Hardwood floors are a classic home building material due to their natural beauty and long-lasting durability. The combination of a distinguished look and excellent resale value makes them one of the most used materials for floors today.
With a wide variety of hardwood flooring options available on the market today, we want to provide our readers with useful information about selecting the perfect hardwood floor for your project, as well as the technical and aesthetic aspects of hardwood.
From classic hardwood floors to innovative new products, we offer valuable insight about the various styles of hardwood, as well as the finishes and construction uses for each. As hardwood floors are constantly evolving, we regularly update the section to keep our readers informed of new products and uses for the traditional wood flooring.
Replacing the flooring in your kitchen? Think long and hard about the ideal style of flooring for this area. While tile or vinyl may be common choices, wood flooring for your kitchen is also a great option. Find out the basics of hardwood floors for the kitchen, and update this busy hub of your home.
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Not all bamboo flooring is made in the same manner, and consumers should understand the difference before investing in this product. Strand woven bamboo flooring provides a distinct appearance and above average performance, due to the unique way this eco friendly flooring product is made.
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Hardwood flooring comes in a wide range of colors and stains. Either pre-finished or finished onsite after installation, hardwood flooring finishes provide protection, enhance appearance and increase durability. Consumers may be surprised at the choices available for finishing hardwood, including popular, eco friendly methods with an oil base. Deciding between natural oil finish vs UV oil finish on hardwood floors requires an understanding of the processes and benefits of each option.
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Bamboo floors are quickly gaining in popularity, highly touted for their strength and environmental benefits. But what do consumers really know about this product? And what should they look for when purchasing new bamboo flooring?
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Hardwood flooring remains a popular choice for homes of all sizes, outlasting the latest home décor trends and improving the value of homes across the country. Consumers should consider this type of flooring as a lifetime investment, but performance, durability and appearance depend on product quality and installation methods. Be sure you know what to expect from your newly installed hardwood floor, and how to extend the life of this beautiful feature.
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Stronger than domestic hardwood species, Cumaru Brazilian Teak is an exotic wood used for solid hardwood and engineered wood flooring products. Homeowners can benefit from several characteristics of this species, including the strength and distinct appearance. Although the cost is a bit higher than popular domestics like Red Oak and Maple, Brazilian Teak creates a stunning look that lasts in any home.
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Replacing carpets and other aged flooring with wood is a wise option for homeowners across North America. But consumers wonder which option provides the best value and ponder the question of solid vs engineered wood flooring. What are the major differences in these popular products? And how can you choose the ideal wood flooring for your home?
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Finishing Stage
In the last two posts we’ve looked at the selection, grading and planing of hardwood flooring. Now we’re at the final stage of manufacturing and taking a closer look at the finishing process, when protective coatings and sealants are applied to hardwood and engineered wood flooring.
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In the last post we talked about log selection and covered the differences between plain sawn, quarter sawn and rift sawn logs in the manufacturing process for solid hardwood. Engineered wood floors are cut using the dry sawn method or processed with the rotary peel or sliced peel method.
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Have you ever walked across gorgeous hardwood flooring or browsed through the floating wood floor aisles at your local building supply store wondering how hardwood flooring is made? Quality wood floors go through a rigid selection and preparation process that provides superior appearance and durability for years to come.
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Wood species dictates Janka hardness ratings as well as the flooring’s general appearance, such as color and grain pattern. So how do flooring grades fit into the mix? And why do exotic wood floors have a different grading system than domestic wood floors?
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Wood floors provide classic appeal and dependability for any area of your home, but the quality of wood flooring available today covers a broad range. Your flooring supplier carries many different products in various styles and finishes, but they'll also offer you a choice between quarter sawn and plain sawn wood floors. What's the difference? And how does rotary peel wood flooring measure up in comparison?
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The Janka hardness test provides consumers with valuable information about the durability and strength of a particular type of wood species. This test is particularly important when considering which types of wood floors are best for your home. But what do Janka ratings actually mean and how does this measurement relate to the durability of engineered and hardwood flooring?
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What is the difference between solid wood floors and floating engineered wood floors? Most people would assume that solid wood flooring lasts longer, given that a worn hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished. The good news is that quality floating wood floors made with a sandable wear layer can also be refinished to stretch the lifespan of the floor significantly.
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There are numerous reasons for installing hardwood flooring in your home such as durability and increasing its re-sale value, but when it comes right down to it -- the primary reason is that there just aren't any other floor covering options that can rival its natural beauty. Hardwood conveys a sense of warm that no other flooring can come close to duplicating. However, if you're planning to have solid hardwood installed, there's still an important decision to be made -- should you go with prefinished flooring or the more traditional finish in-place variety?
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