The bathroom as an individual spa oasis

In times that are increasingly influenced by stress and hectic, one’s own bathroom soon becomes a personal spa oasis – a place to rest and relax. Quality materials are used in the bathroom not only as part of its exclusive furnishings but as an important element towards harmony and relaxation of the senses. The choice of floor plays a major role in this process. As manufacturer of natural wood floors from Upper Austria whose name is already established on the international lifestyle sector, mafi provides quality floors in various designs which can help to create an individual feel-good paradise.

Due to the oiled surface mafi floors are able to absorb the moisture that occurs in the bathroom and dispense this again during the drying process. This has a positive effect on the climate in the room. The water that drips onto the floor when people leave the shower or bathtub poses no problem at all for a mafi floor. Large pools of water on the floor should however be mopped up. To ensure that the mafi floor remains permanently natural and brilliant and flawless despite sporadic splashes of water, regular care with adequate products is a must.

The right choice of wood

Care must be taken in the selection of wood as not every type of wood is suitable for use in bathrooms. Beech, for example, is one of the types of wood that shrink and swell considerably in damp surroundings. This is what is also known as ‛the wood’s expansion and contraction’. An exception is heat-treated beech wood as this process changes the shrinkage properties of the wood and increases its resistance to moisture. Larch and oak both react ideally to moisture and are naturally suited for use in wet rooms. One more insider tip: floors in bathrooms should be glued with elastic adhesive. The joint with the wall is also very important. This should be made using parquet joint sealing compound to prevent the build-up of moisture behind the wood.

Fresco: creative appearance with massage effect

Taking these aspects into consideration, mafi has developed a floor ideally suited for installation in indoor spa and bathroom areas. We are referring to the mafi Fresco line of floors. In order to really experience the quality and diversity of this floor, installation is recommended in rooms that are mainly entered barefoot. The elaborate finish of the plank surface using different mafi Fresco milling programs not only allows tired soles an invigorating massage break but at the same time provides an unusual look with waves (Fresco Duna), dots (Fresco Punkto) or diamonds (Fresco Rombo). The newest Fresco designs are Fresco Anaconda and Fresco Pista.

mafi : walk on art

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Synchronization of furniture and mafi floors

It is always a constitutive decision in interior design concepts: The combination between the furniture and the floor concerning style, colour and quality. In this regard the development of the last years has shown that the material mix inside the rooms should be reduced. Furthermore an old design rule of thumb is that only three different colours should be mixed. This information leads us to the right choice of a mafi natural wooden floor. This example shows an Oak Vulcano, brushed and natural oiled. The wood is thermo treated which gives the floor its typical dark appearance. The natural oiling strengths the original grain of the wood visually but gives the floor its great resistance as well. The interaction between the white walls and the dark floor can also be found in the mixture between the black and white furniture – truly a design masterpiece.

Another interesting fact related to this private project in Switzerland is the combination between a mafi Oak Vulcano and tiles made out of marble, also a natural product. mafi natural wooden floors can easily be combined with other floor covering material. Even existing height differences can be cleared because of the variable thickness of our mafi floors.

Expert’s tip: Always use furniture sliders for a long-term protection of your personal mafi floor.

mafi: walk on art

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Facts:
Floor: Oak Vulcano, brushed, natural oiled
Area: private House
Location: Switzerland

Partner:
mafi Schweiz GmbH
Industriestraße West 24
4613 RICKENBACH
T.: +41 (62) 2095757
E.: d.bangerter[at]mafi-naturholzboden.ch

mafi gold standard for high fashion

mafi is a trendsetter in the range of special designed natural oiled wooden floors. The vanguard design of the mafi products integrates itself perfect into the world of lifestyle and high fashion. On this account many boutiques all around the world are satisfied with their unique natural wooden floors. On this example we are proud to present a Tiger Oak gold, brushed and natural oiled that fits ideal into this fashion boutique in Switzerland. Please also have a look on the mafi trademark sign. Always incorporated into one plank of the floor, to proof that it is an original mafi wooden floor with all of its benefits like great resistance, anti-slip, anti-static and above all without any artificial consumables.

As you can see on the pictures mafi floors elevate from the ground. Following the trend of reducing the material-mix inside the rooms, we are offering wooden stairs in the same design and quality like the mafi floor as well. This customized installation leads the customers automatically to the next level without any visual break. We are anxious all the times to make your individual wishes possible.

mafi : walk on art

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Facts:
Product: Tiger Oak gold, brushed, natural oiled
Area: commercial area/fashion boutique
Location: Switzerland

Oak Vulcano, natural oil in a private House, Seoul, Korea

Oak Vulcano, brushed, natural oiled

As a pioneer of natural wood processing, mafi works under the principle of sustainability. The careful use of resources is at the heart of the company’s ethics. During processing, the whole tree is used – with all its physical and visual diversity.

Following its pioneering vision, mafi has developed its own method of thermal treatment. This eliminates the need to use Tropical timber. With this natural oiled Oak Vulcano, located in Seoul, South Korea, mafi proves again, that humidity does no harm to their natural wooden floors. Quite the contrary, mafi parquet can even regulate moisture inside the rooms and provide an enjoyable and healthy living all over the world. Using only water and heat, Vulcano floors are completely stained in a natural way.

Have a look on some of these fantastic pictures.

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Armstrong Korea
Room 515, SK HUB, 241-3,
NONHYUNDONG, GANGNAMGU,
SEOUL, KOREA

mafi floors, walls and doors in Ski Resort Obertauern/AUT

Outstanding combinations of wooden floors, walls and furniture we recently finished in a marvellous luxurious apartment in Obertauern in the middle of Austrian Alps.

The customers did all the interior design on their own and created a wonderful flair to feel well and relax. They wanted to keep the material mix low. This is why they used mafi Oak Country, brushed and white oiled for the floor the doors some wall coverings. In the bedrooms the furniture out of Oak Vulcano brushed and white oiled to have the same colour balance but still a neat contrast in brightness.

A masterpiece of installation and cabinet work is the detail where the planks on the floor, the door and the wall behind are running through in ONE line. This just looks awesome and is a proof of the love for details of our clients.

Have a look at all these outstanding details.

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special details with Oak Vulcano in private house

In a private house in Dingolfing, GER our mafi Oak Vulcano brushed natural oiled is installed in a superior quality. You will find the material running through the house like a common theme. They used glass, high-grade steel and wood not only for the floor also for all other details in the house.

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How they used Oak Vulcano?

In the living room for the top of the cupboard, the stairs between the kitchen cupboards and for all other stairs as well. By the stairs the steps and risers are cladded with Oak Vulcano. In the bathroom there is the wood on the floor and the top of the cupboard as well. The stairs and the handrail from the first to the second floor is also with Oak Vulcano. This dark floor with white walls in combination with the glass looks very fashionable. In the second floor there is also a beautiful detail around the glass. The solid wood skirting is done in a very small dimension to keep it as plain as possible.

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pictures: Soll und Haben, Günter Egger

Technical specifications

Oak wood with consistent colouring resulting from special heat treatment (without chemical additives). Variations in colour emphasize the beautiful appearance of this superior, mid-brown floor.

Case studies

• Oak Vulcano in Hotel Alpina
• Traditional accommodation in the Alps
• Climate house – Villa in Varese
• Low energy house with mafi floor

Good variant for the fire safety in front of the chimney

This is a private house in Salzburg, AUT with a mafi Oak Country Vulcano wide plank, brushed white oiled floor. Following Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fireplace concept” was used to put the fireplace in the middle of the living room  – kitchen area representing the heart of living.

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To protect the wooden floor from smouldering particles the installers did a very nice and detailed job. They lowered the wooden floor not only as the same thickness as the glass is but also let the structre of wood running through. So looking from above it seems the the plank was never cut.

please click here to get information about the technical side of this variant.

Oak Vulcano in the Hotel Alpina

mafi Oak Vulcano brushed natural oil is not only a heard wearing and warmness spending floor, it is also installed in the big Wellness Hotel Alpina in the “Alpendorf” in St. Johann / Pg. in Austria. They used the mafi Oak Vulcano for a heavily frequented area in the restaurant and the Wellness Area of the Hotel.

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What you have to keep in mind if you use a mafi floor for a heavily frequented area…

You have to put felt pads on the chair to get no scratches. In public areas it is important to reoil the floor once a year to give the floor the ingredients it needs to keep the hard wearing surface as beautiful as it was on the first day. With the reoiling small scratches will be gone and the floor will get a saturated colour. It is important to know that for cleaning you have to use  mafi wood floor soap. Never use any other cleaning fluids as the floor’s surface can become washed out and sensitive to dirt as the mafi soap is cleaning and refatting the floor all at once. We recommend working with 2 buckets: 1 bucket with soap mixture and 1 bucket with clear water that is used to rinse the soiled wiping mop; change water frequently.

Advantages for public areas:

Resistance through use of mafi ‘s natural Oil because the Oil penetrates into the wood’s pores where it hardens. After hardening the surface is extremely hard wearing yet stays breathable and open-pore. Because of the open-pore surface the floor is free from static electricity and regulates the air humidity. Then  the regular care with mafi soap the floor increases its natural robustness as the soap contains protective vegetable oils. Small pressure marks will disappear without further treatment when the floor is damp wiped. mafi floors have a lot of positive advantages not only the optical look and uniqueness they are especially long lasting and dimensionally stable in each region of the world.

Traditional accommodation in the Alps

This traditional accommodation with a view into the Kitzbuehler Alps is equipped with a mafi natural wooden floor. For traditional objects it is important to use a natural product like our mafi floor with warmth feeling. You can see wooden floors in the most ski huts in the Austrian Alps and people walk on it with wet ski boots. The floors in the ski huts are made only with natural wood and a natural surface. Also for hotels and accommodations in the Alps is it important to use wood in a natural way for  furniture and floors. The mafi oiled surface of wooden floors makes the wood almost as breathable as it is in it’s natural state (approx. 80%). The floor can breathe! The mafi oil is a natural oil free from solvents. About the brushed surface you can feel the naturalness of the wood.

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On the pictures you can see our mafi Oak Vulcano brushed, natural oiled on the floor in combination with soft wood for the furniture and for the wooden beam. Also very good visible is the natural colour diversity of the wood which makes the wood unique. We think this is a very good reference to show in which different ways mafi is used. We are very proud about this gorgeous accommodation.

Climate house – Villa in Varese

What a modern house with warm feeling because of the natural wood…

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We got these beautiful pictures from our partner mafi Italia. The architect Brusapasquè. from Studio Brusa Pasquè equipped the climate house with our Oak Vulcano brushed natural oil. The floor is very important especially for this house – it is a climate house and the architect used our floor because of it’s ecological attributes and art philosophy.

This private villa in Varese is classified in energetic class A. This is also possible because of the warm feeling of the mafi floor on your feet. Even in fall and sometimes in Winter you do not need to turn on the underfloor heating as the brushed and oiled surface is warmer then any other floors. This will not only reduce your heating costs but also will improve your quality of living.

Statement: “I am very happy that the positive benefits of our floors will be used from our clients” -  Nicola Pasquardini – CEO, mafi Italia.