British Museum – Korean Gallery

This is now the largest space devoted to Korean art in Europe. The gallery has been set aside for a full-size reconstruction of part of a traditional Korean timber house.

The floor of the gallery is made up of 180 mm wide European oak boards, 20 mm thick, laid to a pattern based used in traditional Korean buildings. To achieve this, the oak panels were tongued and grooved on all four sides and assembled onto backing panels laid across the timber battens. These sit on a concrete slab and provide a narrow space for the complex electrical services that were needed to provide lighting, security alarms and conditioned air. The Museum was particularly keen that any seal should bring out the grain of the oak without undue yellowing and that the finish should have a low sheen rather than high gloss. Durability is of the utmost importance in the Museum which is visited by between 5 and 6 million people each year and extended public opening hours mean that opportunities to close galleries and completely reseal floors are infrequent.

Type of floor: European Oak
Surface area: 300m²
Application method: Bona Roller
New or Renovated: New

Location: United Kingdom