Wood is about the process of the renewal of life, it is associated in Chinese medicine with the liver. The Chinese believe that a doctor who knows about harmonising the liver knows how to treat hundreds of diseases.



In China people pay physicians to prevent them from becoming ill not the reverse as we do in the Western world. So the Chinese elements within our bodies should be kept in balance and our qi (energy) will then be good, and we will not fall prey to disease.

The cycle between the Five Elements can be described like this:

Wood feeds fire; fire creates earth; earth bears metal; metal carries water and water nourishes wood.

The renewing springtime is the time associated with wood, and indeed of the five elements wood offers the most adaptable and fresh solutions within a home.

Wood represents the east and southeast of a house or office. When balanced these areas are for creativity, travel and helpful people.

If the qi (energy) is not balanced it is a good idea to address this and see the transformation of the feeling of these rooms.

Restoring wooden floors

If you have old wooden floors covered up by carpets, it is much healthier and attractive to remove these carpets and have your wooden floors sanded. There are some excellent companies for floor sanding London and throughout the country.

In Feng Shui plants are used to rebalance these rooms.

Wood is actually living and breathing plants and these will purify the area also.

Floor Sanding to restore your covered up wooden floors has added benefits.

Carpets are excellent homes for dust mites which are invisible to the naked eye, so a fresh restored wooden floor is healthier and also environmentally friendly.

Any form of restoration if done ethically is environmentally friendly as you are re-utilising an existing item. Especially wood as illegal logging of forests is an immense problem.

Quick Tips for Floor Sanding

Preparation is all important. Narrow gaps and small imperfections need to be filled with resin, and wider gaps should have fillets to fill them before the work. Floor boards should be checked and then loose ones replaced where necessary.

Initial sanding can then be done starting with a coarse sanding paper, and professionals will use a 7-tier system which will finish with a very fine sanding paper using a dust free sanding machine. Knots, holes and joint ends in boards should also be filled for a professional look.

Then when the lacquer is being applied a further sanding should be done to do de-nibbling, and achieve a really smooth, beautiful surface.

Using environmentally friendly products, it is recommended to apply three coats of high traffic lacquer. There are a wide variety of stains to choose from depending on what you wish to achieve in that room.

When Choosing Plants

Be aware that the plant itself is the wood element but if the flower is red then it is also the fire element.

You can also design a selection of plants in a trailing manner and this will bring in the flow of the water element.

Whether you choose plants or enhancing the existing wood features, such as the floor in your home do it in a balanced way for maximum effect.