Home Improvement - Real Estate » Flooring

Because it is wide plank pine flooring beneath your feet?

giacheryl — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 07:16:07 +0000

Wide Plank Pine Flooring is a versatile look with various decoration provisions can go. Earth, lined with old leather and contemporary sofa or light chairs and practically screaming that wood floors “home sweet home.” You might have as a basis for your home?

The first thing that should be the owners is to find a style and color that you want to color. There are many, it is a good idea, go to showrooms, examples and bring him home to see how you look. It is a narrow boards, as well as comprehensive and easy, medium and dark spots. There are a number of look very smooth and sophisticated, whereas others with holes of node personality-plus and irregularities are decorated. Wood is converted ancient sources (power) of old barns, barrels, factories and houses have been restored. That you want a bit of history in your beautiful new floor? Not only is a huge project of Declaration, but this is something green in wood instead of cut another structure of the forest of the scrap metal recycling. If the wood is selected, it is time to install it.

Some handy owner can do it yourself. Others have to hire an experienced, professional installer. Since pain a softer as wood wood such as oak, easier installation tips it. A handyman-it should be owner or rent one willing to provide tools such as a table saw, saw circular, a stapler, nails, terminals, routers, tape measure or leader and naturally a hammer and some nails. Exercises with a variety of drilling is also needed. If you have existing floor or carpets in the House, tools for tearing out there. This list is determined by the type of flooring are deleted. A trip to the landfill to remove old carpet, fill or tile is possible.

If the word in the village to stop the practice owner or professional installer with sandpaper, oil stain and collected wood. The best thing about Wide Plank Pine Flooring gives only get better with age. Natural wood will be adapted to the environment and develop at a glance all its own.

Tips to Protect Hardwood Flooring

giacheryl — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:48:46 +0000

Hardwood flooring is the type of flooring which is getting preference in areas like schoolhouses, theatres, gymnasiums etc. This type of flooring can remain attractive as new with little bit of care.

Hardwood flooring complements any kind of furniture as well as décor. So, it have been widely using in residential and commercial areas as well. Basic tips in the direction of preventing hardwood flooring are:

Prevention against Dirt and Grit

Dirt and grit are regarded as enemies for hardwood flooring. It affects look of floor by hampering its polishes. Dirt and grit acts as sand paper and causes dents and scratches over the smooth floor. The process of wiping and cleaning can help in this regard but it is more effective to use doormats at the door to not allow dirt and grit inside with one’s shoes.

Save from water spill

Spilling of water or other liquid also affects hardwood floor. The reason is that liquid remains on floor for longer times which in return warp the floor. So, liquid should be wiped as soon it spills over the floor.

Dragging of furniture

Most of furniture comes with sharp edges and dragging those harms the floor a lot. Dragging of furniture should be avoided so as to keep floor free of dents or scratches. The step of using proper pads to furniture legs is also helpful in this regard.

Use of quality cleaners

Use of neutral pH cleaners can help one to avoid any problem on floors. Quality cleaners do not react with floor material and keeps it to look natural. Maintenance and cleaning of floor is important but one needs to avoid the usage of soaps to maintain the naturalness of floors.

Protect from UV rays

Direct and continuous exposure to sunrays also affects the floor badly. Using curtains is the best way to protect floor from long harmful UV effects. Thus, all these tips are effective to maintain the beauty of hardwood flooring at homes, workplaces or other related areas.

Choosing the Right Bamboo Flooring for Your Next Project

giacheryl — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 01:12:41 +0000

Bamboo floors are a popular choice these days. Using bamboo saves trees and can be an environmentally-friendly and durable choice, if you choose well. In the same way you get low-quality carpeting or high-quality carpeting, you can get low or high quality bamboo flooring. All bamboo flooring is not the same. How can you find high-quality, eco-friendly bamboo flooring? These seven tips will help you find bamboo flooring that you can be happy with for many years:

1. Which type of bamboo flooring would you like?

There are 2 types of bamboo flooring – traditional and strand woven. Traditional bamboo flooring comes in 2 different grain directions: horizontal and vertical. Traditional bamboo can also be solid (bamboo all the way though) or engineered (thin veneer layer on top with compressed particle board). Even though traditional bamboo flooring is about 25% harder than Oak and Maple, it still can be easily scratched or gouged by high heels, small pets and furniture movement. Any sort of pressure may result in dents, scratches and even cracks in the floor. For these reasons there are a lot of complaints from homeowners and business owners when working with traditional bamboo flooring.

A far better option is strand-woven bamboo flooring. Strand woven boards are compressed in the same direction with adhesive under extreme pressure. Eco-friendly companies use environmentally safe adhesives. This process fuses the bamboo strands together, creating a solid plank that is nearly twice as dense as regular bamboo flooring. This is what makes strand woven bamboo flooring so strong and durable. Strand woven flooring is much harder than traditional bamboo flooring and cannot be easily scratched, dented or gouged by high heels, small pets and furniture movement.

2. How hard is the flooring?

There is a hardness measurement called Janka Hardness Test. Some bamboo flooring is soft and will easily dent and scratch. Look for bamboo flooring with Janka Hardness rating over 2300. Order samples. Once you get the samples, test them out. Bang on them, drop things on them, try to scratch them. Which product holds up the best?

3. How eco-friendly is the manufacturing process?

Look for bamboo flooring that is formaldehyde free and is made with non-off gassing adhesives. If your project is going to be LEED-certified, does the flooring meet LEED Submittal Criteria?

4. Are you looking for nail-down or floating flooring?

Floating bamboo flooring can work well in certain situations. It snaps together and can be
used over concrete and radiant heating. It can be used in projects that are not suitable for nails or adhesives. It can also easily be uninstalled and taken with you when you move. When looking for floating flooring, be sure it is self-locking. The best way to be sure is to order samples and try them out.

5. Can the bamboo flooring be used for your particular situation?

Is it for residential use or commercial use? Can it be used in a high-traffic situation? Can it be used where moisture is a concern? Is it made for below grade installations?

6. Are matching accessories available?

An outstanding job will include matching accessories. Can you get matching baseboard, base shoe, thresholds, stairs, stair nosing and flooring vents?

7. How good is the warranty?

The warranty is the confidence the manufacturer has in their product. Look for a 25-year residential and 10-year commercial finish warranties and a 30-year structural warranty.

Bamboo Flooring The Latest Choice of Home Owners

giacheryl — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:31:02 +0000

Bamboo flooring can compliment any stylish home. This is a new alternative to the conventional methods of flooring like laminate flooring and hardwood flooring. Many of the home owners question the durability of bamboo flooring as this flooring material is prepared from grass. Bamboo flooring is also an eco friendly choice.

Bamboo as a flooring material can be very durable and can last for years. This natural flooring material is also resistant to moisture and it can also prevent stains. Due to this nature of the bamboo flooring material, it can be also used in kitchens. Compared to other flooring materials dents and scratches are hardly seen on bamboo floors.

Since it can be easily maintained it has become popular to the new home owners. Neither much effort nor time is required to keep the bamboo floors clean. Simple vacuuming, dry moping and scrubbing are enough to keep the bamboo floors free from dirt and grime. But while cleaning the bamboo floors it is better not to use any harsh cleaning agents or rough cleaning pads. Restoring the lost luster of the bamboo floors is also not tough. Dry pads and electric buffer are used to restore the shine.

Bamboo flooring has also become a hit due to its uniqueness. Many people prefer the distinct look of the bamboo floor as an alternative to hardwood floor. This material is also flexible and easy to install. At times bamboo is considered to be even tougher than many of the hardwoods.

The bamboo flooring material is also sold as planks just as the hardwood. While installing the bamboo planks, the home owner can choose the different width or length of the planks as per his requirements or the measurement of the rooms.

Bamboo is considered as renewable source. Compared to the hardwood it is easily available on demand. A tree producing hardwood may take some decades to grow into a full grown tree before it can be fell. Bamboo is actually a grass and it grows very fast once it is cut down. Within a span of about five years, a bamboo grass can grow to its full maturity. Due to this environmentally friendly feature this flooring material is widely used.

Using bamboo flooring planks has become almost a hot trend. The flooring planks are generally sold in two different varieties. Both the natural light shade and the darker shade are equally stylish. You can choose either of the two shades to complement with the furniture and décor of your house. The darker shade or the carbonized color is given to the bamboo planks by boiling it for some more time after it has got its natural or blond color. But the durability of a bamboo plank reduces if it is boiled for a long time.

Initially the cost of bamboo flooring was more expensive when compared to the price of hardwood flooring planks. But with its growing popularity the prices have reduced. As installing bamboo floors in houses have become very popular it has also become easier to find bamboo floor installers.

Differences Between Solid & Engineered Hardwood

giacheryl — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:22:13 +0000

Solid Hardwood

Milled from one piece of wood, solid wood floorboards are generally three-quarters of an inch (3/4″) thick. Solid hardwood can be installed above or on grade, but you don’t want to install this type of wood below grade, since moisture makes it expand and contract. Remember: if even part of the area you’re finishing is underground (like a walk-out basement) it is considered below grade. Hardwood flooring is not suited to install below grade level or in other areas where it may be exposed to moisture.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood floors constructed of multiple layers of cross grain that are bonded together.The upper layer is made of a real wood selected from various species. The lower layers are made of different types of wood and it could be natural wood or man-made wood like plywood. The grains in each successive layer have a different orientation making the wood more stable and less prone to warping. Stability is the biggest advantage of an engineered hardwood over the solid wood floor, thus it could be installed Below, On or Above Ground Level.

Engineered hardwood same as solid wood is available in pre-finished or unfinished, and can be find in all known species used in hardwood flooring industries along with many different finishes such as urethane finish or Oil Finish.
Engineered wood floor depends on its construction and dimensions can be direct glue-down, nail, staple or floated.

Poor constructed engineered wood floors use substandard glues that may contain volatile organic compounds. These cheap wood floors will emit VOC’s for years. Engineered wood made from cheap glues or made with poor quality base layers is likely to unravel in the blink of an eye. It is also better to visit a physical store and get a first hand idea of the appearance and finish of a floor instead of relying on online pictures.

One of the most important fact we all need to consider while purchasing our new wood floor is that the plant has been taken, harvested, possessed, transported, sold or exported legally in any foreign country or the U.S. “Lacey Act” banning commerce in illegally sourced plants and their wood products. The following are “Lacey Act” plant violation:

Theft of plants Taking plants from an officially protected area, such as park or reserve, Taking plants without, or contrary to, the required authorization Failure to pay appropriate royalties, taxes or fees associated with the plant’s harvest, transport or commerce Laws governing export or trans-shipment such as a log-export ban.

Tips for selecting Hardwood Flooring in Vancouver

giacheryl — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:11:11 +0000

Hardwood flooring has become a popular flooring choice in Vancouver and adjoining regions in BC. It helps add value and elegance to the floors and inner décor of offices and homes with their wide range of color and shades available for various moods, styles and corporate statement.

There are many people who actually identify themselves with specific hardwood flooring type. They select the best from the available hardwood flooring types based on their personal choice, wood percentage, resistance, durability and even luster. Some of the popular types of hardwood flooring include Solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, floating floor systems, Laminate flooring and environment-friendly sustainable flooring.

For making a selection for the right hardwood flooring type for your home or office, one needs to keep a few important points in mind:

Appearance

The overall appearance of the flooring with respect to the room is an important factor in selecting a hardwood flooring type. A particular type of flooring is chosen with respect to the ambience and the blend of wooden flooring with the furniture and other items in a room. Engineered hardwood flooring is a favorite in this regard.

Durability & Wear-Tear

A flooring type is also selected depending on its durability. There are many wear-tear resistant flooring types which are installed mostly for their rough usage like Solid wooden flooring etc. Whereas, there are some hardwood floors like Engineered and Laminate hardwood floors which offer luster and charm to the living room with their attractive look.

Water Resistance

In rainy areas and flood-prone areas, water-resistant wooden flooring is preferred over attractive types of flooring.

Budget.

Different types of Hardwood flooring are available and one can chose as per their needs well under their budget.

Maintenance

Most flooring types are low-maintenance but there are some which are classy though require excessive maintenance and cleaning. Hence, one can choose as per their need and convenience.