What type of wood floors are used?

Heavy grained patterns are normally used in kitchens as they help hide the normal wear and tear that happens in the kitchen. The open gained woods should be avoided as they will show nicks and scratches easier.This is also true to light color woods. Designers love to use hand scrapped or distressed woods so take a few points from them when choosing what type of woods to use.

How ever if your set on using a light color wood check out Anderson Virginia vintage line called Olde Paint, they offer some great damage hiding characteristic. Distressed woods are the best solution for kitchens as they are a pre-planned solution to the heavy traffic kitchens get, In most cases the damaged to them actually add to the over all look of the wood floor.

Moisture

This is the biggest concern when it comes to hard wood flooring in kitchens, Use area rugs near water sources and make sure to have your plumbing checked before installing because bad plumbing will cause a lot of damage to these types of floors.

Darker woods seem to be gaining popularity in today’s world. The washed out colors are seeming to fade well hand scraped distressed and character grade woods sells seem to be stable. Natural color woods are always a great choice to.

Pre-finished woods have a better warranty along with faster completion times, since on sight finished floors you’ll have to wait time for the finish to cure before they can be used. Completion times on jobs are very important when flipping homes since mortgage payments do cut into your profit. When looking at the warranty make sure to read it, yes it might be nice to see 25-50 years of warranty but what does that cover, in most cases only “Actual wear of the finish”, So please read the fine print.

Also research what type of wood flooring you should be using, if your doing a smaller room try wider plank flooring since they tend to make the room look bigger then what it really is.

What rooms to install hardwood flooring

Some of the most popular area’s in a home to have wood flooring would be; Dining rooms,foyers,dens,home offices,hallways, and libraries. With kitchens and powder rooms falling in behind them. Yeah I said kitchens if maintained with lay rugs near area’s where water can be found they are a good choice. But myself would rather prefer ceramic tile or stone.

What type of flooring should you use?

That’s really up to you, again research them and decide whats best fits your budget and your job type. How ever I will let you know that 3/4 inch flooring is by far the top choice if you have a wood sub floor and with the interlocking wood floors pretty easy to install yourself.

If you have a concrete sub floor your going want to consider engineered hardwoods, either in a glue down method or a floating installation.

Remember depending on where you leave you may need to rule out certain types of wood flooring, if you live in a area with will cause a lot of constriction and expansion in wood floors that will effect what type of woods to use. Key here is researching the properties of the hard wood floors and how they react to your climate. Then decide on types and styles.

Builder/re-modeler says it has to go next week

Contractors have a hard time figuring out when to install hardwood flooring, they tend to like to rush things since they want everyone to get done about the same time to avoid having to come back to finish up. One big reason for them wanting to rush is because they want their trim and painting subcontractors done at the same time.

IF they do install the hardwood flooring before other things are done speak up and tell them you want them protecting, its ashamed how often wood floors are damaged before the job is even done. Have them place 1/8″ Masonite board over your floors and to duct tape the seams and not to the floor itself. That just defeats the purpose of protecting them.

Depending what else is being dune debris still may get under the board so ask them to left it up and check each day and give the floor a sweep. Its your money and they are working for you, so you have to speak up.

Now if your doing a on site finished floor you may not be able to cover them since the finish will need time to cure, talk to the person doing the floor to find out how you can protect them if work still needs done.

Decorator says…

Sometimes these people like to experiment and when they do your left paying for it and looking at it. As a consumer you have to have some type of grasp on design and colors you want, and don’t let the decorator lead you, but you should lead their idea’s. Don’t let them place 5-6 different types and color floors merging together that will through the flow of the rooms off and may look great in the room with the door closed but if your hall way is on type of wood and color and you have 4-5 rooms coming off it with all different types of flooring it may become an eye sore.

Live near a beach?

Research the finishes of the type of flooring you want some may have durable finishes then other these will with scratches but not prevent them, maintenance is your best weapon against sand, but just remember the floor will get scratched at some point.

Water and hardwood floors

Mostly wide plank floors are easier damaged by water but not all, if your not sure what to use and plan on the floors being around water, such as an entrance into the dining room from the pool, try using engineered hardwoods.

Allergies

One of the main reason to why wood floors are making such a come back can be seen right under your feet. Carpeting contains a lot of things you do not want in your home. Sure you can vacuum them but does that really get all the harmful things out of the rug? Dust mites can cause allergies and you may think by getting your rugs steam cleaned you may be solving the problem but in reality dust mites tend to work themselves deep into your rugs and can get under them into the padding, where vacuums and steam cleaners cant get to.

On top of dust mites carpets holds odor in. This can make your house smell odd and dirty, and if you love pets like I do then this can be a serious problem as the odor from your pets get trapped along with pet dander.

Natural and not synthetic

In today’s world a movement has been gaining momentum and that movement is “Going green”. Not only are wood floors a green solution but they are also a renewable resource. Carpets use many different chemicals such as petroleum based products. Bamboo floors or cork floor sales have been gaining momentum for the last few years since these types of floors are very Eco friendly. Cork flooring is made from the barks of the tree’s. By stripping the bark from a tree to make a floor you keep from cutting the tree down and the bark regrows over time. Bamboo is a very fast growing plant and can be replaced and harvest in a matter of months.

Wood Finishes

Some things you need to know if your a sensitive person to chemicals. Pre-finished floors release a gas but will dissipate quickly in most cases, Chinese imports on the other hand may take a bit more time to release their gases. How ever if you finish your own floor will also have a lingering effect and if you use an oil base you’ll notice this effect even more. So if your sensitive to chemicals I suggest using the pre-finished flooring and just to remember to keep your windows open and if your very sensitive maybe spend a few days out of the home.

Appearances

This is most likely one of the main reasons why people are going back to hard wood floors, I would love to say its because of the reasons I listed above but in fact to many people are worried about looks and money over their own health and the world they live in.

Hardwood floors add value to a home in most cases, lets face it if you live in a ghetto your more then likely not worried about the value of your home but rather how it looks on the inside, its kinda hard to add resale value to a home if the city cant keep the town looking nice as well. apart from adding value to your home they are beautiful and improve the quality of your life style.

Rental Properties

Most landlords will place carpets in their properties, Either these people don’t care about up keeping their properties or they are just not thinking of up keep in the future years. I’m not saying to go out and buy the best hardwood flooring you can find but instead think about some things. Carpeting may seem cheaper at around a dollar something per sq ft, how ever your going have to pay someone to install it so that raises the price to about 2-3 dollars a sq ft. Then you have to change it every so many years if you have a rental that See’s many different renters. Lets say you have a place that changes renters every 3 years, if you want to keep it looking nice you may want to change the carpets. So reoccurring cost can start hitting your wallets. Even if you don’t change them you have to get them professionally cleaned.

With hard wood flooring you have a selling point to say, people love them and that feature alone may make people rent from you then another landlord. On top of that refurnishing them is simple and they hold up to wear and tear a lot better.

Where to look

Since a large portion of your remodeling expense will be spent on wood flooring’s if you choose to get them, ID do some research into them, Learn the options available to you using the Internet is one of the best ways to do this. Home improvement stores will have a nice selection but they are usually marked up since they have to take in count the cost of workers and warehouse storage.

By checking online you can buy direct from the manufactures or small mom and pop shops you would have never found that have great prices for hand crafted pieces.

Minor water spills on wood floors.

The pet spills his water bowl while your asleep no need to fear just wipe it up and light the area dry. Potted plants can cause some serious problems if not watched after, Wet soil can seep into the wood and if you don’t catch you may ave to tear up the boards and replace them. So keep a pan or cloth under them and check it often.

Dish washer or washing machines leaking on to the wood flooring.

First you must find the leak and fix it, then look at the floors, large water leaks can be a serious problem, they don’t just ruin the floor but they can also lead to growth of mold and discolored flooring. Discolor means that water is trapped under the boards, so you’ll want to replace the boards.

Precautions for new wood floor owners.

Make sure before laying hardwood floors to have a professional plumber to come in and check the plumbing, in kitchens have water lines checked to your dish washer have your windows checked for leaks, same with doors and base boards.

Pet stains on wood floors.

IF your animal loves to urinate on your carpets and you remove them to find hard wood floors that are stained, you have to replace them if they are extensive, how ever smaller stains can be repaired by removing the boards and placing new ones. you may want to go to salvage yards and find boards that are aged about the same as your floor, this well help cut back on people noticing the boards been replaced.

Some cleaning products.

Six Starter SH-Mops : Base, Pad, Pole, SH-Wipe

Two (2) 32oz. Bottles of BonaKemi(R) REFRESHER

Murphy Oil Soap Concentrate, 1gal Bottle

Hardwood floors come in a wide variety of wood species, colors and widths. Besides the classic hardwoods (like,white oak, maple red oak ,and ash) many companies now offer exotic hardwood species from all over the World. Exotic hardwoods give homeowners the chance to better express their own personal decorating tastes with a more creative looking floor. With so many different types of hardwood flooring now available it is sometime hard to chose which is best suited to you needs.

Different Types of Wood Flooring

Solid wooden floors are one solid piece of wood that have tongue and groove sides and come in either pre-finished or unfinished styles. Solid wood floors are sensitive to moisture and it is not recommended to install these floors below ground level for the dampness in the air can ruin a wooden floor, also do not install directly over a piece of concrete with out adding insulation to keep the coldness of the cement from the floor. These floors are for nail-down installations only. You can refinish, or re coat solid wood floors several times, which adds to their appeal and to their longevity. There are solid floors that are over 100 years old and are still in very good condition.

All solid wood floors will react to the presence of moisture. In the winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract which leaves unsightly gaps between each plank So make sure to use oils on your wooden floors during the winter months to avoid cracking.. In the summer months when the humidity is higher the wood will expand and the gaps will disappear. If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. This is why it is important when installing a solid strip floor to leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter and to acclimatize the wood prior to installation.

Engineered wood floors

- These floors are constructed from several wood plies that are glued together. The center core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the center core and another softer wood ply is attached underneath the core. This top ply is also called the finish layer and can be constructed of almost any type of wood.

Wood always wants to expand in a certain direction. In the presence of moisture solid wood planks will always expand across the width of the planks, rather than down the length of the boards. To avoid this problem, manufacturers of engineered planks place each ply in the opposite direction of each other. This is called cross-ply construction. Once the wood layers are glued together the plies will counteract each other which will stop the plank from growing or shrinking with changes in the humidity. Engineered wood floors are designed for the floating installation and can be glued together or some now come with a click system.

Veneer wood floors are very close to laminate floors. The only difference is that with a veneer flooring top layer is a thin piece or real hardwood instead of a photographic image. Veneer flooring is usually around 8mm in thickness with the top hardwood layer being around 0.7mm. Advantages of a veneer floors are that they are fast and easy to install and you have a real hardwood floor. But they wear and tear on them tend to not last nearly as long as the other types.

Factory Pre-finished Wood Flooring

Most factory finished hardwood floors have several coats of finish applied to the wood’s surface. This would be extremely difficult for someone to duplicate on a job site finish, not to mention how many days it would take. This is one of the reasons why many flooring mechanics, flooring retailers, and builders are pushing pre-finished hardwood floors. Instead of taking several days to install and finish a new hardwood floor a pre-finished hardwood floor is generally done in one day to two days.

The most common finishes are:

UV-cured

– Factory finishes that are cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat.

Polyurethane

– A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wear layer.

Acrylic-urethane

– A slightly different chemical make up than Polyurethane with the same benefits.

Aluminum Oxide

– Added to the urethane finish for increased abrasion resistance of the wear layer, which is becoming extremely popular on the better grade wood floors.

Acrylic Impregnated

– Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood.

Unfinished Wood Flooring

If you want a custom stained hardwood floor, or a wood floor to match existing trim than a unfinished hardwood floor is what your after. Unfinished means you start with the bear hardwood floor and than the floor is sanded, stained, and finished in the home. This can be quite a mess and the process does take several days, but your floor will have a finish to you requirements. I suggest having a contractor come in to do this process as its not as easy as it sounds, but if your handy with a floor sander and stain and glossing, you can save a lot of money for a few days worth of work.

Installation Options

Nail Down

– Nails are used with a wood flooring nailer and mallet to attach the flooring to the sub floor. Solid Strip floors or Plank floors can only be installed on wooden sub-floors or on batons.

Glue Down

– Engineered wood floors and parquets can be glued down. This is when you spread the recommended glue all over the sub floor and lay the flooring into the glue.

Floating

– This is when a thin underlay is placed between the wood flooring and the sub floor. A recommended wood glue is then applied in the tongue and groove of each plank to hold the planks together. Engineered & Veneer floors can be floated. This is a very fast, easy and clean method of installation.

Please consult the manufacturer installation instructions before installing any flooring. Or hire a professional to come in and give you an estimate.

Here are a few samples of wood flooring online for a great price.

The use of wooden floors has been flourishing for centuries. The floors last longer and can be maintained effortlessly. Wooden floors are usually cheaper compared to other flooring. You’re also able to choose the wooden flooring according to your desire. There are lots of varieties and designs available for you to chose from.

While buying wooden flooring make sure you choose the right one. Here are some tips to help you.

You can buy an abundant number of wood paints for the flooring. Try to buy the right one, which would suit the look and feel of your home. You can easily unfurnished and impregnate the wood floors without much time and money, and this is one of the main reasons why people tend to chose wooden floors over many of the other styles..

Your able to install wooden floors in any room of your home. There are many ways you can install such as gluing or nailing it to the ground. You can laminate the wood floors and make it look more polished .

Most people think that wooden floors do not last long, but this is a myth and it is a one-time investment and enhances the look of your home not to mention the value of your home.

Some popular woods used are oak, maple, teak wood, etc,flooring. The color of the flooring depends Should be chosen along with the color of the walls, curtains, ceiling etc. Most people prefer darker wood floors and lighter wall colors. If you have a casual room then you can go for the lighter colored wood floors.

Hand painted wood floors look very aesthetically appealing. You can design the floors yourself or hire a professional wood painter, who would design and paint according to your specifications. If you have any doubts on what type of wood to use for your wood floors, designing, painting, etc, then it is advised that you contact a wood flooring professional. A wood flooring professional has experience and knowledge in creating wooden floors, so you can contact them and get a quote. You can search for a wooden floor professional in yellow pages or on the Internet and hire them for your work.

The use of a Humidifier during the winter can cause cooler temperature to feel warmer then what they are. The air is dry during the winter so adding moisture to the air can make it feel warmer then it is.

Try adding Insulation to your attic,basement or even integral garage.Place insulation on the ceilings of the basement to help keep your floors a bit warmer in the winter, place it in the rafters of the attic to help trap heat in.

Try turning your water heater down, this will save money in the long run since your water heater will not be heating the water to a higher temperature then it needs to be.

Try insulating your water heater and hot water pipes, When water travels threw uninsultated pipes it can lose the heat that cost you some money.

Try using more natural heat and light. you can open your blinds during the day to let heat and light in, everything helps. More sun light means less power using lamps.

Lower the thermostat by a few degree’s during the winter. keeping it a few degree’s lower will save you a good bit on that winter heating bill.

Installing a new programmable thermostat, this cuts back on energy cost and helps save you even more money when your not home, why heat a home no one is using?

Make sure your change the furnace air filters every 3-4 months, Don’t want a dirty air filter blocking that warm air into your rooms, IF you have an old model consider replacing it with a more energy efficient model.

Try using heavy material for curtains in the winter months or use plastic on the windows themselves to cut back on the cold air flow from the windows.

Seal your doors, any gaps in the doors then replace them or fix them. Air Can and will escape from these gaps, why pay to heat the outside.
Use the reverse setting on your ceiling fans in the winter to push the warm air down.

If your looking for new ways to heat your home that are green then consider Under floor heating or solar water heating.

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Do you want to install a wood floor to improve the value of your home but don’t have the capital to make it happen?

Consider using the equity of your home to get a home improvement loan. A home improvement loan is a nice way to get a tax deduction, install the hardwood floor of your dreams, and increase the value of your home all at the same time.

The home improvement loan can be used general improvements or for a specific project such as laying a wood floor or adding and game room. These loans are placed second in line on the title of your home. These work basically the same as a second mortgage or home equity loan. You get all the money in one lump sum and can spend it on your home improvements.

You do have options though, it all depends on the amount you want to borrow. If you need only a small amount, try getting a line of credit as it might be a better way to go. This way you can withdraw money in any amount you need, whenever you need it. This type is more flexible but the interest rate is adjustable and so it could go up over time.

If you are looking to borrow a large amount for a major remodeling project, you might want to look into long term fixed rate loan. This way your payments will never increase. As long as your home improvement project is within the boundaries of your local building regulations you should have no trouble getting the loan you need for you wood flooring installation.

Most loans are from five to thirty years in length. use a home improvement loan calculator to get an idea of what you want before approaching the lender as you’ll have knowledge to bring to the table. Generally there is no equity required for a home improvement loan and they are deductible.

What are you waiting for? Get your wood floors in now.

One thing we suggest is that you do one room at a time, taking on the task of every room in your home at the same time can cause your creative to spill over into the other rooms and causing a neutral look threw out your home.It can also start to become an over whelming task.

Now that your going to start off one room at a time grab a note book and a pen and take notes on the windows, things like hows the view outside the window, the size of the windows in the room, how much light comes in the window, and the rooms decor can all go a far way when your deciding what to do with the window.

Next your going to want to find inspiration for the window treatment, this can come from the view out side the window or from the decor in the room itself, to the functionality of the room.

Once you have all this, Its time to start changing the window treatments themselves. We suggest doing it by layers, what we mean is. Start off with the blinds, then the drapes and then any final touches such as curtain rods. This allows to you mix and match idea’s a lot easier.

Using colors that contrast each other can breath life into your windows, along with mix matching different fabrics and patterns, Such examples would be red and yellow, or velvet over silk then lace on top of the velvet, these are all simple ways to bring attention to the window to allow your guess to see the view out of it.

Maybe you have a few different shape and sizes of windows in the same room, this can cause the flow of the room to be off, so you could add a cornice to the top of a small window to give the illusion of it being slightly larger, or you could hide the bottom half of a window with some window treatments to give the illusion of a smaller window. This can help keep the flow of the room and tie everything together.

Remember window treatments can be changed at anytime and if your handy with a sewing machine you can come up with a lot of cool things. Therefore, keep trying different idea’s until you feel that the window treatments bring what you wanted to the room.