There are plenty of variables when it comes to hardwood flooring. As the flooring industry becomes more and more advanced it seems like manufacturers are adding even more bells and whistles to their products. Like, this flooring has special built in Dispell-a-Shield Technology or this one was produced entirely from re-purposed driftwood. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but you get my point. While many of these features may seem negligible there are some which should be carefully scrutinized in order to get the most out of your flooring purchase. In this post I’ll just briefly cover the thickness most hardwood floors are available in (sorry if anyone has trouble with fractions.) The thickness of hardwood flooring is one of the most often glossed over hardwood flooring attributes and it really shouldn’t be.
Read the rest of this entry »

American Cherry hardwood flooring is one of the most prized flooring types in North America. The tree it comes from, the Prunus Serotina, grows to be about eighty feet tall–with a trunk width of 2-4 feet. These trees are prized for many of its featured, but chiefly for its beautiful, reddish heartwood. The heartwood is the the innermost part of the tree and in most cases it will display a darker color than the sapwood (the outermost part of the tree, just beneath the bark.) It is also very photosensitive, which means once American Cherry Hardwood floors are installed they will drastically change when exposed to light. The reddish hue of the heartwood will actually turn to an even deeper, richer red.
Read the rest of this entry »

Appalachian Hardwood Flooring makes some of the highest quality prefinished hardwood flooring available. They got their start in 2001 when they opened their flooring plant in Cowansville, Quebec. They produce their lines of solid and engineered flooring in a wide selection of domestic and exotic species, colors and grades. Because of their extended selection it may be difficult to find the right product for your home. That’s why FloorMall developed the Floor Navigator. Now, whenever you search for flooring on their sites you can tailor make it to only show the results that are most pertinent to you. This helps save you a lot of time and prevents “product overload” which can exasperate a search. It also helps when a flooring manufacturer offers a large selection of different types of flooring. Want to only look at Appalachian’s Engineered Flooring products? Well it’s easier with The Floor Navigator.
Read the rest of this entry »

How often should you refinish your hardwood floors?  This is a difficult question to answer, mainly due to the fact that it is a decision based largely on personal preference.  Most refinishing is not done on a specific time table.  Instead it’s done depending on the appearance of the floor.  This is where the personal taste comes in.   A lot of different homeowners like the changes that occur in hardwood flooring over time.  It develops a type of patina and character with its imperfections and damage to the wood.  Some people like this look so much that they will buy distressed flooring or even have their own floors distressed in order to give their hardwood floors that organic and rustic feel.  But, then of course, some people purchase hardwood flooring because of its ability to hold a high, glossy sheen.  For homeowners who want this out of their hardwood floors they’ll have to refinish them more often. Read the rest of this entry »

Refinishing painted wood floors is a large project and it will take a lot of work just to get it started.  The work you put in beforehand is work and problems you won’t have to deal with further down the road so it’s important to be thorough.  First things first—you should remove all furniture, fixtures, rugs and other items from the room.  Then you should go on to remove any shoe molds or other molding that you have down at the floor level.  You should carefully remove these with a hammer and a pry bar.  Be careful so you can reinstall them when you’re done. Read the rest of this entry »

Sanding and refinishing hardwood flooring is quite an undertaking. Doing so is completely worth it since it rejuvenates the floor and when done well, it essentially sets the clock all the way back to zero.  But like any great undertaking there are a lot of things that go into the process.  Possibly, the most important part would be the assortment of tools needed for the job. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the many benefits of natural hardwood flooring is its outstanding endurance.  Many natural hardwood floors can last much longer than twenty five years when properly cared for.  But despite the strictest adherence to basic hardwood flooring upkeep, overtime, your hardwood flooring will still show damage.  Whether this will be in the form of stains, scratching or just general wear–there is something that you can do about it. Read the rest of this entry »