Floor Care

Excessive amounts of water and wood don't mix.

Wood is a natural material that swells when it absorbs water and shrinks when it dries. Wipe up spills as soon as possible to keep your floor unmarked, smooth and level.

Avoid furniture glides and spike heels.

Round headed chair glides and narrow wheels on furniture legs make furniture easy to move, but they can also scratch or permanently dent your floor.

Spread the weight. Use commercially made felt protectors or furniture coasters to prevent scratches and dents.

Spike heels are also damaging to hardwood floors. They strike a wood floor with more force per square inch than an elephant's foot.

Grit is one of the biggest dangers to your floor.

Tracked-in dirt is like sandpaper on a hardwood floor. Use a walk-off mat or an entry rug at every outdoor entrance to catch the grit. Vacuum or shake out regularly.

Types Of Wood Flooring

Unfinished Solid Hardwood

Unfinished solid hardwood is sold in the form of non-varnished rough strips. These low-cost strips have to be nailed to a wood subfloor. A wide variety of species, grades, and widths are available.

This flooring is generally easy to install, but finishing the surface is more complicated and has to be done on site. Finishing on site results in a flat smooth floor. For quality results , you should hire a highly skilled professional to sand and finish the floor.

Prefinished Solid Hardwood

Prefinished solid hardwood is sold as ready-to-install wood strips that are already sanded, stained, and finished with multiple coats of polyurethane. The finish is factory-applied in an ideal, controlled environment. Once installed, prefinished floor strips form a “V” joint. This should be as small and as uniform as possible to hide imperfections in the subfloor. If the joint is too deep, dirt and dust will accumulate.

A full array of wood species are available in a range of grades, colors and sizes. Prefinished solid hardwood is quick and easy to install.

Prefinished Engineered Hardwood

A engineered hardwood floor is sold as strips made up of a hardwood surface (wear layer) glued on a plywood base. Designed for installation in areas with variable humidity levels, engineered flooring is more stable than solid wood. The strips can be glued directly onto any flat hard surface such as concrete or tile, or as a “floating floor”. They are an ideal choice for radiant heat applications. They can also be stapled or nailed to a plywood subfloor.