Carlisle Wide Plank Floors All About Wood: White Oak
Introduction to Wide Plank White Oak Hardwood Floors with Chris Sy
Wood Floors Add A Touch Of Class
When you determine the style and material for your flooring, it is important to consider the areas to be floored, type of subfloor, your preference for pre-finished or unfinished flooring and stain color. The state-of-the-art technology coupled with an almost limitless choice of stains, finishes, styles and designs makes hardwood flooring one of the most practical and versatile floor coverings available. So if you want a home that is beautiful, if you want a home that stops people in their tracks when they walk in, then you need to put down exotic hardwood flooring.
The exotic hardwood flooring will give you that stopping power that you desire and crave. Hardwood flooring has an inverse relation with the moisture inherent in the wood and is independent of the engineering. Low hardness is chestnut, douglas fir, and north american cherry while hardwood from brazilian walnut, caribbean cherry and bloodwood is extremely hard.
Hopefully you can buy one of the popular types of flooring. As the cost of vinyl flooring and carpeting become lower the wooden floors were reserved for high-end applications. The ratio has changed slightly and now with a good quality engineered flooring it can be refinished two or three times depending on the subfloor’s smoothness and the experience of refinisher.
Laminate floors are ideal for those who want the style and look of hard wood floors but cannot afford the price. These floors are built with a core, sandwiched between a hardwood finish layer on the top and soft wood ply below.
Wood floors on the other hand is not so much more expensive but need to be installed in the rooms. Actually the entire house can now have wood floors but it is always a good idea to leave the bathroom aside. Except for the cost, another drawback of wood floors is that they can be easily gouged and scratched. But, there are century old homes that still have the original wood floors.
Wood floors have great value in several ways as they need no replacement over even a long time and their installment in a house can bring about an enhancement in the value of the house. This in turn will seriously affect the resell value of your home and make your home a health hazard to its occupants. Of course the appeal lies not only in its aesthetic value of its representation of real hardwood, but also due to its incredible durability and ease of maintenance. A good looking floor will add a lot of value to a home.
If you are interested in design a personally customized floor is easy to create by combining a choice of colors, colored chips, and even glitter options. You have dozens of colors to choose from. The darker colors are often found in formal or traditional interiors while lighter shades go well with a casual and contemporary set-up. Draw attention to your floors with dramatic coverings or soften the feel of the room with soft colors on the floor.
SnapLock® Dance Floors -World’s Leading Portable Dance Flooring Company – SnapLock.com
www.snaplock.com – The family at SnapLock Industries developed and built the first portable modular dance & event flooring systems over 25 years ago and have emerged as the #1 selling portable dance flooring the industry worldwide. No company has more hands-on experience and knowledge within the management team than Snap Lock. You can be assured you are getting the most advanced high quality portable dance flooring system available at any price. USA Made check us out at http
Wooden Flooring and Laminate Floors Add a Natural Touch
Wooden flooring has many benefits over the use of carpets. Laying a wooden floor can set your home apart from the rest and increase its value if you come to sell the house. Each floorboard is unique making the effect of a wooden floor very attractive. Unlike carpets, wooden flooring does not trap dust and mites and is therefore highly recommended for allergy suffers. Wooden flooring is extremely hard wearing and will last considerably longer than even the highest quality carpets available. It is easy to keep clean and is stain resistant to food and drink. Any spillages can simply be soaked up and wooden flooring can be easily swept to remove dust and solid matter.
Wooden flooring is widely available from all good hardwood flooring suppliers. You can buy wooden flooring in various thickness and widths. Some wooden flooring products are even available in random lengths to add to the natural look of the flooring. A range of finishes is also available including unfinished, lacquered and oiled, which gives a durable protective layer whilst maintaining a natural finish. There are various grades of wooden flooring available with the higher grades having less knots and colour variation. Generally speaking the younger the wood, the lighter the colour. This can mean that even wood from the same tree can have variations in colour depending on how old the wood is. Older wood is found at the centre of the tree whilst the younger, lighter wood is found around the edge. This younger wood is known as Sapwood.
Oak flooring is widely used in North America and Europe for both residential and commercial flooring. Both continents are major producers of the flooring with the USA producing Red and White oak flooring and European oak flooring on this side of the Atlantic. An incredibly rich colour can be achieved by polishing oak flooring. Red oak flooring is noted for its warm tones with pink tinting whilst White oak flooring is often lighter with grey tones. Most oak flooring produced in North America is made from trees sourced on the Eastern side of the Rockies whilst European Oak is made from timber found all over Europe. All these different types of oak vary in colour; hardness and grain however all give a stunning finish to any room.
Walnut flooring is also heavily produced in North America where the Walnut tree is most common. It is an extremely tall and fast growing tree that produces a varied grain of warm and rich coloured wood. Walnut flooring is generally darker than oak flooring and is incredibly hard wearing. It is commonly used in offices, libraries and dining rooms where a warm yet classic look is required.
There is very little that comes close to the look and feel of real wooden flooring however the cost to buy flooring like this is not affordable to every budget. Engineered hardwood flooring is available and can be cheaper than solid wooden flooring. It comprises of a layer of hardwood on top of a plywood base. Alternatively laminate flooring is a good cost effective solution to real wooden flooring and is available in a range of wooden and ceramic styles. Since its introduction the improvements in laminate flooring has been outstanding. Nowadays most laminate flooring does not require glue and simply clicks together. This makes laying laminate flooring faster, easier and much less messy, With such high quality laminate flooring now available it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between laminate and real hardwood flooring and its popularity for use in homes and commercial properties is growing all the time.
CWF Hardwood Floor Project Carolina Wood Floors
600 sf transformation from carpet & vinyl to oak hardwood flooring, finished on-site, natural color, moisture cure urethane. Mullican 2 1/4″ select grade white oak, Lenmar ambering MCU used for continuity with existing 15yr old same style adjoining still in A-1 shape. Bona Dust containment system worked well to keep dust down to minimum. After several failed attempts to export video I was able to convert VideoSpin format & upload to YouTube. Mucho thanks to the 3 seasoned installation crews at Carolina Wood Floors, Winston-Salem NC. A 3rd urethane coat was applied after shooting video. Results look great with super-hard gloss finish.
Staining Hardwood Floors
Between hardwood floors and furniture pieces, the latter tend to be changed much more often. If you’ve had hardwood floors for a while, you know firsthand the design or aesthetic problems that come up whenever you change your furniture pieces. At one time, your furniture and hardwood floor matched visually. However, when you put in new furniture without really thinking about the color of your hardwood floor, that’s when compatibility issues arise.
There is really no need to take out the entire hardwood floor just so it would match new furniture. Doing so is time-consuming and can get rather expensive, particularly if you tend to change or add new furniture pieces often. Staining is the better option. It’s less costly to staining hardwood floors than to install completely new hardwood flooring.
Staining is actually one aspect of the hardwood refinishing process. To effectively stain hardwood floors, it should be done between buffing the floor and applying the finish. Staining is usually done not with the intention of changing the color of floors, but with the intention of enforcing their color. In this regard, staining hardwood floors is useful for bringing back a floor’s color, which tends to gradually faded over time.
How stains penetrate depends on the type of woods. For instance, staining is much more effective on floors made from open-grained woods like ash, oak, pecan or walnut because stain colors for hardwood flooring of these types tend to penetrate deeper. Hardwood floors made from closed-grain woods like birch or maple tend to not stain as well. Thus, before you start a hardwood floor staining project, make sure you know the wood type of your floor so you can choose the right stain to use.
The right stain is based on the type of wood your floor is made of as well as what you want the floor to look like after the hardwood floor staining process. Do you just want to improve your floor’s current color? If so, choose from among the many pigmented penetration sealer stains. These stains won’t obscure your floor’s natural wood grain. Are you looking to change the color of your hardwood floor? Then go with any of the oil-based pigmented stains available. These stains are known to accentuate the floor’s grain patter. However, be aware that oil-based pigmented stains, if applied in excess, tend to shorten the life of wood.
Make sure that the floor is clean and clear before applying stain. It’s a good idea to spend more time thoroughly cleaning the floor if you have just sanded and buffed it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with different stain colors for hardwood flooring boards in one floor area. Instead of the boards absorbing the stain, the debris in and on the floor will absorb the stain.
When you’re ready to stain your hardwood floors, you’ll need the following materials: wood stain, clean rags and knee pads. Once you have all the materials you need, follow this 5-step process of staining hardwood floors:
1. Thoroughly clean the hardwood floor.
2. Ensure that the room you’ll be working in is well-ventilated. Open up windows or turn on your vents. Stains emit harmful fumes.
3. Wear your knee pads when you stain your hardwood floor. It would be better to wear work clothes during staining. Wear long sleeve, pants and gloves to prevent the stain from coming in contact with your skin.
4. Apply stain on your hardwood floor section by section. After staining each section, wipe off excess stain with a clean rag. This speeds up the drying process.
5. When you have stained the entire floor area, let the stain dry overnight. The drying process may take longer if you applied too much stain, if the room has poor ventilation or if the temperature is too low.
What You Should Know About Caring for Hardwood Floors?
For many families who have solid hardwood floors in their homes, bring about a substantial lifetime investment, and compensate some care with a life span of value. The first time you look a solid hardwood floor, you get the impression of richness, warmth and natural beauty. Evenly, you naturalize its express character â perceptible harmonies, the elements of history in the wildwoods and in your house .
Things to discover and cherish :
The color and pattern of the floorâs strips, planks or parquetry.
Evaluate the grains. Oak- is flashy in texture; Maple or cherry-are neutral .
Check the shape of the concealed wood and the finish that protects it.
Check out the signs of neglect. Is there a surface that calls for just a delicate touch to preserve it?
The elements of the natural world allows you to design fine characteristics with exceptional textures, colors, patterns and styles of real hardwood flooring .
The important things to be aware of to protect your hardwood flooring
The most common way of taking care of your hardwood floors is just simply sustaining them clean. To protect your solid hardwood floorsâ warmth and character, use the daily simple cleaning techniques.
There are some tips on how to prevent damage to your solid hardwood floors:
Abstain having dirt, grit and sand on your hardwood floors. These elements are detrimental to your hardwood floors. They act like sandpaper on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling. Put floor mats at entrances to collect dirt and prevent damage.
Abstain water and other spills. Standing water can brutalize poorly finished hardwood floor and can damage the finish. Easily wipe up with the cloth overflow as they happen.
Harsh Cleaning solutions. Abstain from oil soaps. They can cause a accumulation and lead to the problems when your floor is due for maintenance coating . Try to use the suggested neutral pH cleaners made specifically for wood floors.
Furniture. Abstain from having your furniture drawn with force along the hard wood floors . Make sure to move up the furniture to move it. Mount self-adhesive sliders under the furniture legs; it will help to prevent scratches.
Dents. In order to prevent cuts use the vacuum with a brush attachment. Abstain from the use of vacuums with beater bars.
Sun exposure . Direct sun can blot your hardwood floor. Keep you window treatments and blinds closed. Or add special sun block shades to protect from the sunâs intense UV rays.
Everyday care for your hardwood floors:
Sweeping. Use the dusters with fine, expandable tips to capture all the dust and grit effectively.
Vacuuming. Use the specially invented canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments. They are the safest way remove all the dirt and dust.
Dusting Mop. Use a good dust mop. The dust mop should have 12â to 18â inch cotton head and a special dust mop treatment. Mist the treatment onto the mop head 12 to 24 hours before dust mopping.
There are several kinds of hardwood flooring
Oak and maple are the most popular hardwoods used in flooring.
Ash, beech,birch, cherry, hickory and walnut are elaborate hardwoods that are used for floors and decorative accents.
Here are some steps to consider when examining your hardwood floorâs condition
Finish Condition. Check closely if the finish been deteriorated or is it just unclean. Check if the finish is having very little depth of color, chipped, scraped or gouged. In order to test if the finish is obsolete, start in a high-traffic area and pour one to two tablespoons of water onto the floor. If the water soaks in rightaway and leaves a darkened spot, the finish is worn and water can destroy the wood. If the water soaks in after a few minutes and darkens the wood only slightly, the finish is incompletely worn. If the water droblets on top, the surface is properly sealed. Duplicate this test in low- and medium-traffic areas.
Wood Condition. Check to see if the finish is worn, the wood may have been busted. Check the areas for stains, burns, cuts, gouges, holes, cracks or warped boards. If the wood is busted repair or replacement may be required.
What type of finish does your floor have?What to know about the finishes of your hardwood floor?
Coincidental care and maintenance techniques are used for all finishes in superb condition, however when it comes to removing stains or restoring the finish, methods vary. If you have doubts about what kind of finish your floor has, check with your contractor or real estate specialist.
There are also easy tests available for your convenience:
Surface Finishes—-pre-finished floors, polyurethane, water-based urethane and catalyzed. Nearly all floors installed today have surface finishes, almost entirely it is a polyurethane. These finishes are often glossy and may appear like a film of clear plastic on top of the wood. A small amount of paint remover in a concealed area of the floor will cause the surface finish to bubble (unless it is a water-based urethane, in which case there will be no reaction). Surface finishes armor the floors from any harm by articulating a protective a film on the top of the wood.
Penetrating Seals: acrylics, oils and waxes.
Oils and waxes usually have a satin or matte finish. To recognize the penetrating seal, run your hands across the surface of the hardwood floor; If you can encounter the wood grain it’s most likely a penetrating seal. Usage of the paint remover will have no effect on a penetrating seal; however wax remover or ammonia will cushion and whiten the surface. Oils and waxes penetrate the surface of the floor protecting the wood from within.
How To Clean Your Hardwood Floors – Professional
How to clean your hardwood floor. Presented by Dan Yorke, of Danville Hardwood Company Incorporated. How to clean hardwood floors. Located at 101-F Town & Country Drive, in the Town & Country Shopping Center, our doors are open 7 days a week. How to clean hardwood flooring See video for more details
How to Install Laminate Floors in Your Home – Do It Yourself
Lowe’s home improvement expert, Mike Kraft, demonstrates the installation of laminate wood flooring after proper subfloor preparation. To learn how to prepare your subfloor or to view more instructional views, visit www.Lowes.com
Cleaning Floors : How to Clean a Polyurethane-Coated Hardwood Floor
Use a solution of warm water and an oil-based soap to clean a polyurethane-coated hardwood floor. Clean a polyurethane-coated hardwood floor with the housekeeping tips in this free video on home maintenance from a professional decorator and home cleaner. Expert: Ann Myrick Bio: Since 1997, Ann Myrick has been a professional decorator, house cleaner, home organizer and planner. Filmmaker: Tim Brown
Have Us Call You RIGHT NOW!
Just click on the button below, then enter your telephone number, and a member of our friendly staff will call you back immediately.
