Why the Best Flooring Idea is to Install Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors have been around for hundreds of years. Wood floors were probably the first type of floor covering besides dirt. They can be one of the essential elements in designing your home. They offer a level of value and comfort no other flooring choice can. There are a number of benefits to owning and installing a hardwood floor.

One of the best things about hardwood floors is the lack of problem with regard to maintenance concerns. Because technology has allowed for the finish or stain of hardwood floors to require only sweeping for typical cleaning purposes, your floor will stay beautiful without the backbreaking scrubbing hardwood floors used to require. While the use of an appropriately recommended professional cleaning product will be required sometimes, a simple broom will take care of most of your cleaning concerns. It is important to note, though, you should never use anything on your hardwood floors that has not been manufacturer recommended. This helps to ensure your flooring will last a lifetime.

Durability means hardwood floors.

Another great reason to invest in hardwood floors is that they are environmentally friendly. Wood can not only be recycled, it is also a renewable source of material. Many of the products of yesterday like barns and old homes are recycled as hardwood floors. Moreover, wood products are incapable of harboring or collecting dust and other allergy particles. This means your family will suffer less risk of allergies or allergy induced medical conditions. Several health organizations endorse wood floors for people with health risks.

Additionally, hardwood floors are an excellent financial option. While some of the flooring is a bit more costly than the cheap alternative, hardwood maintains its value over time. It does not show the wear and tear that synthetic products do. This will only serve to increase your home's value in the long run.

There are many great reasons to invest in hardwood floors.

Finally, hardwood floors can come in a large range of shapes and sizes. In the past, there have been few choices in the hardwood floor market. Today's market, though, offers styles, colors, and species that will fit any decor. Hardwood floors make an excellent addition to any home.

Andrew Caxton contributes adding articles to a free online home decorating and interior designhow to install hardwood floors magazine. Your guide on home decorating and how to choose from hundreds of decorating ideas and tips. Andrew will inspire you to capture the look you want. Read further information on

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Bruce Hardwood Flooring – Buy From The Largest Hardwood Company In The World

Installing Bruce hardwood flooring on the floors of your home is one of the best investments that you can ever make. It will add to the ambiance of any room and increase the value of your home if you ever want to sell. Each grade of wood used in Bruce hardwood carries a warranty all its own. Choose from three grades of hardwood – Good, Better and Best – to have hardwood floors with knots and character. The Best grade in Bruce hardwood flooring is the most expensive, but it also has the best quality wood and the best warranty.

Even with Bruce hardwood flooring, you will see variations in the wood in each plank. This is what will give your hardwood floors the unique appearance that you want to achieve. This variation exists in all qualities of Bruce hardwood floors because no two boards are the same. You do have to be careful even with hardwood even though it is solid. If you place furniture with sharp edges on the flooring it will dent the hardwood. Bruce wood flooring also goes through a natural aging process so if you have an area covered with a rug, when you move it the floor underneath will be lighter in color. It is recommended that you do move rugs from time to time to prevent this discoloration from occurring.

Sometimes, people who have installed Bruce wood flooring in their homes hear popping sounds when they walk across the floors. This is not defect in the Bruce hardwood flooring and is perfectly natural, so there is no cause for alarm. All hardwood goes through a process called patina and it may be caused by an uneven subfloor under the Bruce hardwood floors. If you glue the hardwood planks in place, you do have to make sure that you use the trowels properly when applying the adhesive so that you have a perfectly uniform surface for the hardwood floors.

Although it is not recommended, you can have Bruce hardwood flooring in the bathroom of your home. This is because hardwood is not conducive to areas of the home where there is excessive moisture. The choice to use unfinished or prefinished Bruce wood flooring is a matter of personal taste. It depends on how much work you want to do to finish the floor yourself or how much time you want to spend on maintenance of the Bruce hardwood floors. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, so you can ask the Bruce experts for advice when you are selecting your hardwood flooring. Prefinished hardwood does have more advantages, such as longer finish warranties, uniform stain application in a factory setting and it is easier to keep clean.

If you want to install Bruce hardwood flooring in areas where there will be lots of traffic, the Dura Lustre Plus finish will allow you to do this without any worries. Bruce offers commercial finishes for its hardwood floors, but it doesn’t recommend using mats in doorways or in front of the kitchen sink. Bruce does not recommend that you wax Bruce wood floorings. To keep the natural shine of Bruce hardwood flooring all you have to do is wash it up with a water based cleaner for hardwood floors and give it an occasional buffing.

To find out more about Wood Flooring visit Peter's Website Wood Flooring Explained and find out about Bruce Hardwood Flooring and more, including Exotic Hardwood Floors, Wood Laminate Flooring, and Refinishing Hardwood Floors

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Alternatives To Hardwood Floors

Marble tile floors are a practical, elegant alternative to hardwood flooring. Easy to maintain, they can enhance your interior and come in many styles and colors.

While researching types of flooring for your home you most certainly considered replacing your old carpets, but maybe you’re not convinced that trading the constant vacuuming for the waxing and sweeping of hardwood flooring is for you. This is why you may want to consider marble floor tiles.

When you start looking at the tiling options available, you will soon realize that there many variations to choose from, offering different colors, textures, shapes and sizes. Whether you select marble tiles with a rough or smooth finish and a simple or intricate pattern depends on your current home décor.

A number of companies will be happy to give you samples for you to take home so you can select a style, color and pattern that you can confidently match with your taste and interior. Once you have decided on a type of marble floor tile it is very important to measure the room that you want to cover precisely as marble floor tiles are generally sold by the square foot. You should always consider purchasing an additional square foot or two in case some tiles get damaged during the laying process. You can buy marble floor tiles from a large number of manufacturers as well as the larger home improvement stores.

Once your new flooring has been installed by a specialist, you need to make sure that you only use cleaners, sealers and polishers that were designed specifically for use on marble floor tile. Before you start cleaning, there are several things to think of.

First of all you need to give the area a good sweeping to remove any loose dirt. Then, after mixing the cleaning product according to instructions, ensure that you are using a clean, non-abrasive cloth or sponge to avoid scratching the surface. You should allow the floor to dry off before allowing foot traffic. This need not be followed by rinsing or wiping.

Marble tile floor is suitable for bathrooms, kitchens, hallways and foyers: it will last for a very long time with simple care and maintenance. It can also transform any uninteresting space into a great room. The initial purchase cost may seem quite high, especially for foreign sourced tiles, but if you invest a bit of time looking for a good deal you should be able to find a suitable supplier. Marble floor tile is a great option to consider if you are looking at replacing flooring or updating your home.

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Caring For Hardwood Floors

How to take care of hardwood floors by waxing them. How wax works to protect floors. Putting wax on no wax floors.

Today's popular hardwood floors are a great change from the wall to wall carpeting that was in style for so many years. A lot of people choose hardwood floors because they are so beautiful, but many homeowners today recognize that hardwood floors are just easier to take care of with just some dusting and an occasional application of wax.

If a coating of wax is applied periodically, the wood will remain well protected, since the wax seals and preserves it. It also gives it a beautiful, shining, clean look. Applying wax to hardwood floors, as well as to other flooring such as linoleum will ensure that it stays beautiful and always looks good in your decor. Wax creates a barrier to moisture, and therefore it protects hardwood floors from water and moisture damage. An added benefit of waxing your hardwood floors is that small nicks, scratches and ridges that occur with normal wear will be blended in and less noticeable. And, of course, there is nothing like the look of a beautiful, shiny wood floor.

Floor wax works to protect the wood floor by reducing the abrasion to it. The slipperiness of a waxed floor will allow dust, dirt and grit to slide over it, instead of being ground into it.

There are three main kinds of floor waxes: water based, polymer and solvent based. There is a concern about about how healthy it is to have one's family exposed to the chemicals contained in floor wax. Since many floor waxes have traditionally been made with a formaldehyde base, there is cause for concern. But many floor wax companies recognize the concern of families and businesses as well, and offer environmentally safe floor wax.

These concerns, as well as busy the busy schedules of today's homeowners have made the so called " no-wax" floors more and more popular. This is really a misnomer, because even if these types of floor don't need as much care as others, they will last longer and look better with regular care and a light coat of wax from time to time. Remember, the wax protects the flooring from scratches and other abrasions, so not coating it will lead it to be quickly worn down.

Even though wax protects our floors and makes them look lovely, there is a downside. Wax builds up over time and can leave a finish that is unattractive and yellowish. To properly care for your wood floors, you should periodically strip wood floors of the wax. Wax stripping products contain harsh chemicals, so be sure you follow instructions carefully and protect yourself and your family from any exposure.

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Laminate Floors vs. Hardwood Floors: What's the Difference?

When you are shopping for flooring you should look for a flooring product that offers you the look, quality, durability and cost that works best for you. You can use these characteristics to compare laminate vs. hardwood floors. To start with you will want to look at the pros and cons of natural hardwood flooring.

Natural hardwood flooring has many pros that can be attributed to them. First they are very versatile. Hardwood floors can be finished to compliment just about any color palette. They can also be selected to compliment a roomÕs theme. For example you can choose mahogany wood planks to create an elegant look or you can select an oak or rustic pine to create a rustic look. Cleaning wood floors is also fairly easy. All you generally need to do is to sweep them, and then occasionally oil or wax them. The drawbacks of hardwood floors are that they are an expensive flooring option, they can be damaged by minimal amounts of water, they are susceptible to gauges, scratches and scuffing, and they are difficult to install and maintain.

Laminate flooring solves many of the drawbacks of owning a hardwood floor. Some of the advantages of laminate floors are: they cost less than hardwood floors, they are more durable than hardwood floors, they resist moist better than hardwood floors, and they are easier to install and maintain. While laminate floors have a lot of great characteristics there is a drawback to installing laminate floors. If you are going to sell your home in the near future potential buyers may not respond as well to laminate floors as they would to a hardwood floor.

No matter what type of flooring you decide to install in your home you should look at what type of warranty comes with it. You will want to look for a flooring product that offers a warranty that is at least 15 years. You will also want to read through the warranty to see what the warranty actually covers and what you have to do to use the warranty to fix potential flooring problems.

Is laminate flooring right for you? Find out more at LaminateFloorsCheap.com - your source for discount wood floors, do it yourself floor installation information and professional flooring advice. For more home decor and remodeling options visit the home and garden directory.

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Choose the Perfect Hardwood Floor for Your Home

Choosing which hardwood to put on your floor can be one of the biggest decisions that you will face when building or renovating your home. There are many different and often difficult decisions to make for your floor. Some of them include: What thickness to go with? Non-finished, Pre-finished, or Engineered wood? How wide of a plank to go with? What will look the best with the doors, paint, cabinets, tile/carpets? What grade to choose? A great place to start is with a story board or samples of color and textures surrounding the floor.

Some of the benefits of hardwood flooring through out the home includes durability, a large variety, easy to maintain, hypo-allergenic, environmentally friendly, natural, stylish and eye pleasing, and worth every penny! With our health conscience society, people realize that carpet is a health hazard to the allergenic individual. Carpets collect dust, mites, bugs, and many other unclean things that are not good for the body. Hardwood flooring is definitely the floor to install.

Market trends towards choosing which hardwood floor is a consistently evolving process. The consumers of hardwood floors in North America only used to buy unfinished hardwood, now they are buying pre-finished hardwood, and slowly moving into the engineered hardwood floors. Much of this trend shifting comes from the supply and demand curve. As the prices of the higher end products come down, the demand goes up. Most everyone enjoys having the newest and brightest thing on the market and when affordability is a factory people want to buy the products.

So what is next for the Hardwood flooring industy? They have already come out with a blended choice of any tree out on the market to make a floor out of. These include Bamboo hardwood flooring, Cork hardwood flooring, etc. The bottom line is choosing the best hardwood flooring for your home is a difficult decision and needs to be thought out carefully. Consult with a professional in colors and textures and perhaps it will be and easier decision.

Ryan Neumann has online information and buyers guide websites that help consumers make wiser choices when shoping online. This particular website can be visited at http://www.flooring-laminate-hardwood.com

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The Best Way Of Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are not particularly difficult to clean and they do not require extensive specialist equipment. Water and a mop as well as a broom and vacuum cleaner are all you really need to keep the floors looking clean and tidy.

Hardwood floors have become increasingly popular over the last few years and it is not difficult to see why. They are easy to manage, they look modern and they do tend to add a touch of sophistication to any home. However, whilst they may not need much management, they still need cleaning to some extent every single day!

Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Some experts say that you should not clean hardwood floors with water but many people do and they find that they do not have any problems. The reason experts warn against it is because water can cause hardwood floors to expand and ruin over time if it is not dried up extremely quickly.

However, usually with a mop, water mixed with vinegar can make an excellent cleaning solution and as long as it is rinsed out thoroughly before being applied to the floor, it will not usually cause any problems. So, it is basically up to you what you want to use and if you would prefer to use a specialist cleaner then that is entirely your choice. However, if you are on a budget water and vinegar will work just as well.

All hardwood floors should be waxed at some point. This is because the wax keeps them protected and it also keeps the wood looking healthy too. It does not need to be done that often and in fact if it is done often, you may need to later invest in a product which removes excess wax!

Generally the main things you will need to clean a hardwood floor include:

• A broom
• A Mop
• A Vacuum Cleaner

The broom will be used usually a few times a day and the vacuum cleaner is there to Hoover up anything that is left behind. The mop will remove any stubborn stains and all will keep the floor looking clean and tidy.

Overall hardwood floors do not need much cleaning and they are certainly a lot easier than carpets to clean. You can find specialist hardwood floor cleaners from local handy stores as well as on the Internet. So, cleaning your hardwood floor should not be a problem though always remember to mop up any spills as soon as possible.

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What Should You Consider When Installing Hardwood Flooring

If you are contemplating adding hardwood floors to your home, you are making a rational decision. Any home improvement or addition would not be complete without installing hardwood flooring. There is no questioning the refinement and warmth they bring into your home. Its an investment worth making.

If you are contemplating installing hardwood flooring into your home, we've put together a couple of things you may want to glance over before you pull out the credit card:

Selection. While this may come as a pleasant surprise to many, there are now more options than ever when it comes to hardwood flooring. Take your time and decide on the wood and stains that you feel will best compliment your home and lifestyle.

Payment. If you want the installation of your hardwood floors done right, its best to be prepared to consider this an investment in your home. Consider visiting as many hardwood flooring stores as you can so you can get the best price for what you want. You may find that if you cannot afford to pay cash for the entire project, companies like Home Depot will offer to finance the job for you, often with no payments for several months. Be sure to read the fine print, as you may find that often, there is an expensive interest rate factored in if the full balance isn't paid in full. Of course, there is also credit cards and lines of credit that you can use, but watch out for high interest charges. Its usually best to plan ahead, create a budget, and pay it off either in cash, or before the interest rates kick in.

Sensibility. While I'm all in favor of having hardwood floors in every room, you have to take a minute and think about what rooms are suited for them. Does the room have high humidity? Is it water prone? If you even think that the answer is yes, then the room is not suited for hardwood floors.

Installation. Today you can find hardwood floors that are rather simple to install on floors that are absolutely flat. If you are fortunate enough to have these kinds of floors (most of us do not) it might be well worth the money to hire a professional flooring installer who has the skills to level your floors in the process.

Just remember that while installing hardwood floors is going to be expensive, think of it as an investment in your home that will continue to serve your family well for years to come. Its a fact that hardwood floors increase the value of your home, which is also something to consider if you are planning on moving.

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Hardwood Has Homeowners Floored

Making the switch from vinyl, carpet and laminate to hardwood is not only a relatively easy task it’s a wise investment as well. Hardwood owes much of its popularity to its capacity to increase the value of homes. Results from a survey conducted by the National Wood Flooring Association indicate that 90% of realtors find that homes with wood flooring sell faster and for higher prices than houses without wood floors. Anita Howard, the organization’s Communications Director, says that 32% of realtors agree that it increased home prices by 2-5%, while 10% say that wood floors boost the value of homes by about 6-10% and about 2% of realtors say that it helps properties top the price of others in the area by more than 10%.

California real estate appraiser Charles Loo agrees that solid hardwood flooring, which has a higher perceived value, can increase the value of homes more than other flooring types could. Also an expert in construction, Loo talks from experience: “For the sale price on the homes I remodel and sell, I typically add a substantial amount to the asking price of the house...and I always get it...but then again, I live in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. In Orange County where I live, I would say a quality hardwood floor can add about 50k to the sale price if, say, a good portion of the upstairs has been done with a quality hardwood floor.”

The enduring quality of wood is also among its many advantages over other flooring types. While carpet’s lifespan is pegged at about 10 years, wood floors can easily outlast the life of your home’s mortgage.

Looking at it from an environmental angle, wood is a sustainable flooring option. According to Howard, one of the hottest trends right now in home improvement is reclaiming wood. “You can take old wood (from old barns, warehouses, etc.) and make it new again”

In addition, Howard also points out that wood “promotes a healthier environment since it does not harbor allergens and microorganisms, which is a tremendous benefit to those who suffer from allergies and other air-borne illnesses.”

Another major benefit of installing hardwood floors is its aesthetic appeal. Aside from tying a room together, the wide range of species, colors and patterns available also offer endless design possibilities.

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Hardwood Flooring: Little Known Aspects

Securing hardwood flooring for homes can be a great bonus. This ensures a fabulous looking floor that is durable and easy to maintain. The hardwood floors have the property of matching with the homes of the various styles and periods. Making use of hardwood flooring especially in the living rooms, dens, hallways and stairs can enhance the value of just any home.

Little known hardwood facts

There are some aspects of hardwood flooring which are little known. Learning about these will enable you to proceed with selecting hardwood flooring in a more competent manner. Some such facts are:

· Red oak is not the only choice of hardwood flooring material. You could be trying out hickory, cherry, walnut, white oak, maple or similar other hardwood varieties with placing equal reliability and trust. It is also true that the hardwood of imported species need not be a necessity. Native hardwoods can be equally good at the task of providing superior flooring material.

· Prefinished flooring is certainly more convenient and today with factory finished flooring that can be installed easily a whole lot of mess can be avoided. The prefinished flooring also makes it possible for each plank to be allowed to be moved independently with humidity changes at home. So, the seasonal separations that appear as cracks on the floor are less noticeable with prefinished hardwood floors.

· The natural colors of some hardwoods (like hickory, cherry or walnut) are beautiful enough to obviate the need to add any other color. So, these hardwoods can suitably be considered for the flooring purpose.

· The laminate hardwood flooring that is fast becoming popular nowadays may not possess all qualities of the real hardwood flooring. Thus even though it may be a little expensive it is always better to stick to the real thing rather than the imitations.

Considering lesser known hardwood pros and cons before purchasing

It may be noted that hardwoods may not always be the best material for all floors. They may be pretty noisy and get damaged by wetting. So, they are not to be used in a place like a bathroom that often remains wet. If there are pets in the room then too the hardwood floors may get affected- scratched by pet claws and dented. However, despite some such disadvantages of using the hardwood flooring it is true that on the whole hardwood floors prove to be a great boon and the hardwood stands as a popular and useful flooring material. So, what you need to do is get started and judiciously venture into procuring the right hardwood flooring.

Tania Penwell is an author who provides tips and information on hardwood flooring for A1 Wood Flooring - your online guide to wood flooring.

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Exotic Hardwood Floors

Beautiful floors can often make the difference between a nice home and a breathtaking one. Nothing can add to the aesthetics of your home like the natural beauty of exotic hardwood floors. Installing exotic hardwood floors to your home is also an excellent way to increase the value of your home. Installing hardwood flooring in your home provides a solid return on investment (ROI) of about 70-80 percent on average.

Exotic hardwood floors are made from hardwood species that are not found in the United States. They most commonly come from Australia, Africa, Brazil and Asia. Types of exotic hardwood floors include bamboo, eucalyptus, cork, Bolivian mahogany, Bolivian teak, Bolivian rosewood, Brazilian cherry, Brazilian walnut, Brazilian maple, and Brazilian koa.

Installing exotic hardwood floors is a project of low to moderate difficulty that many homeowner will be able to do themselves.

Exotic Hardwood Floors

First, you’ll want to decide where you want to install the exotic hardwood floors. Do you want to install them in the entire home or just in select rooms? Then measure the square footage you will need.

Once you know the square footage you will need, do some research online and in local home improvement stores to find the type of exotic hardwood you want and the best prices. When you find the type you want and a good price, buy however much you need. You’ll want to find out from the merchant what methods of installation are feasible with the particular type you buy.

After obtaining the hardwood, you are ready to begin installing it. There are 5 main installation methods. They are nail down, staple down, glue down, glue less, and floating.

Depending on the subflooring you have, concrete slab, wood, etc., some options may not be feasible. The quickest, easiest, and cleanest method is floating, but not all types of exotic hardwood floors can be installed in this method.

Installing exotic hardwood floors is a great way to dramatically increase the aesthetics and value of your home. The project is relatively simple and can be accomplished by most homeowners. There are virtually limitless combinations of installation methods and exotic hardwood species. With so many combinations, you’ll be able to find the right one to match your style.

This article was written by Jason Doane of http://www.reliableremodeler.com which provides Internet-based home improvement information and services. Offering homeowners a simple, quick, and free way to access, qualified home improvement remodeling contractors.

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Avoid Using Vinegar to Clean Hardwood Floors!

Have you recently installed a hardwood floor? Bear in mind that in order to keep the shine and new look on your hardwood floor, you'll have to clean it regularly and properly. You've probably heard some of the pros say that the best way to clean hardwood floors is to use chemical cleaning solutions.

They're right, of course, but these cleaning solutions are rather expensive; they'll eventually eat a hole through your pocket. In addition, they're also tricky to use. If you use too much, you can damage your hardwood floor; if you use too little, your hardwood floor will look pretty old soon.

Since these professional solutions are basically hard to use, a lot of people turn to folk remedies, such as using vinegar to clean hardwood floors. It is possible to clean hardwood floors with vinegar. In fact, using vinegar is an effective and efficient way of cleaning hardwood but only for the short run. After all, vinegar is cheap and it does work.

However, cleaning with vinegar can be damaging your hardwood floors in the long term. Vinegar is basically acidic; acidic substances tend to slowly chew through surfaces. Thus, when you use vinegar to clean hardwood floors on a regular basis, the vinegar will eventually damage the finish, giving the floors an uneven look. Vinegar won't drastically damage your hardwood floor's finish if you use it to clean your floor once or twice a year. However, it will cause your floor's quality to degrade if you repeatedly use vinegar for cleaning for two or more months.

In general, you should avoid using vinegar to clean hardwood floors frequently. That said, there are times when vinegar becomes a quick, inexpensive solution to cleaning problems. If you should ever run out of professional cleaning solutions or they are not readily available at stores, you can perhaps substitute vinegar just once or twice.

In case you have to use vinegar, don't use too much of it. And remember, you should only use vinegar as a hardwood cleaning solution whenever necessary and as infrequent as you possibly can. You may not want to spend all that money on expensive hardwood cleaning solutions, but carefully weight the consequences of using vinegar on your hardwood floor.

You may save money, but your hardwood floor sure isn't going to be shiny for long. In addition, make sure that the finish on your floor is strong so that it can withstand the effects of vinegar if you use it for cleaning.

Niv Orlian is an experienced Home Improvement Adviser who writes articles for his Flooring & Carpet Cleaning online guides.
Visit myflooringhelper.com to learn more about using Vinegar to Clean Hardwood Floors

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What You Need To Know When You Visit Your Hardwood Flooring Supplier

As you will discover when you visit your local hardwood flooring supplier, this type of flooring comes in a variety of materials as well as styles. But with a little bit of commonsense as well as shopping around you will soon find the perfect hardwood flooring for your home.

In this article we provide you with some steps that you will need to take to ensure that you choose the right kind of hardwood flooring for your home.

Step 1. You will need to determine in which areas of your home you want to install hardwood flooring.

Step 2. You now need to measure the room area and work out the square footage so that you purchase the right amount of flooring to carry out the installation.

Step 3. Look at the kind of sub floor you have and decide if you need to purchase any kind of insulation to go under which will then protect the flooring you are installing.

Step 4. You need to consider the type of hardwood flooring finish you wish to have. You can either go for pre-finished or unfinished hardwood flooring. Or if you want you may want to consider purchasing hand scraped hardwood flooring which will have a completely different feel and texture compared to the other types of hardwood flooring finishes previously mentioned.

Step 5. You will have to consider the wood coloring that will suit your requirements. One of the most popular types of hardwood flooring today is that produced from oak trees while maple and pine are often used as well.

Step 6. Start to check out the prices. You may even find that you can get hardwood flooring at a discount, which will help to reduce the costs that are usually quite high for hardwood flooring.

Step 7. When it comes time to make your purchase with your hardwood flooring supplier do not forget to purchase the other materials you will need for installing your flooring. You will also need to buy nails, glue and any other materials which will help to make the installation process easier for you or your flooring contractor.

By keeping these steps in mind when you purchase your hardwood flooring, you will have a better chance of buying the floor which will look beautiful in your home and will also add value to it.

Ernest Jarquio is a dedicated family man hopelessly addicted to do-it-yourself projects. For more information, visit his website, where he discusses various subjects such as your hardwood flooring supplier, hardwood flooring discount and hand scraped hardwood flooring. Read various articles on the different aspects of hardwood, bamboo, laminate, tile and vinyl flooring.

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Stripping Hardwood Floors - Bring Back the Shine to Your Floor

As hardwood floors age, they tend to lose some of their shine and texture. Their finishing coating also tends to decrease in color intensity over time. Stripping hardwood floors of old coating and applying new coating is one way to bring back their old shine and texture. In fact, stripping is a commonly used technique in restoring or refinishing hardwood floors. It is a less costly way than replacing the entire hardwood flooring.

At some point, however, you may have to weigh stripping vs sanding hardwood floors. Between stripping and sanding, the latter is a more complete and thorough process. In addition, sanding helps hardwood floors to last longer. On the downside, sanding is laborious and time consuming compared to stripping them. It is also a lot messier.

Sanding is also much more costly than stripping hardwood floors, not to mention you will have to rent hard-to-get tools specifically designed for sanding hardwood floors. For many people, the downsides of sanding far outweigh its upsides. Stripping, however, is comparatively inexpensive. Unlike sanding which takes several days, stripping would normally take less time and cleaning up is a lot easier and less messy.

For stripping hardwood floors, you'll need the following tools:

-thick, synthetic stripping pad

-wide scraper

-stripping solution

-wide putty knife

-clean, absorbent rags

-large, wide paint brush

If you have never stripped hardwood floors before, we recommend that you do a strip test on a small area on your hardwood floor, preferably a corner. Follow these steps:

1. Pour stripping solution on the area and using a wide paint brush, smudge the solution evenly across the area.

2. Allow the stripping solution to soak through the floor coating for about 30 minutes.

3. Scrape the coating using a scraper; it will come off easily if you allow ample time for the stripping solution to penetrate through the coating.

4. Wipe off excess stripping solution with a wet rag.

5. Wipe the stripped area dry immediately.

Niv Orlian is an experienced Home Improvement Adviser who writes articles for his Flooring & Carpet Cleaning online guides.

Visit myflooringhelper.com to learn more about Stripping Hardwood Floors

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Differences between Engineered, Pre-finished, and Unfinished Hardwood Flooring

Traditionally Hardwood flooring has been viewed as the crème de la crème of flooring. Until the 1980’s if you had hardwood flooring, to a certain extent you were considered wealthy. Times change as does technology and this either brings prices down or up depending on the supply and demand of a product. In todays times, hardwood flooring can be found almost in every retail flooring store around.

Hardwood flooring is generally sold in only a couple varieties. Unfinished Hardwood, Pre-finished Hardwood, Engineered Hardwood.

Unfinished is the traditional product which was bought in a couple different woods, widths, and lengths. The tongue and groove design was laid and then sanded to get a smooth and even texture on the surface of the wood. Once the wood was sanded, it was then stained and lacquered which traditionally consumed a lot of labor. Time equals money and in the pre 80’s this was a very expensive process.

Pre finished has been on the market for many years now and is the most commonly used hardwood in homes. This flooring is unique where right after the manufacture cuts the tongue and groove, it sends the wood through the finishing sander and then to the spray booth where all pieces are finished. The time consuming labor processes involved in the sanding and staining/lacquered unfinished hardwood have bee replaced by machines which can produce at a higher level of efficiency than the human hand. The installation of the pre-finished hardwood flooring is a 1-2-3 step process. This flooring makes prices competitive with other flooring alternatives.

Engineered Hardwood is the newest product on the market and is becoming more popular. This product is unique where it is made from a new form of particle board with a veneer layer of your choice of hardwood on the top. This is then pre-finished and sold in stores. The unique aspect of this engineered hardwood is that it can be installed in basements and cooler/more moist environments where the pre-finished and unfinished hardwood cannot. Prices are slightly higher on the engineered hardwood but may come down as supply rises.

In conclusion, choosing which of the three to put on your floor depends on the look you are going for. Each product will give you a slightly different look in your home. If you needs are driven by economy, there is a lot of pre-finished hardwood flooring options on the market. If you are driven by the traditional look, unfinished hardwood flooring is a good option. But if you are driven by technology and flexibility, then Engineered hardwood is your best choice.

Ryan Neumann has online information and buyers guide websites that help consumers make wiser choices when shoping online. This particular website can be visited at http://www.flooring-laminate-hardwood.com/hardwood-flooring.html.

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Hardwood Flooring Basics

If you are a Home Owner on redesigning your home, or a person who is about to decide about the flooring for your new Home, then Hardwood Flooring is worth considering. There is some Hardwood Flooring basics which we need to know. The Hardwood as a Flooring material is the best choice due to its sheer beauty, super strength and long life than any other flooring material available on Market today.

You can be confident that genuine Hardwood Flooring will add significant beauty, quality and value of your home. A Hardwood floored house has the rich look and smooth feel that can never be possible with any other flooring material. Unlike the other flooring materials, the value of your Hardwood flooring increases with time, and you will see that your house gets valued many times over what you have invested now for installing the Hardwood flooring.

In the Hardwood Flooring there are two types namely Solid Hardwood Flooring and Engineered Hardwood Flooring. Solid Hardwood flooring is a single piece of a 100 percent solid wood species easily sanded and refinished. It is a 100 percent Wood product. An Engineered Hardwood Flooring is a higher-performance product made by bonding several wood layers with the feature species showing distinct designs. Many, but not all, engineered wood floors can be refinished.

To start with you must think like a designer as you have options to choose the Colors and textures with the Hardwood. Hardwood has color, ranging from cooling yellows to , warm reds to and neutral umbers or naturals. Some wood change its color overtime, so you can select your own color according to your taste and match it with your home. The show off of your floor depends on the lighting. You can choose low gloss, satin gloss or high gloss.

It is part of the look, as are the rustic, hand-scraped or smooth, tailored contemporary styles. You can use Hardwood floor throughout the house to get magnificent looks. The texture and the natural designs on the Hardwood will definitely add to the décor of your House. It is advisable to use solid wood at or above ground level so that you can avoid damages occurring due to moisture. Engineered wood can be used virtually anywhere, even over concrete.

So, select the Hardwood as your flooring and live a life of peace and happiness of having selected the best the nature has to offer.

John Gibb is the owner of hardwood flooring sources

For more information on hardwood flooring check out http://www.Hardwood-Flooring-Sources.Info

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Hardwood Flooring Choices

If you are a home owner considering redesigning your home or you just bought a house that needs new floors, then hardwood flooring is definitely a good choice. There are some hardwood basics you need to know about. The best case for installing hardwood flooring can be classified in three ways: profound sheer beauty, excellent strength and pure durability.

You can be sure that genuine hardwood flooring will add significant beauty and quality to the value of your home. A hardwood floored house possesses the rich look and smooth feel that can never be possible with any other flooring material. Unlike the other flooring materials, the value of your Hardwood floor if maintained properly increases with time. And it will be amazing to see your house value increase tremendously just because you installed wood floors.

In hardwood flooring there are two types, the solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Solid hardwood flooring is a single piece of a 100 percent solid wood that is easily sanded and refinished. It is a 100 percent Wood product. On the other hand engineered hardwood flooring is a higher-performance product made by bonding several wood layers with the featured species showing distinct designs. Numerous, but not all engineered wood floors can be refinished.

To begin with you must think like a designer as you have options to choose the colors and textures of the hardwood. Hardwood colors range from cooling yellows, to warm reds, to neutral umbers or naturals. Most hardwood floors will change color overtime, so you can select your own color according to your taste and match it with your home. The show off of your floor will depend on the lighting system in your home. You can choose low gloss, satin gloss or high gloss as finishing touches.

Some hardwood floors come in rustic, hand- scraped or smooth tailored contemporary styles. You can use hardwood flooring styles throughout your house to get that special magnificent style. The surface texture and the natural designs on the hardwood will definitely add to the decor of your House. It is desirable to use solid wood at or above ground level so that you can avoid damages occurring due to moisture. Engineered wood can be utilized virtually anywhere, even over concrete.

So now you have the facts, selecting hardwood as your flooring will add magnificent beauty to your house while providing a true sense of increased value to all that visit your welcoming home.

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The Allure of Exotic Hardwood Floors

Exotic hardwood floors are made up of solid exotic wood that is not grown in North America. These wooden planks are imported from Africa, Australia, Brazil, and the Far East. They are known for distinct coloration and wood grain, and can be bought as solid hardwood plank or engineered wood construction.

Exotic hardwood flooring is used for its distinct look. These pricey floors should be considered an investment as homes with exotic wood floors fetch higher price than the homes with other floorings.

When selecting your exotic hardwood flooring, you can choose from different grain styles and colors. Dark colors go well with conventional interiors, while light colors are suitable for casual and modern interiors. These versatile floorings come in a wide range of finishes. Exotic hardwood flooring can be installed in all rooms but the selected area should be kept dry.

Exotic hardwood flooring comes from all over the world, and is available at many retail outlets. However, in most cases you will find pricing for this item to range from $4.00 to $7.00 per square foot. Since exotic hardwood floors are not manufactured in the United States, it is best to find a seller who imports large quantities, and thus pays less shipping costs per square foot. Often such a seller will pass some of the savings on to you.

Hard Wood Floors provides detailed information on installing, cleaning and refinishing various types of hardwood floors, including engineered, solid, long-strip, exotic, pre-finished, and cheap hardwood floors. Hard Wood Floors is the sister site of Bamboo Flooring Web.

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Discount Hardwood Flooring – Get It Cheaper From The Same Brand Names

Discount hardwood flooring is available from all the major manufacturers of hardwood flooring materials. One form of cheap hardwood for flooring is engineered hardwood, but some of the discount brands are solid hardwood. This flooring is perfectly suitable for areas where you can nail, staple or glue the boards in place and is even suitable for placing over a concrete subfloor. Even with discount hardwood, you can really spice up areas of your home, such as the rec room or the workshop by buying the hardwood flooring at a cheap price. By buying discount hardwood flooring, you can have the floor or your dreams rather than buying laminate flooring.

If you buy sliced wood veneer when you buy cheap hardwood flooring, you still get the same ranges of choices in design, such as oak, maple, birch or other forms of wood. The discount hardwood flooring also has a hardwood backing, which adds to the durability of the flooring. At the same time, you can get cheap laminate flooring that looks almost like you have hardwood floors installed and is just as long lasting. The hardwood backing used for laminate flooring and cheap hardwood floors is selected mainly because of its expansion and contraction properties. This means that the lumber used was cut in both humid and dry weather conditions.

When manufacturers of discount hardwood flooring make the edge backing, they adhere to strict standards. For example, the factories apply the backing to cheap laminate flooring using an aluminum spine. The spine is stamped onto each piece of laminate flooring to make sure that each piece is stamped a precise 1.5 mm apart. This precision spacing for cheap hardwood flooring allows for flexibility in bending and twisting the planks.

You can select unfinished and prefinished hardwood when you shop for cheap hardwood flooring. Many people assume that discount hardwood flooring is unfinished and that they will have a lot of work doing the finishing themselves. However, this choice is a matter of personal taste and you do have the option of choosing either one when you want to buy at a discount. You will also have the same range of choices in the type of hardwood you want for your flooring as well as a choice of stains and finishes. With cheap laminate flooring, you do not have the choice of having the wood prefinished or unfinished, but you do have a wide range of choices in color.

The increasing cost of hardwood flooring means that many homeowners look for discount hardwood flooring. They may opt for cheap laminate flooring that uses a manufacturing process of sandwiching composite fibreboard material in between two sheets of melamine. This offers the same effect as hardwood flooring, but at a discount price. Some of the discount hardwood flooring uses an embossing feature that gives it a texture very similar to a real wood grain and this suits any décor.

To find out more about Wood Flooring visit Peter's Website Wood Flooring Explained and find out about Discount Hardwood Flooring and more, including Exotic Hardwood Floors, Wood Laminate Flooring, Refinishing Hardwood Floors and Bruce Hardwood Flooring.

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Engineered Hardwood Flooring- A Problem Free Hardwood Alternative

Simply because of their dimensions, your room’s walls and floor are its most noticeable features. And one of the quickest ways to rejuvenate a tired room is to change its floor. While carpeting or area rugs are a great way to introduce color and textural interest to your floor, engineered hardwood flooring is another.

You may have been an admirer of the appearance of hardwood flooring, but steered away from it after hearing tales of the way it expands and shrinks in warm and cold weather, and how it may warp in damp climates. Relax, because the construction of engineered hardwood flooring immunizes it against such shortcomings.

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Engineered hardwood flooring is composed of a hardwood “wear layer”, from 1/16” to 3/16” thick, laminated or glued to plywood. The plywood backing is assembled in a crossing pattern, usually of 3 or 5 plys.

This construction gives the engineered hardwood flooring both additional stability and resistance to climactic changes. It also allows engineered hardwood flooring to be used on a below-grade or concrete sub flooring, because it is the plywood and not the hardwood which is in contact with the sub-floor. That concrete basement floor can finally get a bit of class!

Just like solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring cam be sanded and stained or varnished. It is available in the same widths and thicknesses as regular hardwood, in wither plank or strip style floorboards. Some engineered hardwood flooring is even designed with a snap tongue and groove to simplify its installation.

Installing Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Engineered hardwood flooring can either be floated, meaning it is not actually glued to the sub-floor; it can also be stapled, nailed, or glued. Its price per square foot is similar to that of regular hardwood, but its installation costs are significantly less, averaging about $1.75 per square foot. The lower installation cost is a result of the flatness, and excellent grain and color match of engineered hardwood flooring boards.

If you’re still having a hard time picturing how engineered hardwood flooring looks, you can do an online search for flooring retailers in your area who carry it. The site at http://www.penningtonhardwoods.com will give you plenty of information about engineered flooring. You can also use its online directory to find suppliers near you who can help you put together everything you need to get your engineered hardwood flooring installed.

If you love the look of hardwood, but hate the idea of floors that shrink, expand, and even warp, engineered hardwood flooring can be the perfect solution!

You can also find more info on Bamboo Flooring and Discount Hardwood Flooring. Homeflooringhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Home Flooring.

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Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered hardwood flooring is made up of two main pieces. The top layer, which is portion that should look like real wood, and the core, which should be made from material that is long lasting, provides cushioning, soundproofing and is strong and durable to make the installation easy. The core material is usually fiber board or plywood, and is layered for strength to prevent cupping and warping. The bond between the core and the top layer must be well done. If not, the areas in which this engineered floor is installed may cause problems. The most damaging enemy of a laminated floor is moisture. If the bond between the core and the top is not perfect, moisture can find its way between the two materials and cause them to separate, making the ends bubble up and look terrible.

Installing engineered wood flooring is another area that must be carefully planned. Below ground installation of this type of flooring is one of the many advantages it provides. This type of flooring is becoming easier and easier to install. Even non-professionals may tackle this job with some of the new “click” together type products. The sub-flooring must be attended too with great detail during the installation of engineered flooring below grade. On a “below grade” installation, be sure to use a vapor barrier on top of concrete, before you install the substrate. The easiest type flooring to install is the “floating” floor that snaps together. Use a substrate that provides cushioning, noise deadening and does not require caustic glues.

The snap together or locking system that does not require nailing of any type, is one of the most popular engineered floors for the DIY installation today. Make sure you stagger the boards so that they are not symmetrical, as this provides for a more natural look. The most difficult part of the snap together installation is cutting ends, corners and angles correctly. Also, follow the manufacturer’s suggestions exactly when it comes to allowing for expansion and shrinkage. If you don’t, you may get large gaps between boards when it’s dry, or the end pieces may jam together and cause a separation between the core and the top material, causing bubbling during moist and warm weather, as stated above.

Using a professional installer is definitely a good idea if you don’t feel you are up to the job yourself. Because these floors are much easier to install, you may find a professional installation crew can do the job much faster, with the right tools, and at a very reasonable price. Most floor installation professionals can completely finish a job in two days or less. Be sure to get several estimates from different contractors, if possible. There is a definite advantage for the installation crew to know there are others bidding on the installation.

An additional benefit to engineered wood floors is its ability to be cleaned and maintained much easier that other flooring material. Very mild detergents and water in limited amounts cleans up most all dirt and spills with no problem. You don’t want to get water in the joints of the panels if possible. A damp sponge and cloth definitely does the job. You don’t have to wax these floors either. They are finished at the factory and will maintain their beauty with minimal care. Be sure to use rug runners in high traffic areas and take off any type of shoes that may cause dents and scratches, just as you would on any floor. Pets and their little toe nails don’t have any effect on this type of floor, other than they seem to have a little harder time negotiating these relatively slippery surfaces.

When done properly, an installation of high quality engineered flooring can bring a lasting, comfortable, serviceable and beautiful addition to any home or business and provide a great return on your investment as well as a highly desirable selling feature.

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The Elegance Of Hardwood Floors

People always dream of owning their own home someday. While dreaming about their future homes, they also start to design their homes and look for materials that would be best given their lifestyle, their budget and their preferences.

Building a home or even just renovating an old house is a task that requires a large amount of creativity, planning and patience. The moment you have decided on the materials to be used and have actually implemented them, and then there is no turning back. Of course, you can always have it redone but it will mean wasted time and additional expenses, not to mention the damage that may result from said construction work.

One part of the house which requires careful planning and research is the flooring because floors are the most abused portions of the house. People literally step on them, place heavy equipment on them and do whatever it is they usually do with floors.

When choosing floors, homeowners should make sure that they take into consideration the quality of their flooring material, the possible abuse that the floor has to go through and the length of time they are going to b e using that floor.

One of the perfect choices for flooring material is wood, particularly hardwood like maple or oak or even cherry. American hardwoods are in abundance and they provide that elegant touch to every home. Many Americans are opting for hardwoods, even for their kitchen floors, because once they get tired of it they can easily just sand it and change its appearance. However, you should only resort to sanding once you have decided to replace your wooden floors as this may damage them. Other flooring materials require a lot of hard work and expense before they can be replaced.

When using wooded materials on kitchen floors, the best choice is a urethane finish. Most people avoid wood on their kitchen floors because it can be damaged with constant water spills. However, they can avoid this by being creative and placing beautiful rugs in areas that are where water spills usually occur.

Hardwoods are particularly attractive on the floor of your living rooms and even the bedrooms. Wood produces a feeling of nostalgia and gives a feeling that the house has been lived in. Wooden flooring, when done properly, can actually give elegance to an otherwise simple house. It can easily be polished to give that new and shiny effect.

Once you have chosen hardwood as your house flooring, you should make it a point to install the wooden flooring when the construction is nearly completed. This will avoid ugly marks on the wood due to construction works, as well as lessen moisture problems.

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