Cobham American Black Walnut Wood Floor 14 x 150 (mm)

Walnut is a softer hardwood than oak, so it marks more readily under point loads and asks for felt pads under chair legs; it also lightens slowly in daylight, the opposite of oak, so rugs are best moved in the first year. The smooth lacquer shows the figure at its best and shows fine scratches too. Tongue and groove, micro-bevelled, listed as compatible with underfloor heating; a box covers 2.64 square metres, and the manufacturer's warranty is 15 years.

It is a floor for rooms that are looked at, dining rooms, studies, living rooms, rather than worked in. The Weybridge American Black Walnut is the same timber at 190 mm wide in 1900 mm lengths; for a walnut tone that hides wear, the brushed dark oak boards.