The European species “Fagus sylvatica” yields a utility timber that is tough but dimensionally unstable. Beech can shrink considerably and is subject to movement more than other woods. Engineered beech wood flooring is superior to solid beech wood flooring, because the plywood bottom layer of our engineered flooring will make it nearly impossible for the beech wood top layer from warping or bending.

Despite its hardness, beech wood can be worked easily. It can be cut, planed, drilled and milled. When steam-treated it is well-suited to bending into form. Surface finishing is straightforward. It can be stained, painted and polished. Beech wood is well suited for impregnation, it can be use in class 4 (timber in contact with water) after treatment. Beech should be stained or sealed with an urethane coating to protect it from boring insects.

Compared to other hardwood, beech engineered hardwood flooring can be expected to undergo an average amount of color change due to time. High temperatures will cause pronounced color changes in beech wood, making beech wood unsuitable as flooring where underfloor heating is installed.

Beech belong to the family of heartwood trees. Sap and heartwood have an even pale yellow to reddish-white colouring, red-brown when steam-treated. The wood has an even fine-pored structure without noticeable markings. Older trees (over 80 years old) can develop a reddish core of irregular colour intensity and shape.

A common phenomenon of steaming beech wood is the change of color Depending on the duration of the steaming process, the reddish-white color of the wood changes into a stronger red. This coloration is the result of an oxidation of the tanning agents (chemical reaction with the oxygen in the air). Another advantage of steaming is, that this color tone remains uniform. Discoloration, known as graying of the core, which may often occur in unsteamed beech wood, is eliminated by the steaming process of our beech engineered hardwood flooring.
Some interesting facts about Beech Wood

Beech is native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America. The common European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the most useful beech timber and is therefore known simply as beech. Beech trees can grow to 300 years or more, although trees of between 100 and 140 years old are typically felled. They can grow as tall as 30 to 35 meters.

Chips of beech wood are used in the brewing of Budweiser beer as a fining agent.

Beech logs are burned to dry the malts used in some German smoked beers, giving the beers their typical flavor.

Beech is also used to smoke Westphalian ham, various sausages, and some cheeses.

Some drums are made from beech, which has a tone between those of maple and birch, the two most popular drum woods.

Ancient Germanic tribes carved various symbols into beech wood sticks and consulted these sticks as oracles when faced with important decisions. Beech wood tablets with inscriptions bound together are said to be the origin of the term “book” (German: Buch), as beech is spelled “Buche” in German. Carved letters in a beech tree gave Johannes Gutenberg the idea to invent the letterpress in 1450.