FSC certified engineered wide-plank hardwood flooring with a smooth clean look

US Floors Castle Combe West End is an upscale collection of wide-plank hardwood used for flooring and wall coverings. It's made of thick white oak and is finished with oil in a variety of aging techniques to give a truly authentic yet modern look and feel.

Each flooring is different in grain, texture and color including: hand-scraped, wire-brushed, deep-fissured and large knots, all with a unique patina that accentuates the natural character of the wood. You need to order samples to appreciate the differences of each style.

Castle Combe West End is a DIY type flooring that can easily be installed above, at or below grade. Each plank is 7.5" wide x 75" long and 5/8" thick with a a wear layer that can be sanded 2-3 times. The finish is a non-toxic Danish oil-wax finish with zero VOC.

All of the Castle Combe floors are 100% FSC certified, which means they're sustainably harvested in accordance with the strict rules of FSC. They also are engineered with no added urea formaldehyde, are third party certified by GreenGuard and have earned the highest Gold certification.

Why we like it

Everyone seems to fall in love with these wide-plank oak hardwood floors, mainly because they stand out as authentic, original, natural and pure. If you like a rich modern feeling, this flooring will bring you there. It has a nice thick layer of oak on top with oiled finish that looks and feels like real wood, and not some plastic. It's completely non-toxic and sustainable with 100% FSC certified hardwood. The older this floor gets, the better it will look. They look best in larger rooms on the floor or on the walls as a gorgeous backdrop.

Features & benefits

• Wide plank rustic — one strip, 7.5" wide x 5/8" thick (4mm veneer) x 75" long, beveled 4 sides
• Modern clean look and feel — several colors in white oak, oiled finish, very few knots
• Easy-to-install — DIY; tongue and groove can be installed above, on or below grade and nailed, glued or floated.
• Safe, non-toxic — no added formaldehyde; zero VOC oil finish is healthy for you and your family; CARB2 compliant and GreenGuard Gold third party certified; learn how to test a non-toxic product for tolerance
• Durable — lifetime residential wear-through warranty
• Sustainably-harvested — 100% FSC Certified; sourced from certified forests whose owners demonstrate social, economic and environmental responsibility and stewardship
• Warranted for radiant heated floors — very stable; will not gap, buckle or warp over any floor with hydronic or electric radiant heat

What Makes Castle Combe Hardwood Different From Other Hardwood Floors?

US Floors created the Castle Combe line to be unique and sustainable by redefining hardwood flooring in several ways:

• All natural finishes instead of synthetic finishes
• Zero VOC instead of low VOC
• FSC-certified wood instead of clear cut and illegally harvested
• Quick and easy to repair

1) All natural finishes instead of synthetic finishes

Most pre-finished hardwood flooring comes with a polyurethane or aluminum oxide finish. This is also true of hardwoods that are sanded and finished on site. These finishes are synthetic and topical, i.e. they sit on the surface and protect the floor by forming a plastic film which becomes the actual wear layer. With these floors, you don't walk on wood, you walk on a film. Right from day one, poly and aluminum oxide floors begin to scratch and become dull, especially in high traffic areas. A costly re-coating of the entire floor is required every few years for the floor to look good. Even the hardest of woods, such as strand bamboo or Brazilian Cherry, scratch over time and require total refinishing.

Castle Combe oil finishes are completely different than polyurethane finishes because they're made from natural oils that penetrate the wood fibers and harden them without altering the natural beauty of the surface layer. There's no visual film on the surface — only an elegant patina that looks better with age. While the patina can be scratched, it doesn't contrast with the wood, and is barely noticeable. Much like a fine leather purse which can scratch but rebound, it blends in with the color and becomes part of the entire surface. The longer it's worn, the better it looks. In fact, oiled floors do not need to be sanded — only regular applications of maintenance oil are necessary to nourish the wood and bring back its luster. The major difference between floors finished with a poly is that they look worse over time, while floors finished with oil look better over time.

2) Zero VOC instead of low VOC

Most polyurethanes emit some VOCs and often harsh chemical odors. VOCs evaporate eventually, but they can often take weeks or months to completely off-gas. In the mean time, you and your family are exposed to hazardous chemicals. Castle Combe floors emit zero VOCs when new and when maintained with Woca Refresher maintenance oil.

3) Quick and easy repair

Repairing a polyurethane or aluminum oxide finished floor is a laborious and disruptive process. And an expensive one, too. Not only does it require removal of furniture, but no one is allowed to be in the room for many days during and after the refinishing process. The process of re-sanding also creates lots of dust that gets everywhere. Even though there are better machines with HEPA filters to control dust, it's near impossible to eliminate it. As a consequence, a major cleaning job is required to restore your home back to normal. All together, sanding and re-coating a floor can cost from $3-$4/SF not to mention the inconvenience factor. Finally, each re-sanding wears out a layer of your floor which eventually leads to replacement.

Castle Combe oiled finishes, on the other hand, are far more reparable than polyurethaned floors. They can be spot repaired easily — even deep scratches or gouges by cats, dogs or kids require only a few minutes of sanding and oiling in place, which easily restores them to their original look. Oiled floors require less labor, less time, less hassle, no dust and very little expense. And the floor looks better and more authentic over time! More durable? We think so.

4) FSC certified wood instead of clear cut and illegally harvested

In addition, all Castle Combe products are FSC certified. What does that mean to you? Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a world-wide non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of our forests. Their standards employ the highest and best practices of responsible forestry in the world and their FSC label is required by the US Green Building Council's LEED program for obtaining points towards LEED certification. The use of their label on a floor means that this wood is sustainably harvested from a well-managed forest. It honors and respects the legal rights of indigenous people where the wood was harvested and supports long term social, economic and environmental practices that conserve our most valuable resources.

A large percentage of hardwoods sourced from overseas, especially in third world countries, is illegally harvested without respect to the people or the land from where it was taken. This is a huge problem that creates lower prices unnaturally, endangers ecosystems and the survival of many plants and animals, and has a negative long-term effect on the environment. Buying products with the FSC label allows us to do our small part in supporting sustainable forestry.

Alert: Discontinued Titles : Kingsway

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This item description was written by Joel Hirshberg