Natural Elegance With Bruce Hardwood Flooring

Bruce Hardwood Flooring is one of the most highly-reputed makers of natural- looking hardwood floors on the market. They offer a full line of beautiful, elegant hardwood flooring materials that are sure to fit into the décor of your home and add a great deal of class and style. One of their strongest selling points is that they manage to create flooring the looks both authentic and natural but with all the easy-care features of modern hardwood flooring.

What Makes Bruce Hardwood Flooring the Best?

Going by reputation alone, you'll find that Bruce has become a front runner in the field of premium hardwood floors. Manufactured from only the best of woods, Bruce floors somehow manage to look natural yet elegant at the same time. The company works hard to ensure that their products live up to the standards of their company motto which is "Warmth, Beauty, and Individuality".

By visiting the Bruce website you'll not only get to see the selection of lovely floors they have available, but you'll also find the tools that will let you see how the different types of flooring materials will look in your own home. You'll be able to upload photos of your home and then "install" different floors in the photographs so that you can see what any room in your house would look like with that flooring. How awesome is that?

The Bruce Hardwood flooring website provides a database of carefully-selected installers and contractors that the company believes meet their standards for installing your floors for you. They also offer a selection of hardwood flooring packages designed for the do-it-yourselfer that come with detailed instructions and installation advice. Keep in mind, however, that professional installation is still recommended.

The website also advises that you not consider hardwood floors for kitchens and bathrooms. Although it will provide years of beautiful service in all other rooms in your house, these two rooms have too much moisture and temperatures that vary a great deal which will shorten the longevity of hardwoods. If you make sure to give your Bruce floors regular care and maintenance, they will be a beautiful addition to your home for many years to come in any of your other rooms, however.

You'll find that the Bruce Hardwood Flooring website is full of handy information which can help you find nearby stores that sell their products and to help you maintain the beauty of your floors after they're installed. One recommendation that is made there is that you should never use abrasive substances or water on your hardwood floors. Although they might make your floors look nice for the short-term, in the long run they can cause damage which will shorten the life of your floors.

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Hardwood Flooring - Refinishing Or Replacing

Wood has long since been a prime material in home construction that continues to be popular for that unsurpassed appeal and durability that affords just any home a welcoming feel. Hardwood flooring is among these house features that give that timeless beauty and one common dilemma faced in time by New York homeowners is whether to replace or reface. Whether in Long Island, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, or Queens; it would be favorable to meticulously compare the pros and cons of refinishing or replacing hardwood flooring.

As time goes by, your hardwood flooring would start to look worn and this will mark a decision to make. To help you out in deciding, here are the key elements to look into when comparing refinishing versus replacing:

Cost

Obviously, as replacement of hardwood flooring will require another set of materials plus contractor labor for installation this project would cost more in terms of time and money. Refinishing on the other hand would just need the works of a qualified contractor, or tools and expertise on your part if you decide to go head on with the hardwood refinishing project. This makes refinishing a more economical solution than replacing.

Durability

With hardwood flooring, durability is never a question as the material has proven to last lifetimes. However, the key to ensure durability whether when refinishing or replacing lies in the craftsmanship of your hired contractor. So if you want to enjoy the beauty and warmth that this type of flooring offers for good long years, let a qualified contractor handle the project if you are not one and does not have what it takes to finish the job properly.

As a Solution

When homeowners decide on refinishing or replacing their hardwood flooring, it is not just because of the traffic wear and scratches. Other concerns such as wanting a darker color can bring in a whole new set of issues. But even this can be solved by refinishing as the project may include tinting of your preferred color.

Refinishing can be economical but it may not always be the perfect solution for your hardwood flooring needs. Here are several instances when replacement is a required:

* wanting a lighter color, different grain, or pattern;
* facing water damages caused by flooding or other incidents. Severe water damages may be indicated by bulging, warping or buckling of the wood flooring.

But as replacement of your entire floor can be very expensive and can pose a huge job, carefully consider whether to refinish or replace. Even with damages, there are still ways to salvage the floor and refinish but still get to the root of the problem such as stains and molds. Some structural damages may not always mean that the replacement of the entire hardwood flooring is necessary.

Hardwood flooring is among the most durable and longest lasting floor options. Before deciding which project to undertake, it pays to consult with experts on which project would best serve as the solution to your current floor problem.

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Refinish Hardwood Floors - Critically Important Steps to Help You

Hardwood floors that are installed in your home may need finishes or coatings. You need to ensure that you apply finish to this type of flooring so that the luster and splendor can be restored. However, there are ways or steps that you can apply in order to perfectly put the right finish to your floors. This article will guide you on these steps.

Before you start the process of finishing your hardwood, you will need to put in place the necessary tools needed for the job. You can get them from the local hardware stores around you or even order them online. The tools are floor finish (water-based or oil based), rough and fine sand paper, cleaning towels, dust masks, floor sanders, finishing brushes, protective goggles and vacuum that has an attachment for host.

Now, the steps to finishing your hardwood floor begin with you preventing the spread of dust to interfere with your finishing work. You can close all the air vents around your work place. You can start sanding your floors from one corner of the room. This will enable you to manage your working space. Sanding the hardwood floors in from the middle of the room may eventually give you more stress. Still on sanding, ensure that you sand the floors in the wood grain direction.

Whenever the sand paper you are applying gets dull, ensure that you replace it with a new one. Continue the sanding of the floor until your wood floor is looking smooth, nice and natural. After sanding, you can now apply the wood finish to the floor.

Start the finishing with even strokes from the finishing brush. You must begin the finishing from one part of the room so that you will have an exit point. In the process of applying the finish, evenly work out lumps in the floor finish with the brush so that it doesn't get dry with them.

After applying the finish with the brush, you can leave the room for several hours to get dry. These are the steps that will help you to finish your hardwood floors very perfectly. You may not need to hire the services of a professional for these steps.

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Using Vinegar To Clean Hardwood Floors

Often, we are asked, "How do I clean hardwood floors"? Now I would like to tell you that hardwood floors can last a lifetime if properly taken care of. Using vinegar to clean hardwood floors is a good cheap solution to keep your wood surface looking good. Yes, preventative maintenance is the best solution. Be sure to dust mop and vacuum floors regularly to keep dirt from accumulating and scratching the floor.

This is an easy and cheap floor cleaning alternative. Try mixing 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water. This method of using vinegar to clean hardwood floors is an easy and safe solution to keeping your floor looking its best. Be cautious what you put on your wood surface as oils or furniture polish can make a floor very slippery.

It’s the frugal homemaker’s best-kept secret to use this natural chemical for cleaning the home, and can be used in many ways, including cleaning hardwood floors.

Vinegar is an acidic liquid that is used in a variety of ways, from flavoring salad dressings to in our case cleaning hardwood floors. Normally, all that's needed is a damp mop cleanup to keep them looking great. However, if you want a deeper clean, that takes care of allergens, bacteria and more you may want to consider purchasing a portable steam cleaner that's made for hardwood floors.

The Bissell Steam Mop Bare Floor Steam Cleaner is a light weight steam mop that's easy to use. Its long power cord helps you reach the entire floor and the specially designed handle reduces "mopping stress". It comes equipped with two terry cloth cleaning pads, and features a clear plastic filter so you know when it's time for a change.

Hardwood floors require regular care to maintain their warm and beautiful appearance. Careful cleaning is an important consideration, as traditional mopping methods used on linoleum will ruin your hardwood flooring. White vinegar can become a homeowner's best friend for cleaning purposes. This natural disinfectant is safe on to use on nearly any surface is is especially well suited to hardwood floors. The distinct smell associated with vinegar evaporates after the liquid dries, leaving a clean and scent-free floor.

Sweep and dry mop the floors. It is important to remove as much loose dust and dirt from the floors as possible before you begin mopping.

This article is provided for entertainment purposes and we accept no liability for the content. Always test a very small area first to check for damage before applying any method.

By: Steve Evans

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Installing Hardwood Laminate Flooring - 4 Steps to Prepare

When looking at installing hardwood laminate flooring, there are 4 main steps you need to follow in preparation:

1. Get everything you will need from your laminate flooring supplier before you start. These things include the laminate flooring boards themselves. These usually come in packs of 5 or 10. It's always worth buying one or two more packs than you calculate you will need because you will make mistakes. Next you'll need underlay that often comes in several different thicknesses. This helps make up the difference if there are small dips in your subfloor and cushion the laminate flooring as it sits on the subfloor. If you are laying the subfloor on concrete or another porous surface that can get damp, you will need to buy a plastic waterproof barrier to lay directly on the subfloor to protect the underlay and the new floor. You also need to obtain a set of tools from the laminate flooring supplier including spacers and Z shaped tool for knocking the laminate flooring boards together. Finally you need to get any moulding or skirting boards, along with doorway connectors.

2. Get your tools together back home. Tools required for installing hardwood laminate flooring include a hand saw for cutting them to length; a tape measure; a knife for cutting the underlay; a mitre box or mitre power drop saw for cutting 45 degree angles on the moulding or skirting boards. This is so that they have professional joins in the corners; Nails or liquid nails to glue the skirting boards to the walls.

3. Place the hardwood laminate boards in the rooms where they will be installed to acclimatize them to the humidity and temperature of the rooms. In this way, they will hopefully do most of their expansion or contraction before you install them.

4. Check the level of your subfloor and read the manufacturer's instructions as to what they recommend the level of the subfloor to be. For example, you may need to have no more than 3/16 inch difference in the subfloor over a yards length of laminate floor. If there are any places on the subfloor that have more than that, then you will need to buy a levelling compound from your local hardware store. This can come ready made in a bucket that you pour onto the subfloor. You then trowel it so that it appears even and then leave it and it will self level. Once it has set, you are ready to install hardwood laminate flooring.

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Old World Style Hardwood Floors - Important Tips to Help You

The heading of this article refers to one of Oregon's providers of high quality hardwood floors. Hardwood types of floors are very popular and can make your home look elegant. You can buy your flooring needs from Old World Wood Floors. This company provides you with quality hardwood flooring. This article will give you an overview of the Old World Wood floors.

If you are searching for hardwood floor information on the Internet, you may possibly stumble upon the Old World wood floors company. The distinctive services they provide include designing wood flooring as well as sanding, refinishing, and installations of hardwood floors for clients. Your needs for hardwood types of flooring, such as installations and repairs are readily incorporated into the services provided by this company.

This company is a prominent member of the National Wood Flooring Association. Also, the company is displayed in the cover of popular magazines like the Hardwood Floors magazine. This emphasizes how popular and prominent this company is in terms of hardwood flooring provisions.

If you must buy the right type of hardwood floors that will give you the best in terms of beauty and elegance it's always a very good idea to take your time and research the various types and the makers. This is mostly because not every type of hardwood flooring is good. And yes, you need to ensure that the maker of the particular one you want are not only experienced like the Old World wood floor company but also reputable.

But Where Can I Read More Specific And HELPFUL Hardwood Floors Tips? No problem there. Click to read Why You Absolutely Need Hardwood Floors and lots of interesting and helpful articles, including specific tips on How To Get The Best Hardwood Floors to help you answer your most frequently asked questions on this topic!

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Maintaining the Beauty of Hardwood Floors

"Let us all admit it. Floors mainly give and add beauty to one’s abode. And mostly today, home owners wanted to give their flooring the best shot, for it complement to the aesthetic appeal that the home could bring. Saying this, people who owned hardwood floors in California were doing everything just to maintain the elegance of hardwood floors!

Just like the hardwood flooring in Los Angeles CA, homeowners mostly say that the hardwood floor in CA gives a perfect and striking beauty to every house. With its classy and natural style, hardwood floors have been always a choice for most homeowners. These hardwood floors are also durable if they are guided with proper care and maintenance. Quality hardwood can even last for a decade if well maintained.

Hardwood floors should be cared properly because improper care can cause a floor to be warped, scratched, and it can also cause the floor to be dull looking. We can say that those hardwood floors are durable enough, but no matter how tough or strong the finish looks there are still factors that can damage your flooring. Just like dirt, moist, and etc, they can be like sandpapers that spoil the beauty of your flooring.

And here are the tips to maintain the beauty of your hardwood floors.

Maintenance…

Keep them clean and dry. This is very important because like hardwood floors in Los Angeles CA, they can be prone to water and dirt damage, and you just cannot use any kind of cleaner on your hardwoods.

And some commit a big mistake on this task. Some hardwood floor owners thought that wiping their floors with wet mops in good. But this is the exact contrary. It is advisable to vacuum your floors frequently.

Another cleaning belief in hardwood floors pertains to oil soaps. Others thought that again, this helps in cleaning hardwood. But then again, this is not true. Oil soaps are not recommended for hardwoods because they can cause build up that causes you problems when the floor needs to be refinished and will just leave your floors looking dull. When you already notice a build up of dirt it is advisable for you to buy a product made specifically for hardwoods and you should only use it only as recommended by the floor’s manufacturer to avoid miscalculations.

Damages: Scuffs and Scrapes…

House pets may damage your hardwood floors with their nails. Oftentimes, animals have this habit of digging into the surface upon which they are walking. We cannot ask them not to do that, (I hope so!) so to avoid this, we should keep our pets’ nails trimmed.

We should also protect our floors to protect them from everyday wear and tear. Even though we say that these hardwood floors are finished, it is still prone to damage. That is why we must do our part to keep its elegance. Use rugs to those areas of extremely high traffic to minimize damage and scuffing.

We can make use of these advices and we can make sure that hardwood flooring repairs will also be minimized."

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Hardwood Flooring Characteristics - It's All Personal Taste

Which look do you want? Here are some of the more common woods and the look they will give you once they're laid.

Oak Flooring: Oak has a heavier grain throughout it than most other wood flooring products. This gives your room a more rustic aura with its mixture of 'tiger' or 'waterfall' markings. This is a very popular floor in North America. 3 inch or 5 inch width, this floor comes in a variety of colors and hues. This is NOT the floor for you if you want a custom, 'nobody else has this on the block' look.

When going with an oak, I prefer the Northern hardwoods in Nth America. It's a lot colder in the north so the trees grow slower and are harder with a much tighter grain than non-northern trees. Try to avoid exotic Asian woods (unless this is what you really want) as the tropical environment in Asia with its humidity and moisture has woods grow very fast but are softer and light sensitive. Oak flooring also has a low to medium shade variation. This means you won't find too much difference in color between one board and another.

Maple Flooring: This gives a very contemporary look with its clean lines and very light grain. Maples can be stained to fit almost any color..from natural white to sun burnt reds to almost black. These woods are quite hard (2300 PSI) and don't have the natural graining an oak floor has. Some like this clean look; others feel it resembles laminates too closely than genuine woods. Maples are a great choice particularly if you select a darker color but don't want the 'business' of a traditional oak floor. A maple floor's color variation is very low to low.

Hickory Flooring: The hardest of the main group, hickory has naturally occurring mineral streaks, knots and birthmarks that give the wood a deep character. If you like random, naturally occuring patterns in your floor, hickory is a great choice. Its color variance is high to extreme, often having one board almost milky in color and the next grey! There is nothing wrong with the wood; this is how God made it. It's supposed to look like that! It gives the room a rustic, warm feeling and if you want a custom looking floor and don't mind the large color variance, a hickory floor is a perfect choice.

Cherry & Walnut Flooring: Probably the most striking and beautiful floors around. They have a lot of waterfall movement to them and the stained woods are exceptionally eye-catchy. Since they are very soft, be very careful before deciding on one of these floors. When laid, these floors exude a luxurious and expensive look.

Pine Flooring: Also soft with the unmistakable 'zebra' lines running through the floor. Since they are very heavy in vertical line movement, they give an exotic appearance combined with their naturally occurring dark knotholes. Go with this floor if you're modeling a room. But keep away if you have a zoo.

So select your hardwood floor that fits your lifestyle first then narrow the colors down. You'll be a much happier hardwood floor owner.

Tyler is a writer for Best Hardwood Floors, which is a shopping guide on buying hardwood floors, we help you buy the right hardwood floors for your home.

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Refinishing Your Hardwood Floors As A Alternative To Replacement

Refinishing your hardwood floors is an excellent alternative to replacing them with engineered or snap together products. It’s also very cost effective and can turn out to be the best investment for the future value of your home. If you are ambitious, you can take on this project yourself by renting the equipment required, and having patience and some time to do the job. If not, there are many professional refinishers available in most areas that can be used to do a speedy, efficient job. Get an estimate from a professional in any case. It can be very satisfying to know how much money you are saving if you do the job yourself.

It’s actually not that difficult to refinish a wood floor yourself. You’ll need a drum or belt sander and multiple grades of sandpaper to go with it. You can rent the sander from your local hardware store, and most likely, they can suggest the grades of sandpaper you will require. Standard grade is about 20, but you may need up to 100 to get gouges and real rough spots out. Be sure to also obtain dust masks for you face, or a respirator, as you will be generating lots of wood and finish dust. You might want to isolate the room you are doing away from other rooms in your house with plastic sheeting. Ventilation in the work area is a must. You have removed all the furniture and wall hangings like paintings from the room, right?

Before you start sanding, check the floor for any nails, staples or tacks that may be protruding above the surface. These things can tear up your sandpaper quickly and even ruin the sander belt or disk if they are not removed. The key to good sanding is to keep the sander moving and go with the wood grain, not across it. If you stop while the sander is running, you may produce a gouge or burn in that area. You should also consider wearing ear protection while doing this job. These sanders are loud. Don’t wear very loose fitting clothing that may get caught by the sander. Gloves are very helpful as well.

After your finished sanding, clean the area extremely well by first sweeping up with a broom, then a shop vac and finally a damp mop. Let the floor dry and settle overnight. Damp mop again the next morning and allow to dry a few more hours.

What type of finish did you decide on? Three coats are usually required, the base coat, the color (if used) and the top coat for durability. Pick from an oil based or polyurethane, water based finish. If you select an oil based finish, you need to decide if you want a satin, semi gloss or gloss finish. A satin oil based finish, just like a semi gloss or flat wall paint, hide blemishes better. Water based products dry much more quickly and resist any yellowing that might occur. PLEASE pick a corner and try your stain selection BEFORE you finish the entire floor. I can’t stress this enough. If you are satisfied with the results, you can apply the stain to the rest of the floor using a brush or roller and evening it out with a clean soft rag. Be sure to let the coats dry according to the manufacturer’s directions. Remember, again, ventilation is REQUIRED for you and your room.

Refinishing is a means to increase durability of your floor and enhance its appearance, and is a three-stage process of sanding, staining, and finishing that CAN be done yourself.

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Types of Hardwood Floors - Popular Ones You Should Use Today

Have you heard so much about hardwood floors and now want to install one in your home? If yes, then you need to read the remaining part of this article to know about the popular types of hardwood floors you will see people going for.

The first type of hardwood you will see is called the "Solid Wood". This wood is very hard and it takes more effort to get it installed or removed. Solid woods are made into strip, plank or parquet. You can use any of these types to install in your home.

The second popular type of hardwood floors you may want to go for is known as "Engineered Wood". This type of wood is made of layers of veneer. They are sturdy and come in different designs. They are made of a combination of superior woods and inferior woods. An important feature of engineered hardwood is that it can withstand different weather conditions and can also withstand spills, humidity and extreme temperature.

The third type hardwood floors that people go for now is "Acrylic Impregnated wood floor". This type of hardwood is made of coloring and acrylic put on the planks. The structure of this flooring makes it difficult to get scratched. This is perfect flooring for places that are very busy.

The fourth type of hardwood floors you may want to go for is referred to as "Prefinished Hardwood Floor". This type of floor is ready to be installed when you buy it. You don't have to undergo much stress in the installation of this type.

The final type of hardwood floor is referred to as "Unfinished Hardwood". You will need to complete the finishing process on your own if you opt for this hardwood. This means that after you have installed it, you will need to do the buffering, sanding, coating and staining of the wood.

These are some types of hardwood floors you may want to consider when you decide to install one for your home or office.

But Where Can I Read LATEST and BEST Hardwood Floors Tips?

Cheap Solid Hardwood Floors

Removing Carpet from Hardwood Floors

You will be surprised how highly helpful these links will be if you click on them right away.

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Instructions On How To Install Floating Hardwood Floor Panels

Have you ever wondered how to install hardwood floor panels to make your home beautiful inside? There are many methods of installing hardwood flooring currently in use. One of the best do it yourself hardwood floors is the floating hardwood floor. The term floating doesn't refer to a floor that is sitting in liquid. Floating means that, while the floor is fastened to itself, it is not fastened down to the subsurface.

A floating hardwood floor has some disadvantages you should be aware of before proceeding with your installation. These floors will sometimes feel like you're walking on a bubble. And, each bubble you step on will have a creaky sound.

On the other hand, those bubbles give the floor a much softer feel than a well-fastened hardwood floor. And, the floating floor is much easier to maintain. Best of all, it is one of the cheapest types of hardwood floors to install.

Before continuing with the installation of a floating hardwood floor, we highly recommend that you consider using oak as your hardwood floor material. Oak looks beautiful and provides lasting durability.

-Tools Needed to Install a Floating Hardwood Floor

Broom and Dust Pan - It is important to keep everything clean as you go. It is particularly important to keep the saw dust out from under and between your panels where it can really throw things off kilter. If it gets in there, there is no way to get it out without the very difficult process of hardware floor disassembly.

Carpenter's Crayon - You'll have to cut up your panels to make them fit in the corners and make them go around objects that cannot be removed from the room having the hardwood floor installed. You may also want to use your carpenter's crayon to mark a layout pattern of where to place your flooring panels.

Circular Saw - Your saw is what you will use as you cut along the lines you drew with your carpenters crayon.

Claw hammer - In most places, you will use a rubber mallet to help push the boards together, but in those places near the wall where you don't have enough room to swing the mallet, you can use the claw hammer to fit them together.

Cushioning Surface - You can make your floating hardwood floor feel even softer to the feet with the use of a cushioning surface under the floor. You would be shocked by the difference between a floor with the surface and a floor without the surface if you could try the two side by side.

Cutter Knife - The cutter knife comes in handy in more places than you would expect as you work on your floor. But the main reason we recommend this tool is so that you can make minor cuts on the panel ends when you just can't quite make them fit together.

Glue - Floating hardwood floors aren't supposed to be glued together. However, you might find you get better results if you just put a bit of glue at the end of each panel as you connect them. Of course, this will mean you'll need to be very careful not to get any glue on your floor surface.

Nails - You will need to nail the floating floor to the wall strips. It may help to use a drill to do pilot holes to prevent the wood from splitting, but if you're a gambler, you can just hammer these nails in without pilot holes. Most people do that anyways.

Rubber Mallet - The rubber mallet is what you use to fit the panels together at the joints. However, you need to be very careful not to hit the panels too hard and damage the panel surfaces.

-Preparing to Install Floating Hardwood Floor Panels

Before you install your floating hardwood floor panels, you need to get your cushioning sheet installed. You can use your cutter knife to make it fit. Some people find that making it into many small pieces is much more manageable than trying to fit a large piece in the room. These pieces should be laid in the same direction as your panel rows.

One of the nice parts of using a cushioning sheet is that debris on the sheet or lumps in the surface below it have a less dramatic effect on the floor. However, you should still try to get all of these straightened out to the extent you can see them.

For debris, just use your broom and dust pan to remove them. It's not such a big of a one-time task when you consider the implications are pretty close to permanent if you fail to remove them.

-Installing a Floating Hardwood Floor

1.Place your first panel in the corner with the ends with a cavity in them towards the walls.

2.Put a little bit of glue in the cavity of the next panel.

3.Attach the next panel to the first panel quickly after step two.

4.You may need to work with the rubber mallet gently to ensure that the two panels come together snuggly. If the wall gets in the way of the rubber mallet, you can use your claw hammer to nudge it in place.

5.Continue this until you get to the end of the row where you will need to mark off the excess length of your last panel with the carpenter's crayon. Then cut the panel to fit using the circular saw.

6.Use the remaining piece of the panel to start the next row of hardwood.

7.If you are using the glue, as in step two, you'll need to be careful to get the entire adhesive off of each row as you complete it or it may do permanent damage to the hardwood surface.

8.Make sure you fit your entire pieces well, especially the last corner piece. If you have fit everything together just right, your floor will be much more stable. And, it will look better after the next step.

9.Now you go around all of the room walls and place the wall strips. You should nail these strips to the wall and to the floor. This will stabilize your floor. This will also make the edges of your new floor look better.

-How to Install Floating Hardwood Floor - Clean Up

As with any big woodworking project, you can expect to have a mess as you go. There are such debris as saw dust, cut splinters, glue spots, and more. While you were trying to clean as you went, you should really do a final inspection and cleaning at the completion of the project. You don't want any saw dust or wood chips scraping across your new floor before you even get to admire its smooth shine.

After your floor has had a day to settle you can clean it with a mildly wet mop to get everything else up that you might have missed. You need to dry the floor up right away after mopping, of course. Otherwise, your wood will swell and lumps will form.

-Hindsight Tips for Installing Your Floating Hardwood Floor

You do not need to be terribly careful with the cushioning sheets. Don't spend all day trying to get exact measurements. As long as there are no major overlaps or separations between them, your floor should be just fine.

When you are working with your hardwood panels, it is important not to rush. You should not be moving on and placing another panel until the current panel is completely and firmly connected to the other panels. But be very careful when using the rubber mallet and other tools on the panels not to cause surface damage.

The surfaces are quite fragile when they are not yet anchored in place. It is very hard to go back and fix later if you missed a panel early in the installation process.

Be careful when measuring your panels for cutting at the end of the row that you are marking off the right part of your panel for cutting. One of the most common mistakes is to have the panel backwards while measuring it and then end up with the wrong pieces being the lengths you need. Save yourself some time and be careful.

-Feeling Good after You Install Your Floating Hardwood Floor

You have saved a lot of money by installing a floating hardwood floor yourself. And, if you don't like it, you've chosen one of the easiest hardwood floors to replace. But, of course you like it.

Hardwood floors look great. And, your new floating hardwood floor feels great too with its cushioning surface. Your neighbor's glued down floor may not creak much, but your neighbor's feet don't feel like they're floating when he walks on his floor.

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