Pokey In The City

[fishponder 0]

Good point made by ayazumi regarding white oak! Now I don't feel so sad that I can't have that raw unpolished white wood look cos it will only turn dirty v soon anyway. Heh.

[ayazumi 0]

I have similar mentality as fishponder. I also prefer practical than aesthetics look. If really want wood flooring, the most important thing to think of is "How to maintain the wood flooring?" I do agree with taichipanda regarding the age of the teak, and I add my own thought - The beauty of wood flooring is that it should age gracefully over the time, to let people know that there is a "history" or "story" behind the wood flooring. Wood flooring should not LOOK AGED over time due to low maintenance, dirty, etc.

[Nimzo 0]

Hi, u look puzzled?

I want to see how it look like

[taichipanda 3]

I want to see how it look like

All the various hard wood flooring...

http://www.hardwood-timberfloors.com/index.html

[getzski 1]

Actually our new place, my friend designs our only toilet-cum-bathroom to be open concept too with lots of translucent glass but i hate glass so shelve the idea. In the end he only do the bath area to condo style with conceal piping. Our reno started on the 12 March and we shifted in on 16 April, almost 3 weeks now, the place is still messy as my wifey want to wash all the clothes before putting them into wardrobe. We have not even order our dining table yet. The new cover for our 2 seater sofa is somewhere...

waiting to see your reno......

[taichipanda 3]

waiting to see your reno......

Sorry, I didnt take any before-the-reno photo so not sure if I want to do a reno t-blog. I dont have artistic cell and I am a lousy photographer with a cheap cheap idiot-proof camera.

[denimart 0]

Hi denimart, just to share that i was also bent on white oak initially. But was advised by contractor that although it is widely used in western homes, it is not suitable for our humid and moist climate as it is very soft and prone to problems like termite infestation or rotting. I did some research on my own, and true enough, I decided on practicality over aesthetics and took the strong Burmese teak in the end. Hope to add value to your cons

Hi fishponder, thanks for the advise. We too had been thinking of the termite and humidity problem for a very long time...almost two months. And we had a few time a very long discussion with the supplier whom are very expert in wood and timber. Even meet the supplier at our house to look at the floor and further discuss, we are convinced that higher floor would be lesser risk for termites but of cos there are no 100% sure. In the end me and wife came to a conclusion we are going for something we love. Hey i appreciate ur advise though.

[getzski 1]

Sorry, I didnt take any before-the-reno photo so not sure if I want to do a reno t-blog. I dont have artistic cell and I am a lousy photographer with a cheap cheap idiot-proof camera.

never mind. i wanted to see your completed reno pics only. no place to post you can hijack my blog la....say you post for me to see.

[denimart 0]

Kirk... I previously worked for teak wood furnishing company which has 120 branches in many countries for many years and had my fair share of experience with teak wood, both Indonesia and Burmese. It is very difficult to find old teak tree with very nice wood grain and the drying process usually not done properly to save time and cut cost, the moisture in the wood will be suck out by our dry air conditioner and the plank will warp to some degree. I'm sure you ever come across teak wood flooring that felt a little bit uneven at the edges, upon close inspection sometime you will find fine crack in-between 2 pieces of plank or strip, that is caused by moisture in wood get suck out by dry air. The same goes to solid teak wood dining table top, we use to get service call that customer' solid teak wood table become a rocking chair, it was transport back to factory and leave it in the humid warehouse for a few days to warp back to flat surface and return back to customer.

Solid wood flooring is nice and warm but maintenance can be pain in the "A dark place", very few years die die have to re-vanish. Silat, lacquer, oil finish, or the special finish like Scanteak furniture... etc.

The Burmese teak looks young... go see Novena Church flooring, those are made with teak tress above 100 years old.

Albert, thanks for the info!! Will go look see look see.

Edited May 4, 2012 by denimart

[denimart 0]

If I would to choose, I prefer Burmese teak. White oak without lacquer is nice, after lacquer, it looks yellowish. Easily to get dirty. You should have seen plenty of white oak in showrooms, their floors look very dirty.

Will you consider swopping the floor tiles between the kitchen and the toilets? The toilets' floor tiles color tone are too light, will get dirty very easily, whereas the kitchen flooring is too dark. If you choose White oak, the color don't match with your kitchen floor, but if you choose Burmese teak, the dark tone color matches the kitchen floor with the dark color floor tiles you choose.

Hi, the photos taken doesn't do the actual tiles any justice...the color looks kindda off. Wall tiles for the bath room suppose to be beige and floor tiles much darker. As for the kitchen floor tile are slightly lighter than the pic show. Need to see the whole piece than u can see the result

But really thanks for the advise...hang on...lets see the what will become next...we are eager for the result too

Oh the white oak if u choose water base finishing is not so yellowish, the supplier did a test on this.

Edited May 4, 2012 by denimart

[denimart 0]

Good point made by ayazumi regarding white oak! Now I don't feel so sad that I can't have that raw unpolished white wood look cos it will only turn dirty v soon anyway. Heh.

Hey u should go for something u really love. Try to talk to more supplier to see what they think....afterall we are not so expert in this area. I felt our home should reflect our character, lifestyle and the way we wants to live it cos afterall u may stay there for v long. My contractor mention to me....investing on timber floor is like investing on wine...u must learn to appreciate them.

[morganwu 0]

Nice blog denimart, i am surprised to see you maintain a blog here haha.

Hi all, i am the timber flooring supplier for denimart. he whatsapp me just now regarding some of the reservations brought up by fellow posters here, and sounded kinda worried, so i think instead of replying only to him, i post it all for everyone to see.

First, i need to clarify some stuff, dont feel paiseh btw, as i make a living selling wood, i would like to think its natural for me to know more than my customers.

@denimart, the photo you posted with the triangular shape floor. the light brown colored one is white oak's natural color. the two black triangles at its side is white oak stained black. the two black triangles are not teak.

"Hi denimart, just to share that i was also bent on white oak initially. But was advised by contractor that although it is widely used in western homes, it is not suitable for our humid and moist climate as it is very soft and prone to problems like termite infestation or rotting. I did some research on my own, and true enough, I decided on practicality over aesthetics and took the strong Burmese teak in the end. Hope to add value to your cons"

@fishponder, hi sir, i wonder why... but your contractor clearly gave you misinformation. first thing, white oak is harder than Burmese and Indo Teak. As stated in this wiki page for Janka Hardness, Wiki Janka Hardness, White Oak is ard 1300 while Teak is ard 1000. Golden Teak and Brazilian Teak are not real Teak, those are commercial names. secondly, White Oak is actually pretty resistant against rot. i used it as a planter box material, and after 2 years, it showed no signs of rotting... yet. White Oak is also MORE durable than Teak, as stated in this wiki page, Wiki White Oak. White Oak was used in the past to build ships. I dont think a timber than is prone to rotting would be used to build ships.

"White oak has tyloses that give the wood a closed cellular structure, making it water- and rot-resistant. Because of this characteristic, white oak is used for barrels for wine and whiskey production since it resists leaking. It has also been used in construction, shipbuilding, cooperage, agricultural implements, and in the interior finishing of houses."

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okay, back to issue whether white oak is suitable for use in Singapore. i will try to analyse the whole situation from a few perspectives here. all the analysis here are done on the fly while speaking to denimart to determine if white oak is suitable for him, and generally speaking Singapore.

Installer's perspective.

installers usually discourage home owners from using temperate species. main reason boils down to we are lazy. Burmese Teak and Indo Teak are tried and tested species to use in Singapore, and they are the sort of we install and forget timber floor. they require MUCH LESS care to install, and can tolerate MUCH WORSE site conditions.

for white oak however, there are quite a few more issues installers have to take care of.

1. white oak should be delivered at least 1 to 2 weeks before installation to let it acclimatize to denimart's home humidity level. the standard period in US is 1 month. but i dont think any home owners in SG have the luxury of letting the wood air for 1 month before installation.
   
2. i would insist he on his aircon for at least 3 nights before i sand, so any warp-age to may occur due to the aircon would happen before sanding.
   
3. care has to be taken with regards to the type of glue used. waterbased glues, the most commonly and easiest to use, is definitely out. next i have a choice of Poly Urethane, MS Polymer, 2 Components to choose from, all 3 of which is HARD to use.
   
4. the site should be clean. denimart you are lucky in this aspect.
   

because of the above considerations, you will commonly hear installers dissuading home owners from installing white oak. i am also guilty of this, but seeing denimart's passion to have white oak in this dream home, i thought, whatever, help him out and take it as 积点公德.

Homeowner's perspective.

1. suitability. like i said above, white oak is actually a very very durable timber, contrary to common conceptions. it's only main issue, in my opinion, is its tendency to warp compared to Teak. however as long as care is taken during installation and denimart take some precautions like having mats outside his kitchen, bathroom and dont wear shoes, it shouldnt be a problem. as for termites... its a calculated risk for denimart. the white oak to be used are kiln dried and fumigated in the USA, hence is free of pests. however termites are usually brought into high rises by the wooden door frames/plywood imported, so denimart does have to make effort to purchase better quality wooden door frames and plywood to be used in his home.
   
2. cost. white oak is usually more expensive to install because of more complicated installation procedures.
   
3. aesthetics. this is very subjective. but if the home owners like it, why not.
   
4. maintenance. white oak have very deep grain lines. this deep grain lines have a tendency to trap dirt, causing it to look very dirty. this is the main reason why white oak floors look dirty. the trick to this is to fill up these grain lines by the installer. many methods to achieve this, but the method i will use in denimart's house is more straightforward; fill them up with the waterbased varnish he chose by applying an extra coat. rest of maintenance is same as all other timber floor, felt pad under furniture legs, dirt mats at main door, mats outside bathroom, take care to close windows, wipe up spilled water ASAP, dont mop with water dripping mop.
   follow the principle never to get your timber floor wet and it will probably outlast you.
   

okay... i have to go now. feel free to ask questions.

[taichipanda 3]

never mind. i wanted to see your completed reno pics only. no place to post you can hijack my blog la....say you post for me to see.

Thanks for offering your blog. Time to find my Kodak camera... remember i saw it when shifting house. What you like to see? Overall or detail? Mine is plain Jane, all white in color.

[NeoBY 1]

Thanks for offering your blog. Time to find my Kodak camera... remember i saw it when shifting house. What you like to see? Overall or detail? Mine is plain Jane, all white in color.

Albert, pl show pl show. Can use my blog. Use phone camera also can.

[getzski 1]

Thanks for offering your blog. Time to find my Kodak camera... remember i saw it when shifting house. What you like to see? Overall or detail? Mine is plain Jane, all white in color.

all la....the kitchen overview, the mechamism, your condo toilets....

then you can also explain in detail why you do certain things that way ma.....so we can learn.