeping into the joints.
In damp areas like these pre-finished as well as solid wood flooring should only be installed by professionals. Right after installation the indispensable preliminary treatment of the wood should be carried out by a professional. This procedure entails working polishing wax into prefinished floors, or a further application of oil in the case of pre treated oil finishes.

So too in the case of untreated solid wood, the applying of varnish, oil, or wax, as the case may be, to the surface must be done right after installation. As an added precaution, applying a permanently flexible sealer at the edges will give added protection against moisture seepage.
Generally speaking oiled wood is best suited for bathrooms, since then there is no protective surface coating that the moisture can seep through, like, for example, even hair thin cracks. For lasting protection against moisture, oil treated floors need to be reoiled at regular intervals. The more often the flooring is reoiled the longer the overall protection will last.

Temperatures between 20 °C and 22 °C, and a relative humidity of between 40 und 60%, are the ideal conditions to keep wood lasting in the bathroom. It also helps a lot to air the area out well regularly, because wood can absorb the moisture in the air, making the wood swell. However, if the above mentioned points are kept in mind, the flooring will retain its beauty, inviting you to really relax in the bathroom.