Why 280 days of wood drying instead of the standard 30-60 days?

280 days of chamber drying isn't marketing—it's a technological necessity. In the first stage, timber sawn into 'frize' strips and air-stacked in piles with spacers is conditioned in ventilated workshops. That way we reduce moisture by 25–30% from the initial value as gently as possible. The second stage takes place in a vacuum-convective chamber with thermo-humidity treatment developed by our in-house engineering team. It is essentially the same natural process, scaled to an industrial workflow. Frize strips on trolleys with spacers enter the drying chamber. Hot air is the drying medium. Wood temperature is raised to +55 °C, then vacuum is applied with internal pressure reduced to 0.8 atm. Together, these conditions bring sap to a boil for 10–15 minutes per cycle. The cycle runs 48 times per day and continues until the wood reaches 9±1% moisture.

How do you work with clients and confidentiality?

100% of projects under NDA—this isn't optional, it's standard. We don't publish addresses, client names, or floor plan details without written permission. Photography only with client consent, often prohibited entirely. Our team signs personal non-disclosure agreements. For clients from public spheres (politics, business, culture), we can operate through structured legal entities without revealing the ultimate beneficiary. Payment possible via escrow accounts with bank guarantees from top-10 institutions.

Is the 25-year warranty real or just marketing?

Real, but conditional. The warranty covers structural integrity when the temperature-humidity regime (18-24°C, 40-60% humidity) and operating conditions are met.

What's the point of a comprehensive solution: floor + walls + furniture from the same wood?

First, aesthetics: unified grain pattern, tone, and transition from floor to panels, panels to kitchen facades creates a sense of cohesive space, as if the interior is 'carved' from a single block. Second, technology: using one timber batch, we guarantee identical reaction to humidity and temperature—floor and panels 'breathe' synchronously, no deformations at joints. Third, logistics: one supplier, one installation cycle, unified warranty. For clients: one call, design project with all technical nodes, one contract, one responsibility.

Can you restore 19th-century parquet in cultural heritage sites?

Yes, it's one of our core competencies. We've worked in the Kremlin (Red Square), Vaganova Ballet Academy, dozens of estates and mansions. Process: complete documentation (photos, measurements, species analysis, identification of historical installation techniques), then dismantling damaged areas while preserving 80-90% of the original, restoring lost planks by matching timber species, grain, and grade. Finishing layer restoration with application of protective coating (lacquer or oil) to extend service life.

Solid vs engineered board: an engineer’s comparison for architects

An architect rarely asks “which looks nicer” — they ask what will survive the heating loop, the climate and the floor’s service life.

Solid and engineered board are not prestige grades; they are two different mechanics of wood movement.

We compare axes: seasonal movement, underfloor heating, wear-layer budget, humidity, sound, install height and when each type wins.

Both floors are real wood on top. The difference is how the build-up is made and where seasonal stress goes.

Solid — a homogeneous board: more working layer for future sanding and a stronger reaction to humidity swings. Engineered — a precious lamella on a stabilising core: calmer field, refinishing reserve limited by top-layer thickness.

“Which is better” without a site is marketing. Below are the criteria that belong in the specification.

How do they differ in seasonal movement?

Wood takes up and gives off moisture; boards change width. In solid, movement runs through the full thickness — on large fields and weak climate control the risk of gaps and cupping is higher.

In engineered board, cross-oriented core layers absorb part of the stress: seasonal joint opening is usually smaller for the same species and finish. That does not cancel perimeter expansion gaps or the right adhesive.

Board width and length, laying direction and substrate stiffness amplify or soften the effect — construction alone does not rescue a poor field.

Which lives better on underfloor heating?

Water and electric loops heat the floor from below and dry the timber locally. Engineered construction normally takes this more calmly: the stabilising core reduces severe cupping risk when surface temperature and stepped heat-up are respected.

Solid on underfloor heating is only an engineered exception: adhesive method sheet, temperature limit, confirmed screed moisture, narrower boards and operating discipline. “Everyone does it” is not a method sheet.

Before laying, lock substrate moisture and the first heat-up protocol. Without that, the “solid vs engineered” debate is empty: the floor is judged by cracks, not the catalogue.

Where is the sanding budget — and where is it not?

Solid 18–22 mm usually holds several full cycles over a floor’s life — if you do not sand down to the tongue or burn the edges. That is solid’s main argument on a decades horizon.

On engineered, sanding only touches the lamella. Guide ~2–2.5 mm — more often finish-only or one very careful pass; about 3 mm — usually one careful cycle; 4–6 mm — reserve for several refreshes. Box claims of “refinishes N times” without on-site measurement do not count.

We do not repeat the full lamella-remainder table and three outcomes before the machine — see parquet and engineered-board restoration. The point here: choosing construction chooses the future cycle budget.

Is humidity sensitivity the same?

Not in reaction amplitude — yes in the need for climate. Both solid and engineered are designed for a living range around 40–60% RH. Below that in the heating season without humidification, gaps appear in both; above — swelling, pressure on junctions and adhesive risk.

Engineered forgives short swings better; solid punishes a chronic “dry” or “wet” regime more honestly. Climate control is part of the floor project, not an option after handover.

Kitchen at the sink, winter garden and wet-shoe entrance are risk zones for any construction: local protection and care beat label debates.

What about acoustics and install height?

Room sound depends more on substrate, adhesive, plywood or underlay and joints than on the word “solid” on the label. Glue-down is usually quieter than floating; voids and play make any floor speak.

Build-up height: engineered is often thinner in the finished stack and easier under clean-floor level, thresholds and kitchen constraints. Solid on a plywood base adds height — lock that into sections before joinery is ordered.

Acoustic comfort is designed as a node (screed → adhesive/plywood → board → skirting), not by asking which timber type “sounds more noble”.

When does solid win, and when engineered?

Solid wins when the horizon is long, residence climate is stable, there is no underfloor heating or it is locked by a strict method sheet, and the client wants reserve for many restorations and “homogeneous” tactility.

Engineered wins on large fields, open plan, water or electric loops, tight height limits and when calm joints matter more than the maximum number of drum cycles.

Both types can share species, tone and a batch with doors. Construction is an engineering choice; optics are a separate layer. Residence decision order is in how to choose parquet.

Site axes first — construction label second.

Axis	Guide
Seasonal movement	engineered calmer on large fields
Underfloor heating	usually engineered; solid only with method sheet
Sanding reserve	solid usually more cycles
Humidity 40–60%	needed by both; reaction amplitude differs
Build-up height	engineered often thinner
Acoustics	substrate node and adhesive decide — not the label

CatalogBespoke parquetSolid or engineered — after site axes, not from “what’s in stock”.Read more →

In brief

Solid or engineered — which to choose?

Solid — sanding-cycle reserve and homogeneous tactility in a stable climate. Engineered — less seasonal movement, more often better on underfloor heating and large fields. Decide by site axes, not stock fashion.

Can solid go on underfloor heating?

Only with engineering sign-off: adhesive, surface temperature, screed moisture, heat-up protocol. By default a radiant loop takes engineered construction.

What humidity does parquet need?

Guide 40–60% relative humidity for both solid and engineered. The difference is reaction amplitude to deviations — not “climate optional”.

Which lasts longer — solid or engineered?

By full sanding cycles, solid more often. By joint stability on a large field and underfloor heating, engineered more often. Longevity without climate and care is an empty debate.

Which installs higher — solid or engineered?

Depends on the build-up. Engineered often gives less height; solid on plywood gains level. Calculate the section before ordering doors and kitchen.

Need a site diagnosis — describe the floor or joinery.

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