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What Wood Floor Is Best for Me?
I have a hard enough time choosing what kind of shampoo to buy these days. Walk down the aisle in a CVS or Wall Mart and look at the selections! My gosh I’m just looking for plain old shampoo folks. What’s up with all these crazy names. Just give me a bottle that says shampoo! hardwood floor samplesDays Gone By. It Was All Red Oak I now see how confused hardwood floor shoppers can be. For eons all we had were solid hardwood floors and parquet floors. Prior to the seventies homeowners didn’t make the choices as much as they do...
read moreSolid Hardwood Flooring – Use Staples or Cleat Nails?
Aside from what type of subfloor is proper for hardwood flooring installations, what method is probably one of the most asked questions when it comes to installing hardwood floors by the mechanical method. Recent History Professionals differ on what type of nailing or stapling tool can be used to install solid ¾” hardwood floors. Prior to the early 90’s manual cleat nailers were about the only choice available unless you wanted to painstakingly nail each and every board by hand. That was a job for our parents and...
read moreWood Floor Problems. Lack Of Knowledge
Considering hardwood flooring can be one of the most expensive investments for the home it’s best to know ahead of time what can happen and why. Hardwood floor problems are especially common when business is booming. This was particularly true during the most recent real estate boom. Dealers had no recourse when faced with a customer who wanted it done last week. What did they do? Throw in some inexperienced installer who was untested in hardwood flooring but may have been a fairly good mechanic handling carpet or laminate...
read moreAvoid Hardwood Floor Problems Before Getting In Too Deep
Congratulations! You’ve made it past that first step on your new hardwood floor selection by making the choice and purchase. Simple? It may seem so, but a key ingredient to enjoying that endless beauty lies in the actual installation. The retail store may claim to have experienced hardwood installers, but our experience has shown some do not have the knowledge to install a floor that should be without installation related problems. hardwood floor gapsThat cutely packaged 25 year warranty may set your mind at ease but many consumers are...
read moreUnique Hardwood Floor Choices
Instead of the standard fluff one can find anywhere on the web, our article today deals with other hardwood flooring possibilities many are not aware of. Considering their design makeup expect prices to be much higher than the mundane stuff the big box stores sell. You know what I may be talking about. Bruce Lock and Fold, Traffic Master, and those other mass produced items. Want Something Really Different? hardwood floor puzzleHow about something called Puzzle Floor? It’s a bit too much for our tastes but could be an option for those...
read moreWhat Rooms To Install Wood Flooring?
Years ago construction standards had hardwood floors installed in every room. Then it was considered a necessity because it became the subfloor (the area that we live on). Times changed as did styles and new flooring products like linoleum and wall to wall carpet came into being. Only in recent years has the home created a specialized floor selection process mainly due to aesthetics and interior design. What’s Functional? Are There Advantages? Hardwood floors are no longer considered just a functional part of the home. More often...
read moreCan I Fix My Own Hardwood Floors?
Handling hardwood floor repairs by yourself requires alot of patience and precision if you want it done right. The question is do you want it to look like a repair? Over the years we’ve looked at some DIY attempts and frankly our opinion is stay away from them. Hiring a professional will offer better results. How much will I spend? Costs will vary depending on what type of repair work is performed. However most professionals will charge by the hour. DIY. What’s The Worst That Can Happen? Okay, you’re determined to ignore our...
read moreHardwood Floors Seen Better Days? Dull & Worn
Years ago many of us didn’t think about keeping hardwood floors in pristine condition. Sure, grandma would sometimes spend hours waxing those old beauties but did they fall off the deep end when the floors got scratched? No, it was just a matter of what to expect with the floors. Today we focus a lot of attention on hardwood flooring, almost as if they’re part of the furniture. The Deep End? Yea, That’s Me! We run into a number of people that obsess over their new hardwood floors, and yet some get so hung up with cheap solutions in...
read moreRustic Hardwood Floors – Why So Expensive?
They’re not all expensive. Sure you can find some pricey stuff in more of the service oriented mom and pop retail operations that deal in hardwood floors everyday. Some products that come to mind are manufactured by Anderson and Award. Both offer some interesting stuff but do we really want to pay a retail price in the low to mid teens? Here’s one manufacturer; Aged Woods. They seem to be a bit more realistic in their pricing for a few prefinished products in the $6 and $ 7.00 square foot range, and the beauty is one can buy direct from...
read moreWhen Transition Moldings Aren’t Needed
Here’s a subject that is often debated within the circles of hardwood flooring guys. Perhaps you’ve seen hardwood floors in higher end homes and absent are trim marble against wood floormoldings. You did all the research and every manufacturer recommends expansion areas. So why is it in some homes there aren’t any? Example #1- Engineered Floor Butted To Marble I thought this one (photo left) was creative. When marble or natural stone is installed adjacent to hardwood floors there is pegged hardwood floor butted to tileoften an...
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