The bespoke process

At Rafe Olsen, we have the ability to produce virtually any floor finish you desire. This starts with a few basics from which the unique journey begins.

The process is relatively linear; choose a width of floor board to use as the canvas, decide how you would like the surface to appear (and importantly feel), add a base colour (or don’t) and finish with a coloured (or clear) oil. The tools to make the selections to produce your dream floor can be found above on the flooring generator. We can show you an impression of how the floor may look and from this you can order a sample to try in situ. Don’t like anything you see? Contact us! We can produced virtually anything you can imagine!

At this point, it is worth pointing out that our opinion is; all fully bespoke designed floors should only be ordered after seeing an actual sample. Rafe Olsen bespoke floors are entirely non-returnable once work has begun. Please see our T&Cs for more information.

Colour matching

Do you have an old floor which you’d like to replace with something very similar? Struggling to find a colour to match? No problem. In addition to our ‘standard’ base and top colours, we have a large number of stains and oils that aren’t listed. We can produce colour combinations and mixes to match virtually any existing floor. We’ll produce a sample for you to view and start the ball rolling towards your new floor.

If you’ve seen a flooring finish from another manufacturer that we don’t have, we can match that too!

What is engineered flooring?

Engineered wood flooring is loosely defined as a multi-layer product that has a solid hardwood top surface. Layers are formed at 90^o to one another to provide a structurally solid product. The majority of engineered floors (including all of ours) are tongue and grooved to make fitting a breeze.

The general construction of engineered hardwood flooring is as follows:

Top Layer – A 5-6mm thick solid hardwood surface (lamella). This is the only part visible once fitted.

Middle Layer – Normally a mixture of softwood battens bonded together and run at 90^o to the direction the top layer.

Bottom Layer – Fabricated from structurally sound and damp resistant plywood sheets.

why choose engineered flooring?

Engineered hardwood flooring is extremely stable and resilient to all but the most severe moisture and temperature spikes in the home. The structure and bonding processes involved in manufacturing the boards make the flooring feel secure and solid under foot. Tongue & Groove joints make fitting incredibly simply and the bevel on all four edges of the board makes the fit and any manufacturing tolerances very forgiving.

The surface is a solid hardwood veneer; as this is the only visible part of the flooring once fitted, the boards looks like solid wood throughout from the surface. Because the top layer is real wood, it can be sanded and refinished if necessary. Thanks to the structure of engineered flooring, it does not suffer from the same issues that solid wood flooring can.

Full of character

The oak that we use as the base for our bespoke flooring is a stunning natural character grade. It will incorporate prime clean planks as well as planks with knots, sap wood and/or mineral streaks. It is those surface imperfections that make the floor what it is: a natural product, grown in the wild, with the scars to show for it. The processes we apply to the flooring are aimed at enhancing the natural beauty of the wood. Working with what nature has provided gives the most complimentary finishes possible whilst also catering for the ever changing trends. All boards are re-graded before any hand finishing begins to ensure there are no obvious faults but a degree of tolerance has to be accepted. After all, engineered wood flooring is a natural product.

Rubio Monocoat Stains & Oils

When looking for a partner to provide the stains and oils which would allow us to produce beautiful bespoke flooring, there was one company that stood above the rest: Rubio Monocoat. Rubio products use a highly advanced molecular bonding system to adhere the top coat to the surface of the wood. This unique bonding system enables the oil to be applied in one single coat without the risk of over application. Rather than acting as an opaque top coat covering the wood, the oil enhances the natural variations that exist in the timber. The technology at work provides incredible protection and subtle colours. By enhancing the natural variation in the flooring surface, the character of the wood is not lost, even with striking white and grey finishes.

Importantly, Rubio products tie in with the Rafe Olsen environmental statement. Rubio is the only company to produce stains and oils that are completely free of VOCs. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is a generic term that relates to the chemicals that are released as vapour from all other oils, waxes and stains when applied to the surface of timber flooring. Contact with these VOCs is hazardous to both people and the environment. Excessive exposure can lead to allergic reactions, breathing problems and irritation of the eyes. Further to that, VOCs have a negative impact on the wider environment, particularly the ozone layer. Legislation has seen a reduction in VOC use by other manufacturers but Rubio remain the only company committed to zero usage.

The environmental policy that both Rubio and Rafe Olsen are committed too means that all of our floors are safe for use in the home for you, your children and your pets.

colouring, oiling & finishing

White, cream, grey, brown, black, beige, red and yellow, to name a few. At Rafe Olsen we have a myriad of tints and colours that can be applied to Oak floor boards. The realms of what is possible lays firmly with your imagination. The beauty of the coloured oil system we use is that multiple layers can be used to build colour. When combined with different surface textures, incredible and unique floor finishes can be created.

All Rafe Olsen floors are finished with an oil top coat. Once cured, the oil provides a strong bond with the surface of the wood. This bond helps protect the floor from moisture, spilt liquids and general dirt and debris. Oiling hardwood floors gives a satin-matt finish that moves away from reflective and glossy lacquered floors available elsewhere on the market. Where lacquered floors are prone to chipping and uneven wear; oiled flooring has a tendency to wear more naturally and is easily touched up or repaired with reapplication of the original oil.

All colours and oils are applied by hand in our workshop. When we say hand finished, we really, literally mean, hand finished. The care and attention that goes in to every floor we make shows in the finished product. A subtle natural variation occurs on all floors due to the nature of the processes that we use, this means that any two floors are never identical. That level of bespoke craftsmanship cannot be achieved with machine finishing.

sanding, brushing & distressing

Smooth and silky? Textured and detailed? Rough and worn? With Rafe Olsen the choice is yours. With our advanced equipment and expertise in hand finishing we can create different surface finishes for your bespoke flooring, dependant upon your preference or the changing fashions. There is no right or wrong for which surface treatment is best. All degrees of sanding, brushing and distressing have the same surface protection. The surface detailing really only shows differences in how the floor takes on colour and how it feels under barefoot.

As a general rule, the more severely distressed the wood surface is, the deeper and more varied the colour appears. This is particularly prevalent when building multiple layers of colour. For ‘flatter’ less varied colours, smooth sanding is often the best option. If it’s something truly extraordinary you are looking for, test out our finishing department with deep distressing and multiple colour layers!

All brushing, sanding and distressing is achieved using our state of the art Houfek machinery. Multiple spinning heads allow different effects to be applied to the floor boards with just one pass through. Brushing and sanding can be achieved quickly and efficiently meaning the surface is beautifully prepared for our team to hand finish it.