Bolefloor hardwood is an interesting option to use not just for your floors but your walls, too, as you’ll discover with these two installation projects.
What is Bolefloor?
According to the Bolefloor website,
“Bolefloor is the world’s first manufactured flooring that follows a tree’s natural growth.”
It is manufactured by Bole, a wood floor manufacturer located in Europe, that has as its tagline “Life is not a straight line” and created this unique wood floor, that is not straight but rather naturally curved.
Until recently, a naturally curving hardwood floor was a rare product, and only a few dedicated highly skilled craftsmen had this unique creation in their portfolio. With today’s advanced technology, as well as the fierce race to save and preserve natural resources, Bolefloor changed all of this and created the category of curved-length flooring for the market at large.
So how did they come up with this idea? Let’s look for instance at a beautiful, tall oak tree.
Trees don’t grow straight, rather they grow in curves.
Imagine a piece of plank freshly cut from a tree. Rather than being a perfectly straight piece, it has curves and knots. While a traditional manufacturer will cut a straight piece out of this plank, and everything else goes to waste, Bolefloor technology has the possibility to assess even the smallest defects, such as knots and sapwood near the edges or ends, and turn this plank into floorboards, which not only keeps its natural shape but is both beautiful and durable.
This translates into not only preserving the aesthetic beauty of wood planks but also having environmental advantages.
Rather than cutting a small piece of straight board out of a larger piece of wood, Bolefloor’s technology preserves the planks’ natural size and shape, thus allowing more of each sawed plank to be used compared with traditional milling processes.
Where Can Bolefloor be Installed?
Now that I have drawn your attention to this unique type of flooring, let’s see where it can be installed.
With its intriguing appearance, Bolefloor can be used in any location: residential, commercial spaces, or retail environments. Such an installation presents a design solution that fits any setting where intimate, natural, and individual interiors are desired.
With this curved wood technology, Bolefloor uses the same concept to create tabletops, wall covers, and even ceiling covers.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to install Bolefloor in several projects, in both residential and commercial settings. Here are two of them.
Solid Bolefloor Walnut Installation
The first project consisted of installing, sanding, and finishing over 600 square feet of solid walnut Bolefloor. This work was done for a young entrepreneur couple who had purchased a mid-century bi-level home near a beautiful stretch of Huron River and had the house professionally designed and remodeled.
Walnut Bolefloor blended beautifully with the contemporary style these homeowners embraced for their new home.
The installation of Bolefloor uses the glue-down method. Before starting that, we had to ensure the wood was acclimated properly.
When it came time to install the wood, Bolefloor actually provided an installation plan based on the drawing submitted when placing the order.
This is because each Bolefloor set is custom-made for each project. The installation plan itself contains a drawing mimicking your space, and every floorboard has a line and sequence for its own specific location.
The floorboard number and row number are then printed on individual stickers and placed on each plank.
Though a detailed floor plan is provided, the installation itself is still challenging – it’s sort of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle but with a cheat sheet.
As the installation moves along, it is quite rewarding and funny to see how each floorboard fits.
Once the installation is done, the floor is sanded and finished using Bona Traffic HD Water-Based Finish.
This remodeling project was not ordinary.
Bolefloor’s curved wood boards bring a uniqueness that does not compare. By including every single square inch of the tree, the floorboards installed dazzle with their natural, easy-going elegance, bringing a sense of sophistication to the entire home.
Bolefloor Wall Installation at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea
Another project where I worked with Bolefloor was in a commercial space. This was more intriguing.
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea had just opened a new franchise on Liberty Street, the heart of Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan’s main campus.
The franchise company wanted to maintain the same design for each location, with their signature look consisting of walnut wood, or a wood with walnut stain color. This can be used on the wall, counter, tables, or chairs.
The owners of this particular franchise wanted to put their signature decoration idea and personalize this location.
I was honored to work on this project and install an engineered Bolefloor on the walls and a small bench.
The installation process followed the same routine, we had the installation plan with every floorboard labeled. Our job was to ensure each piece found its way into the puzzle.
The location will have more wood than others and with its warm aesthetic appeal will create a pleasant environment for people to study, relax and connect in.
We hope these two projects will bring you fresh ideas, each of them is so unique in its own way, especially by breaking the confines of the ordinary parquet industry.
Contact Michigan Hardwood Floor Services for Beautiful Bolefloor Installations
If you’re looking for a truly unusual hardwood floor (or wall) selection, you might want to consider Bolefloor engineered floors. As you can see from these projects, Bolefloor looks as stunning on walls as it does on floors, benches, and counters.
Michigan Hardwood Floors Services, LLC. provides beautifully finished hardwood flooring in the style of your choice. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
Craftmanship is timeless.
