There’s something of a lingering myth that solid-timber flooring is a byword for quality: for some, using engineered timber is somehow seen as cheating. But solid timber can warp with fluctuations in humidity and temperature, and uses excessive amounts of oak and other wood. Quality engineered flooring, by contrast, is highly stable – and more sustainable in its use of oak, using small amounts of hardwood in a responsible way.
That’s especially true of engineered floors from Haro, which uses ethically sourced timber from its own forests to make a multi-layered product that is more stable than traditional solid-timber floors – and without using toxic glues. (It was the first flooring in the world to be accredited with the PEFC label.) By controlling the process from tree to finished product, the company is able to ensure an unparalleled level of quality.
There’s a 3.5mm layer of precious hardwood – such as oak and ash – on the top. In the middle layer, solid spruce fingers laid at right angles to the top layer create dimensional stability. On the bottom, there’s a softwood backing veneer. The boards fit together using a four-sided “top-connect” proprietary locking system that further enhances their stability. It requires no finishing or sanding and is ready to walk on after being laid, and is warranted to 29C for underfloor heating.
Haro is Germany’s leading flooring maker, a family-owned company that has been processing timber in Rosenheim, Upper Bavaria since 1866. Long-term thinking and sustainability are core values of the company. They’ve always produced their own energy from a hydroelectric power plant beside the Sims river, and since 1971 they’ve used waste material in a biomass power station. In 1978, the brand received the European Blue Angel tick for sustainability, a particularly stringent environmental standard.
The brand has found a natural home in Aotearoa, where it is ideal for use in our varied conditions – from the extremes of heat and cold in Otago to the humidity of Tāmaki Makaurau – which are similar to those of Europe. Peace of mind, from a premium European brand.
Haro
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