History of Wooden Flooring

 Primates, our ancestors, used trees as housing. These sheltered them enough, but the caves or built dwellings (dens, huts,…) became more efficient for the residents. In those days, wood was already used as a building material. Pillars and beams were discovered in prehistory in several civilizations, before fire.

We cannot talk about the use of wood without specifying each civilization. Each climate, terrain, cataclysms that determined a different method in the use of wood. The human being saw in this element a source of endless aptitudes. Wood floats, hence the first boats appeared

and have improved over time. It is easy to work with, therefore domestic or work utensils, furniture, and sculptures, … Each location with its types of trees, adapted its needs to what was available. Wood was used pure or combined with other elements such as clay, straw, stone, iron,…

Some civilizations where the use of wood in architecture stood out in different ways: The Far East, with a light architecture that is made to withstand frequent earthquakes, therefore it is made of fragile but resistant fittings. Norwegian architecture, on the other hand, is characterized by the width of the walls capable of insulating the cold, a massiveness in the construction, very different from the Oriental one, but the different type of use is very interesting.

Far East

Eastern civilizations carry with them the fame of “mystery”, of the “unknown”, of strong beliefs, a rich culture that remains practically intact. In some places we may have the impression that globalization would never exist in these places. Because the rooted culture is very strong. That is why the History of Oriental Architecture is still little known. The cataclysms helped a lot to hide the past, and make it difficult to date the works (because after fires, or earthquakes,...), with all the cataclysms that the cities had (and have) to go through, and even though even destroyed, the Orientals have the gift of reuse (the elements remain, and therefore it is difficult to date something). Timber exposed to climatic variation may not be perpetuated, but we do have some examples of Japanese construction dating back to 670 and 714. In this architecture, what is most valued is the ground floor (symbol of the earth) and the roof (symbol of the sky). Of the eastern countries, the one that stands out the most is Japan in the Far East. Due to the fact of being isolated by the sea and the ocean, this complex of islands became impenetrable, therefore it conserved itself for much longer. Having Chinese and Korean architecture as initial architecture, it remained faithful (while the others did not).

European Civilizations

A striking wooden architecture is Norwegian, where there are many forests, and the climate is cold. The inhabitants there used wood as the main building element due to its thermal insulating character. In addition to houses, the Vikings (previous civilizations in the same region) used wood to build their boats: Drakkars. The most used style in Norwegian houses is the “laft”, where the walls are built with horizontally stacked logs of wood. Total insulation was obtained with colored slats between the trunks, or an elaborate paste (in the poorest houses). The house remained uninhabited for approximately one year so that the logs could settle on each other, which caused the houses to lose a few centimeters in height. The frames are placed later.

History of Madeira in Brazil

Before the arrival of Portuguese colonizers, Brazilian lands were completely covered by forests and woods (practically virgin). The only men who inhabited this area were the Indians. These enjoyed the space in a very different way from the European. The felling of trees, for example, took place on a very small scale, and in small areas. Just enough space to set up a village and cultivate the land. The extracted wood was used in buildings and in the manufacture of means of transport. The enormous variety of “arboreal” species allowed countless uses: paint, canoes, beams, pillars, hunting weapons, musical instruments, work tools, … With the arrival of the Portuguese, wood extraction became a highly profitable economic activity (since the colony did not discover the mineral riches of Brazil at the beginning – wood became the main export product). In addition to the economic value of wood, the new population used it to raise their cities and build their means of transport. The initial architecture was basically made with wood, using local indigenous techniques. As the Indians (many of them) were enslaved, one can understand why there was so much architectural miscegenation in the colonial period. For the forms were practically European, however the constructive techniques in wood, and the vast knowledge of its possibilities, was indigenous. The colony inserted its work tools, its beliefs, its city formats, but kept the local material and techniques. The oxcarts, wagons, larger boats, larger houses,… household items, tools and weapons were designed in accordance with the Europeans. Over time, the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as a raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. The oxcarts, wagons, larger boats, larger houses,… household items, tools and weapons were designed in accordance with the Europeans. Over time, the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as a raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. The oxcarts, wagons, larger boats, larger houses,… household items, tools and weapons were designed in accordance with the Europeans. Over time, the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as a raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. … household items, tools and weapons were made according to the Europeans. Over time, the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as a raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. … household items, tools and weapons were made according to the Europeans. Over time, the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as a raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. about Tile flooring in Ponte vedra  In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. the extraction of wood, in addition to serving as an export product, served as raw material for energy production. Which made the devastation much more pronounced. The wood stopped being used in buildings for a long time to be burned in the vessels that passed along the Brazilian coast. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil. In terms of architecture, it was downgraded to the structure, and the houses had adobe and rammed earth as coverings. As you can see, wood was always closely related to colonization, so much so that the name of the country was given because of the wood that produced the red pigments exported to the world, the Pau-Brasil.