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Floors

An Overview of Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors apart from being reliable and durable, gives any home a classic touch. Its elegance and exclusiveness cannot be achieved with any other type of flooring. Hardwood floors are versatile and can be laid in almost any part of a home. There are numerous varieties of hardwoods to choose from, like oak, teak, elm, walnut, maple, rosewood and many others. The durability, hardness and colour vary depending on the type of wood. The hardness of Chestnut and Douglas fir is very low when compared to the hardness of Caribbean Cherry or Brazilian Walnut. The moisture content in the wood affects its stability and durability adversely.

Hardwood flooring are classified into different grades like clear, select, common 1, common 2 and grade 1 to 3. The grading depends on the exterior look of the un-finished hardwood flooring.
Hardwood flooring provides a timeless elegance to any room when it is laid in sync with the interior décor of the room. At the moment of installing hardwood floors you can there are different methods to choose and it includes:

Glue Down method: Here parquets or wooden panels are glued to a subfloor which can be made of wood or concrete.
Nail Down method: Nails of ¾” thickness are used to bind hardwood on to a subfloor that is of the same grade or above grade than the hardwood.
Staple Down method: Here a pneumatic stapler is used to attach the hardwood on to a subfloor instead of nails. This method is the easiest of the three and is mostly used by DIY aficionados.
Floating method: This method is employed to lay hardwood on uneven surfaces. A layer of foam is placed in-between the hardwood and the subfloor.

Once the hardwood flooring is laid perfectly they are very easy to maintain. Below you can find a few tips to keep your hardwood flooring sleek and shining.
• Regular maintenance like vacuuming or sweeping is a must to remove the dust that might otherwise scratch the flooring. It is important for this process to choose a good vaccum cleaner to help you in this job.
• You can place attractive doormats or rugs near doorways to prevent transfer of sand or dirt from shoes to the flooring.
• Since wood expands and contracts with temperature, the relative humidity of a room should always be maintained at about 45%.
• You should pad the legs of the furniture to prevent scratching while moving them.
• Hardwood floors are sensitive to light. You should protect your floors from direct light, both natural and artificial to prevent discolouration of the hardwood flooring.
• You can also add some rugs in frequently used places like washbasins, workstations, etc, to protect the hardwood flooring from scratch, water or soap.

Surface finishing of hardwood flooring will give a glossy look in addition to making floors water-resistant. There is no need to wax a hardwood floor that has a surface finish. If your hardwood floor is wax-finished, then a periodic buffing will keep it sleek and shiny.

Floors

Dealing with unfinished hardwood floors

Hardwood flooring is in the class through itself; not just a selection in flooring, but more similar to a custom. Hardwood floors make available the tribute of tradition.
Unfinished hardwood floor refers to flooring that needs sanding and finishing on place once setting up is done. This kind of unfinished hardwood floor is normally ¾ inches in thickness, tongue and ridged through end matching and on hand width ranges from 2 ¼ inches to 5 inches wide. Flat timber flooring is wider than 5 inches is on hand, but usually on a special order basis. Some times, hardwood floors are damaged by water.

Unfinished hardwood floor is usually a square edged item for consumption through a few exemptions. Board lengths on manmade flooring will range from 12 inches up to 78 inches on a random length basis. Elongated length flooring is on hand on a special order basis. This kind of flooring ought to be nailed or stapled over accepted plywood sub floor and should be fixed on or exceeding grade. There are 3 grades; the first grade of flooring is the clear part that refers to the most spotless grade of flooring, surrounding the smallest amount of color difference and no knots. Board lengths can differ from 12 inches to 78 inches but in general it has a longer standard length, normally approximately 3 inches long. It provides a cleaner, contemporary appearance for your interior. Additionally, fewer boards make installations fast and simple. You may use vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors.

The second grade of flooring is the select and better part that refers to flooring that has further color difference and can include some small pin knots. It as well permits for some sticker soil. Board lengths can differ from 12 inches to 78 inches but in general having a medium standard length of 2.5 inches long. Shady and dramatic flooring makes a statement in any living space. The last grade of flooring can be referred to as the first grade of flooring or the second grade of flooring ordinary and in general describing flooring through a total range of color which consists of mineral streaks, sticker stain, and solid knots of differing size. Board lengths can differ from 12 inches to 78 inches but having a shorter standard length, normally in the region of 2 inches in length.

Wooden floor is an ordinary thing that is the staple of the hardwood floor production ever since the turn of the last century. The red and white oak or palisander rosa being is the most ordinary domestic specie with the 3 grades of flooring and a variety of each cut. Whether its strip is1 ½ inches or 2 ¼ inches x ¾ inches in thickness through random lengths or hardwood floor includes the fresher engineered are the most frequently used for each and every job finishing, staining, and the custom wood floor systems.

Floors, Wood

Solutions 101: Hardwood floor water damage

No matter how careful and how hard you try to keep your hardwood floor clean and dry all the time, exposing it to water and moisture is just inevitable. High levels of moisture and water spills can cause significant damage to hardwood floor if not properly dealt with. Here are some ideas and tips on how you can restore and fix hardwood floor water damage.

When wood is exposed to heat, water and humidity, the wood expands due to the increase in its moisture content. The wood becomes wider which often results to cupping or buckling. But keep in mind, there is no problem that can’t be solved. A lot of various techniques can be applied to repair warm hardwood floor water damage. The most basic step is to effectively dry and restore the hardwood flooring. Immediate action is important so as to avoid prolonged exposure of the wood to moisture. Different drying methods can be done depending on the size of the wet and damaged area. Small water spills can be dried using soft towels. Air drying and using dehumidifier are solutions too. Increase air circulation by opening windows and doors or by using fans while a dehumidifier can be used to remove moisture from the air resulting to faster drying out. Never use heaters for drying the wet area for it may cause permanent damage on the wood.

If the hardwood or linoluem floor has cupped already due to the moisture imbalance on the bottom side of the wood planks, the only way to bring it back to normal is to balance the humidity in the area. After the top and bottom side of the floor has stabilized, a professional can sand and flatten the hardwood floor to re-finish it. You can also do it on your own provided that you have the know-how. This goes the same for buckled hardwood floor where boards are already lifted up from the subfloor in which they are attached to. A hardwood floor installer can help you in reattaching the wood planks to the subfloor. Another hardwood floor water damage which is very common is the occurrence of mold and mildew stains. Badly infected floor boards have to be replaced already. If it can still be helped, scrub the floor using mild alkali like washing soda and mix four to six tablespoons of it with a gallon of water. After scrubbing, rinse it with clear water and let the floor dry thoroughly.

Now, if the mold has already grown under the paint of the hardwood floor, remove the finish and then scrub the wood using an abrasive cleaner. After that, use a solution of trisodium phosphate, a cup of chlorine bleach in a gallon of water. The wood needs to be sanded after all spots have been removed. Rinse it with clear water, allow it to dry and apply a wood preservative. Do all these before repainting the hardwood floor. For unpainted wood surfaces, warm soapy water can be used then dry it using an absorbent cloth afterwards. Once you have seen any minor problem on the floor, it is important that you find a way to fix it right away so it won’t lead to bigger hardwood floor water damage.

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