French Oak

The French Oak used in the manufacture of Porter's engineered floors originates from state owned forests in France. These forests have been rigorously controlled and replanted for hundreds of years by the French national Board of Forestry.

The oak harvested for our floorboards is between 150 and 250 years old, although the life of an oak tree can be up to a thousand years. The oaks are harvested individually, as management of the forests is strict and includes replanting of other species in order to ensure forest diversity and balance.

Our flooring is quality checked at all stages of the production process, and all individual floorboards are carefully graded by the manufacturer according to their appearance.

Porter's French Oak is Select Grade, also known as ABC, whereas most oak flooring in Australia is ABCD grade. Features taken into account when grading timber include colour variations, sap content, mineral lines, light edges and the number and size of knots. Individual floorboards may have none, one or a number of these features.

ABC Grade means smaller knots, narrower light edges and fewer black lines, but of course timber is a natural product and we don't believe in grading out these beautiful features. Oak trees take hundreds of years to grow and that allows plenty of time for insects to establish homes and for sap, knots and cracks to develop, so naturally all floorboards will feature such characteristics.