FRENCH OAK PARQUETRY

>>> FRENCH OAK & HORNBEAM STRIP FLOOR

>>> 200 years old French Oak and Sustainability

>>> Picture Gallery Two

>>> Stairs

The Good House Property Limited,
Showroom : 2-4 Cremorne street, Richmond VIC 3121. Telephone: 61 3 9421 3400
tgh@tgh.com.au

200 years Old French Oak and Sustainability.

Though there is no such thing as a 200 years old sustainably managed forest in Australia, in the Old World however...

...You may have only had the short version so far, thus, for your delight, here is the long story:

In the year of our Lord 1291, in a time when talking about Terra Australis would have taken you straight away to the hearty bone fires of the inquisition, the then French king “Philippe le Bel” created the “Administration des Eaux et Forets” (Administration of Waters and Forests), an institution that survived every hardship of the French history until 1966, when it was replaced by the ONF (National Forestry Office).

Though the first French forestry code was written in 1346, modern day management really started under Louis the 14th prime minister Jean Baptiste Colbert who, between 1661 and 1669 restructured all royal domain forests. The jewel in the crown was, and still is the “Tronçais” forest (pictured above), certainly the finest oak forest in Europe.

Of course in the 17th century sustainability was not such a popular topic. Readily available timber for the purpose of building warships was rather the matter, and unlike UK tapping freely into Tasmanian Huon pines for towering masts, France had to rely on local supply, therefore planning and management was the way to go. Some awesome fellows well over 200 years old are here to remind us the job was well done, the older ones planted circa 1580/1630.

Nowadays 50% of commercial French oak comes from ONF managed national or local communities forests, a mere 12 million hectares out of the whole 17 million hectares of forests representing 30% of the French territory, and still extending. Our main supplier operates under a PEFC agreement, the European equivalent of the FSC. They are based in Burgundy, oak barrels no strangers to the reputation of the local wines.

As far as oak flooring is concerned, the point we want to make is that our flooring, be it narrow or wide boards, comes from trees up to 200 years old, and this is a sustainable supply, because 200 years ago there were people out there making sure these trees would not be the lasts !!!

SO… YOU SAID VERSAILLES?

You don’t need to own a proper “chateau” to decide to have French parquetry panels installed, be it made of European Oak or other prestigious European timbers such as cherry wood, walnut, chestnut, birch or European ash. And you don’t need to spend a fortune as well, if you use a bit of common sense and install panels only where it is appropriate, and with the appropriate method.

For instance, if you travel around Europe, you will realize that parquetry has never been designed for kitchen floors. And having Versailles or Chantilly or Aremberg panels in your sitting room will be enough to show your good taste. In parquetry like anywhere else, “less is more”. Chevron, Fougere or Herringbone patterns will make your dining room look classy enough, and there are many ways to lay and finish plain strip floor in bedrooms to convey that French touch.

Of course the Master bedroom deserves a special treatment, why not “Marie Antoinette” squares, or a custom made central motif? Also having parquetry panels in one or two rooms only leaves you with the opportunity to dare a more contemporary design in some other rooms, still using wooden floors. (Brushed finish makes wonders in warehouses and lofts).

On the contrary to common belief, parquetry panels can be cost effective to install, if the job is well prepared and there is no fiddling with the borders. It pays off going for the heavy, traditional, fully assembled panels that can be laid directly on a rubber mat, or screwed to the sub-floor with a couple of screws only. And consider this: When you move out, you take your floor with you!!!!

Finishes are worth a full chapter. Just to name a few, here is a non exhaustive list of commonly used factory finishes, prior to staining and coating: brushed, beveled, smoked, darkened, weathered, distressed, re-cycled, hand (at least for the look!) scraped. It has to be said that very few installers have the knowledge to hand scrape timber floors unfortunately! All panels can be manufactured in 10, 14, 22, 27 or 32mm thick, all blades interlocked.

Come and visit us in Richmond to see samples of these beautiful timber floors. Please forward drawings or sketches of your project for us to give you some price indication. We will assist you in any aspect of style and installation as well.

At The Good House, we look forward to sharing your vision.