FAQs

At the core of MADERA’s ethos is a deep respect for wood as both a material and a living record of nature. Among thousands of species worldwide, we’ve chosen to focus on four that embody the best balance of strength, workability, and enduring beauty. Each species reflects not only aesthetic distinction, but ecological responsibility selected for its resilience, availability, and ability to age with grace. While we remain open to innovation and new materials, our focus on these four woods reflects a belief in thoughtful restraint and a lasting connection to nature’s most time-honored resources.

• European Oak is prized for its distinctive ray fleck figure, which appears as silvery streaks across the grain, particularly prominent in quarter-sawn cuts. This heavy, durable hardwood ranges from light tan to medium brown with a coarse, open grain texture. The wood's high tannin content gives it exceptional rot resistance and creates characteristic reactions with iron-based compounds. European Oak offers both structural strength and a formal, traditional aesthetic that works equally well in contemporary and classic designs.
• Black Walnut is distinguished by its rich chocolate to dark purplish-brown heartwood, often with dramatic color variation and darker streaks. The wood has a straight grain with fine to medium texture and a subtle natural luster that deepens with age. Unlike the coarse texture of oak or wild grain of elm, walnut offers refined, smooth character that works beautifully with minimal finish. Its moderate density provides excellent stability, and its dark coloration makes it a premier choice for high-end furniture and decorative applications where understated elegance is desired.
• European Elm displays a complex, interlocking grain pattern that creates a distinctive wild or feathered figure, making it immediately recognizable among hardwoods. The wood exhibits warm tan to brown color with occasional reddish tones and visible growth rings that create dramatic cathedral patterns. Unlike the ray fleck of oak, elm's visual interest comes from its irregular grain direction and contrast between growth bands. Though reduced in availability due to Dutch elm disease, European Elm remains valued for its toughness, excellent bending properties, and unique character that brings movement and visual drama to veneers.
• European Ash features pale cream to light brown color with prominent growth rings that create bold, sweeping grain patterns. The wood has a coarse, open texture similar to oak but lacks oak's characteristic ray fleck, instead offering clean, flowing lines. Ash is notably tough and elastic, with exceptional shock resistance ideal for tool handles and bentwood applications. Its light color and strong grain contrast give it a contemporary, Scandinavian aesthetic that differs from walnut's dark richness, while its flexibility sets it apart from the more rigid oak.

• A lamella is the thicker, structural top layer (typically 3–6 mm of solid hardwood) used in engineered wood flooring. Because of its thickness and the way it’s sawn, a lamella can be sanded, refinished, and maintained much like traditional solid wood, offering long-term durability and stability.
• A veneer is a much thinner slice of wood, usually less than 1 mm, used primarily for visual appearance rather than structural performance. Veneers are applied to substrates in cabinetry, furniture, and paneling and are too thin to be sanded or refinished, serving mainly as a decorative surface.

Every MADERA floor is finished in advance, combining stains, reactive treatments, and protective sealers to achieve its final color and texture before it arrives on site. This process allows for more complex and consistent finishes than can be achieved in the field, with techniques such as wire brushing, hand scraping, and contour sanding applied under controlled conditions. The result is a cleaner installation, no harsh odors, and a floor that’s ready to walk on the moment it’s laid.

• UV Cured: UV-cured finishes form a hard, protective coating that seals the surface of the wood for maximum durability. They resist scratches, stains, and spills, making them exceptionally low-maintenance and easy to clean. With a slightly higher sheen and smoother feel, they offer a polished look and long-lasting protection, though refinishing typically requires sanding or buffing.
• Oxidized Oil: Oxidized oil finishes penetrate into the wood rather than coating its surface, bringing out a warm, matte appearance that highlights the natural grain. The finish feels soft and organic to the touch, aging beautifully as it develops a lived-in patina over time. While regular care is required, oiled floors can be easily refreshed without sanding, making maintenance straightforward and satisfying.

• Sliced veneer is produced by mounting a log or flitch onto a slicing machine that uses a large blade to shave thin sheets of wood in a precise, controlled motion. This method preserves the natural grain patterns and allows manufacturers to create consistent, sequential sheets that can be book-matched or slip-matched for decorative applications. Sliced veneer typically ranges from 0.6mm to 1.0mm in thickness and is the most common type used in fine furniture, architectural millwork, and cabinetry. The slicing process can be done in different orientations (i.e. flat cut, quarter cut, or rift cut) each producing distinct grain patterns that appeal to different aesthetic preferences.
• Sawn veneer is created by cutting wood sheets with a saw blade rather than slicing or peeling, resulting in a thicker product typically ranging from 1.0mm to 5.0mm. This traditional method produces a more robust veneer with less tendency to crack or splinter, making it particularly suitable for restoration work on antique furniture and for species with irregular or interlocking grain that might tear during the slicing process. While sawn veneer generates more waste than sliced veneer due to the width of the saw kerf, it offers greater structural stability and can be sanded multiple times during refinishing. The extra thickness also makes it more forgiving during installation and allows for deeper staining and finishing techniques.

• Plain sawn is the most common and economical cutting method, where the log is cut tangentially to the growth rings, producing boards with dramatic cathedral or arch-shaped grain patterns. This approach yields the most usable material with minimal waste and produces the widest boards available. However, plain sawn lumber is more prone to cupping and seasonal movement compared to other cuts. It's the standard method for most woodworking and offers the bold, traditional grain patterns many associate with wood furniture.
• Quarter sawn lumber is produced by cutting the log into quarters, then slicing perpendicular to the growth rings so they run roughly 60-90 degrees to the board face. This creates straight, uniform grain patterns and reveals distinctive figure in certain species—most notably the prized ray fleck in oak. Quarter sawn wood is significantly more dimensionally stable, resisting cupping and warping more effectively than plain sawn. The trade-off is higher cost due to increased labor, more waste, and narrower boards.
• Rift sawn lumber is cut at an angle to the growth rings, typically 30-60 degrees, producing completely straight grain without the ray fleck visible in quarter sawn oak. This method yields the most dimensionally stable lumber with perfectly consistent vertical grain lines. Rift sawing is the most wasteful and expensive cutting method, generating significant offcuts and narrower boards. Its uniform, straight-grained appearance makes it popular for mission-style and contemporary furniture where visual consistency is paramount.
• Live sawn lumber is produced by cutting the entire log into parallel slabs from one side to the other without repositioning. This naturally produces varied grain patterns—plain sawn characteristics near the outer edges transitioning to quarter sawn near the center. Live sawing is efficient with minimal waste, yields maximum board widths, and makes book-matching easy since boards come from adjacent positions. This cut is favored for rustic furniture and live-edge applications where natural variation enhances character.

At MADERA, grading is the language we use to describe the natural character of wood. Every board carries its own expression — the presence of knots, the flow of grain, and the subtle or pronounced shifts in tone that make real wood unmistakable. Grading does not define quality, but rather aesthetic intent. Cleaner grades evoke precision and uniformity, while character grades reveal the organic variation that gives wood its warmth and authenticity. Our approach allows you to select the degree of natural detail that best aligns with your project’s design vision, whether minimal, balanced, or richly expressive.

• Live Grade has an expressive character, featuring knots, cracks, and visible rift-and-quartered edges that highlight the raw quality of the wood.
• Natural Grade is balanced and organic, combining sweeping cathedral grain with tighter edges, small knots, and tasteful natural cracks.
• Choice Grade has a refined yet natural, with sparse unfilled knots and minimal checks for a calm, composed surface.
• Prime Grade is clean and elegant, showing consistent cathedral graining, minimal pin knots, and only the slightest natural variation.
• Premium RQ is precise and architectural, defined by straight vertical grain, minimal knots, and beautiful flecking.

Variation in color is an inherent and defining characteristic of real wood. Differences in tone, grain, and figure can be subtle or more pronounced, depending on the species, the cut, and the individual tree. Some woods display limited variation with a soft, even appearance, while others show medium or dramatic shifts in color and movement. At MADERA, we embrace this natural diversity while maintaining careful control over how it appears within each project. Through precise sourcing, grading, and finishing, we ensure that every installation reflects both the authenticity of the material and the intent of the design.

Solid wood panels and floor slats are crafted entirely from a single piece of hardwood, milled to thickness without lamination or composite layers. Each plank showcases the wood's natural characteristics throughout its entire depth, allowing for multiple sandings and refinishing over decades of use. Solid wood responds directly to environmental changes, expanding and contracting with humidity fluctuations, which requires careful installation with appropriate expansion gaps. These products offer unmatched authenticity and longevity, with the ability to be sanded down multiple times, making them ideal for high-end residential applications and spaces where traditional craftsmanship is valued.

Engineered wood panels and floor slats consist of a real hardwood veneer top layer bonded to a stable core of plywood or softwood. This multi-layer construction provides superior dimensional stability, resisting expansion and contraction caused by humidity changes. The cross-grain orientation of core layers counteracts natural wood movement, making engineered products suitable for installations over radiant heating, below-grade spaces, and variable moisture environments. While the wear layer limits refinishing depending on veneer thickness, engineered wood offers faster installation, often with click-lock systems, and typically costs less than solid wood while maintaining authentic hardwood appearance.

The choice between engineered and solid wood centers on stability versus longevity. Solid wood offers maximum lifespan with extensive refinishing potential and complete authenticity, but requires stable environmental conditions and traditional installation. Engineered wood trades some refinishing capability for superior dimensional stability, faster installation, and versatility in challenging environments. Solid wood is thicker (18-22mm) and performs better where deep sanding might be needed, while engineered wood's thinner profile (10-15mm) suits renovations with height restrictions. Both use genuine hardwood surfaces, but engineered prioritizes stability and practicality, while solid emphasizes durability and traditional values.

• Solus panels are a single-piece solid hardwood construction. Offers maximum refinishing potential and traditional authenticity with natural wood movement requiring stable installation environments.
• Uno assembly is made up of a three-ply construction with solid hardwood top layer bonded to pine softwood core. Balances authentic appearance with improved stability at an accessible price point.
• Duo assembly is made up of a multi-ply Baltic birch plywood core with a solid hardwood top layer. This construction offers premium stability from cross-laminated hardwood core, ideal for challenging environments while maintaining refinishing capability.
• Trio assembly is made up of a three-ply balanced construction with solid hardwood on top and bottom surfaces. Core options include pine, Baltic birch plywood, or solid wood, offering maximum stability through symmetrical design.

Wood is widely regarded as a sustainable building material because it is renewable, stores carbon, and requires relatively low energy to produce compared to steel or concrete. When sourced from responsibly managed forests, wood can be continually replenished, ensuring long-term ecological balance. Its natural ability to sequester carbon helps reduce greenhouse gas levels, effectively making wooden structures long-term carbon reservoirs. Additionally, wood products often have excellent insulation properties, contribute to healthier indoor environments, and can be reused or recycled at the end of their life cycle, making them an environmentally responsible choice for modern construction. This altogether means that MADERA products inherently maintain sustainable characteristics.

In real wood, you should expect to see the natural character that makes each board unique, including features like knots, subtle cracks, areas of sapwood, shifts in tone, and variations in grain. At MADERA, these elements are not seen as imperfections but as expressions of the material itself. We use grading to help describe the level of character present, from cleaner looks with minimal detail to more expressive grades that highlight organic variation. All wood, regardless of grade, will show some degree of color and grain movement, and each species reveals its own distinct patterns. Understanding the grade you select is the best way to ensure the final floor aligns with your design vision, and viewing installed images can provide the clearest sense of how these natural characteristics will appear in a full space.

Reclaimed wood is timber salvaged from old buildings, barns, industrial structures, or other long standing sources and repurposed for new construction or design projects. To make it suitable for building, the material is carefully deconstructed, cleaned, de-nailed, and inspected for structural integrity before being milled into usable boards. It is then kiln dried to stabilize the moisture content and eliminate insects, followed by additional processing such as planing, jointing, or grading to ensure consistency and performance. This approach preserves the wood’s aged character while meeting modern standards for durability and installation.

A handful of wood species can perform well in moisture-influenced environments when properly designed, installed, and maintained, but it is not suitable for areas with constant or direct water exposure. All wood responds to humidity by expanding and contracting, and prolonged moisture can lead to cupping, warping, or surface damage. Engineered wood generally offers greater stability than solid wood because its layered construction resists movement, making it a better choice for spaces like kitchens, basements, or rooms with fluctuating humidity. Solid wood is more sensitive to moisture changes, though both types require controlled site conditions, proper acclimation, and protective finishes to perform reliably. For consistently wet environments and high-moisture applications, tile, luxury vinyl, or sealed concrete remain more practical.

French oak and European oak are often grouped together, but they differ in subtle ways based on where they grow and how they develop. French oak comes from trees grown in France, where careful forestry practices encourage slow growth and a very tight and consistent grain. European oak is a broader term for oak harvested across many parts of Europe, including France as well as countries like Germany, Croatia, and Poland, so its grain and color can vary with local conditions. Both are strong and elegant hardwoods, but French oak is valued for its uniform texture while European oak offers similar performance with more natural variation.

Smoking oak alters its color by exposing the wood to ammonia vapor, which reacts with the natural tannins in the wood and causes the color to darken from within rather than sitting on the surface like a stain. This process produces rich, organic tones that range from subtle honey hues to deep browns and even near black, depending on the tannin content and smoking duration. Because the color change penetrates through the top layers of the wood, smoked oak tends to show more depth and variation, and small scratches or wear are less noticeable over time. The finish applied afterward typically appears more nuanced and dimensional, enhancing the natural grain while preserving the characteristic smoked undertones.

Chemicals used in wood finishing play a key role in protecting the material, enhancing its appearance, and ensuring long term performance. These include oils, hardwax finishes, sealers, catalysts, and various additives that help stabilize color, improve durability, and protect against moisture, stains, and wear. They work by penetrating the wood, hardening the surface, or forming protective layers that keep the material stable and resilient in changing environments. Using these chemicals is important because raw wood, while beautiful, is vulnerable to damage from humidity, UV exposure, abrasion, and everyday use. Proper finishing ensures the wood remains structurally sound, maintains its intended color and sheen, and performs reliably as flooring, millwork, or paneling over time.

• Kiln drying is a controlled, accelerated process that removes moisture from lumber by circulating heated air through enclosed chambers at precisely regulated temperatures and humidity levels. Wood is stacked with spacers for airflow and dried over days or weeks until reaching the target moisture content—typically 6-8% for interior use or 12-15% for exterior applications. This process is faster than air drying, kills fungi and insects, reduces warping and checking, and produces stable lumber with predictable performance. However, rapid kiln schedules can cause internal stresses or case hardening if not carefully monitored, making gradual, well-controlled programs essential for quality results.
• Alternate: Kiln drying is a controlled process in which lumber is placed in a heated chamber to reduce its moisture content to an optimal, stable level. By regulating temperature, humidity, and airflow, a kiln removes moisture efficiently and uniformly, helping minimize movement, cracking, and defects later in the product’s life. This process prepares wood for manufacturing and installation, ensuring consistency and predictable performance across a wide range of environments.
• Dry aging, or air drying, is a traditional method where lumber is stacked outdoors or in open sheds with spacers and allowed to naturally lose moisture over months or years through ambient air circulation. Protected from direct rain but exposed to wind flow, wood gradually acclimates to environmental conditions, typically reaching 12-20% moisture content depending on climate. This slow process reduces internal stresses and preserves the wood's natural character, color, and workability that craftsmen often prefer over kiln-dried material. While more time-consuming and space-intensive, air drying is cost-effective, energy-free, and produces lumber valued for its ease of working and reduced brittleness in fine furniture and traditional woodworking applications.
• Alternative: Dry aging, by contrast, is a slower, natural seasoning process in which wood is allowed to air dry over time in a well ventilated space. As moisture leaves the wood gradually, the material develops a more relaxed internal structure, often resulting in enhanced dimensional stability and a nuanced, matured appearance. Though the process takes longer than kiln drying, dry aged wood is valued for the depth of color, character, and organic refinement that emerge through this extended exposure.

Dry-cut and wet-cut oak differ primarily in how the log is processed and how much moisture is present during cutting, which affects the appearance and behavior of the wood. Wet-cut oak is sawn while the log still contains its natural moisture, making it easier to cut but more prone to movement as it dries; this can lead to shifts in color, slight surface checking, or changes in shape as the wood acclimates. Dry-cut oak, by contrast, is cut after the log has been dried or partially seasoned, resulting in cleaner, more stable cuts with reduced movement and a more predictable final appearance. While wet-cut oak often shows more natural variation, dry-cut oak offers greater dimensional stability and consistency for finished products.

Brushing is a finishing technique that uses abrasive brushes to remove the softer springwood from the surface of a board, enhancing the natural texture and definition of the grain. Light brushing creates a subtle, refined surface with gentle texture, while medium or heavy brushing produces deeper relief that highlights grain patterns and gives the wood a more tactile, aged, or rustic feel. As brushing intensity increases, finishes tend to appear richer and more dimensional because pigments and oils settle differently into the textured surface, resulting in a finish with greater visual depth and character.

Flexible wood sheets are thin, bendable panels made by bonding real wood veneers to a pliable backing, allowing the material to curve without cracking. They provide the warmth and authenticity of solid wood while offering the flexibility to wrap curved walls, columns, custom millwork, furniture, and other architectural features that rigid panels cannot accommodate. This makes them an ideal solution for designs that call for smooth, continuous surfaces or organic forms using genuine wood.

Polyurethane floors are simple to maintain, requiring only regular sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning with non-abrasive tools and an approved lacquer-safe cleaner. Because polyurethane forms a hard, protective film on the wood surface, it resists abrasion and staining, allowing for easy upkeep as long as the floor is never wet-mopped and dirt is kept to a minimum. With proper routine care, refinishing is rarely needed, though additional protective polishes or water-based polyurethane coatings may be applied for long-term maintenance.

Steps for Care

• Use walk-off mats and install felt floor protectors.
• Sweep and vacuum frequently to remove abrasive debris.
• Clean using a Swiffer, nonabrasive pads, or a well-wrung mop—never wet mop.
• Spray a lacquer-safe cleaner (e.g., Ciranova Hard Floor Fresh, Bona) and let it sit 1–2 minutes.
• Wipe clean with a dry mop, replacing pads as needed.
• For deeper cleaning, dilute cleaner in warm water and use a well-wrung mop.
• For persistent stains, use stronger solvents like Bostik Ultimate Adhesive cleaner, wiping quickly.

Recommended Products

• Ciranova Hard Floor Cleaner (regular cleaning)
• Bona Floor Cleaner
• Warm water + a few drops of Dawn dish soap
• Ciranova Hard Floor Polish (adds protective layer)
• Ciranova UNICARE X-MATT (for matte floors)
• Bona water-based poly: Naturale or Traffic (additional protection)

Oiled wood floors are easy to care for with routine sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning using MADERA’s oil-based cleaner, which deposits protective natural oils back into the floor. Because an oiled floor has an open-pore finish, it can be refreshed or re-oiled as needed, allowing wear to develop gracefully over time. Regular cleaning may be all that is required, but additional maintenance oils and cleaners can be used to revitalize the finish or address more stubborn stains.

Steps for Care

• Sweep and vacuum regularly to keep grit off the surface.
• For daily cleaning, lightly spray diluted oil soap cleaner and mop with a wet/dry mop.
• For deeper cleaning, use warm water with MADERA Oil Concentrate Cleaner and a well-wrung mop. Allow floors to dry for at least 1 hour so oils can penetrate.
• For tough stains, spray oil cleaner, let sit 2–3 minutes, then scrub with microfiber cloth.
• For persistent stains, use Ciranova Intensive Cleaner briefly, followed by oil cleaner. Recommended Products
• MADERA Oil Concentrate Cleaner (daily and deep cleaning)
• Ciranova Intensive Cleaner (removes stains and residue before re-oiling)
• Ciranova Maintenance Oil (white or clear, for refreshing worn or dull surfaces)
• Ciranova Hardwaxoil TITAN (for full sanding and refinishing)