While it is not necessarily the most inexpensive of the flooring options available on the market today, hardwood floors are certainly one of the simplest and most lovely options available. Wood matches just about everything, and you don’ have to worry about vacuuming or those nasty smells that just won’t seem to leave carpet. It is an effective option for floor covering and if you take care of your hardwood floors, they will last you a very long time.
However, having hardwood flooring in your home is about more than wishing it was there and deciding to have it. Here are the three things that you should know about installing hardwood flooring in your home.
DIY Is Not Always Cheaper
Hardwood floors are certainly something that those handy people out there in the world are able to take care of. Buying wood and laying it down as flooring in your home sounds a great deal easier than it is. There are many different kinds of wood that can be used for flooring in your home and depending on your needs; there are great deals of different styles to choose from. You want your flooring to resist nicks and scrapes, but you want it to be able to get some character as well.
There are all of these things and more to think about, and if you install your wood flooring all on your own, chances are that you will not be able to get the solid advice that you might wish you had later. You want your floor to last as long as possible and although you might be very willing and able to put in your new hardwood floor all by yourself, the costs down the line might make this not-so worth it. Do you want to end up having to have your floors redone because of an error on your, the amateur’s, part?
Not All Wood is the Same
The more money that you spend the better quality of wood flooring you will be able to get as far as outward appearance goes; although a floor may not look as uniform and sleek as another type of wood floor it will probably last just as long. The quality and type of wood that you select for your floor has a lot to do with how you want your flooring to look when it’s down. Do you want a smooth look or do you like the way that natural knotholes look in the wood? Do you prefer the way that wide planks look on the floor or do you prefer the look of thinner, smaller pieces of wood for your flooring?
Depending on what you are willing to spend, there are a great deal of different ways that you can go with the wood for your flooring. You can buy First, Second, or Third wood, which is a description of the type or quality of wood on the market ranked in order of quality. Clear is the finest wood that you will be able to get a hold of. It has little to no grain marks or knot holes in it, so if you want the best quality that is the way to go.
You Are In It for the Long Haul
While hardwood floors are a great option for the floor covering in your home, be sure that that is what you want to do, and that it is an acceptable long term solution for you and your home. While the hardwood floor will not have to be vacuumed, it has to be specially cleaned and probably swept constantly (unless you are a fan of dirty feet). Also, keep in mind that depending on the quality of wood that you purchase you may have to deal with some small repairs due to warping or splitting, or simply due to damage that is unsightly for your home. Either way, hardwood floors are much easier to maintain than they are to replace and although you will probably be thrilled to keep your floors for years to come, it will be rather difficult to do otherwise.
This article is sponsored by My Dream Home Registry, the gift registry for everything home. Visit them on the web at www.mydreamhomeregistry.com
Wood furniture care is important to keep furniture and wooden flooring looking good for as long as possible. If you do not look after it properly, permanent damage could occur.
A lot of people love to decorate their homes but a lot of people also struggle on what to choose in order to help to improve the home. It could be that you have spent a fortune decorating your house and other time things such as wooden flooring are starting to wear down or look extremely tatty. This is when wooden furniture care should come in because by knowing how to care for your wooden flooring and how to protect it, you will be ensuring that it looks as good as possible for many years to come.
If the flooring is done properly and cared for the right way, there is no reason why it should need to be replaced for many years. It is very simple to look after wooden flooring but a lot of people are either naive or they genuinely do not think that they need to look after it.
Why Is Wood Furniture Care Important?
The thing with some wooden flooring is that it can be easily scratched or it can even become water damaged. These are just a couple of the problems that can arise when it comes to wooden flooring. By knowing how to look after the flooring you can stop anything bad from happening to it. It can be extremely frustrating having damaged wooden flooring, especially if you have spent a lot of money doing it up.
Things can easily happen such as spillages and although they may not seem too serious, if they are left or if it keeps happening over time, this can lead to the flooring expanding and looking out of place and damaged. Also dirt, grime and other things that drop onto the floor can also be a big problem because if it is dragged around it can cause scratching or even dents in the floor. Another thing that can cause serious damage to the wooden floor is any furniture that you may have. It needs to be lifted correctly instead of simply dragging across the floor otherwise it could seriously scratch and damage the wooden floor.
Cleaning Wooden Flooring
When it comes to cleaning wooden flooring you should take note on what cleaning products you are going to use to do this task. The reason is that some cleaning products may be too harsh for the type of flooring that you have and they could even cause a discoloration of the flooring or some other damage.
As you can see there are quite a few different hazards that can cause damage to the flooring and that is why wood furniture care is important for wooden flooring around the home.
One of the easiest ways to improve the look and value of your home is to fit oak hardwood flooring throughout.
As well as being beautiful and hard wearing, they are environmentally friendly as well. Wood is a natural resource that is both renewable and recyclable. It is warm and resilient to walk on and healthy too. Usually wood flooring will never require replacement. And can add thousands of pounds to the value of a home.
There are many options to choose from. Not just the design of the floor, but the shade and texture as well.
Fitting a real wood floor need not be daunting. With no previous experience and easily hired equipment, a complete novice can install a solid hardwood floor proficiently and with professional results.
Selecting the species and style of wooden flooring that suits your home is of the utmost importance as you may well have the floor for life. A solid wood floor can be purchased pre-finished which means it is ready to use and walk on as soon as it has been installed.
The finish is usually acrylic or polyurethane lacquer, which is durable and hard wearing. However oil finishes are becoming increasingly popular, as people have come to realize the maintenance is easy and straightforward.
Real wooden floors (usually the solid type) are also available unfinished. This means that after installation and a light sanding, a finish such as oil, wax or lacquer can be applied.
The most straightforward way of installing a solid wood floor is by secret nailing (through the tongue) into a base of plywood, flooring grade chipboard, joists or battens. If you have an existing wooden floor, this should first be over boarded with a 6mm plywood sheet to ensure stability of your new flooring. Fitting solid hardwood flooring onto concrete sub-floors is best avoided despite the recent advantages in wood floor adhesive currently on the market.
The styles of solid wood floors available are:
Strip – This is typically between 57mm and 90mm in width and is available in random lengths. This takes a little more time to fit than a wider width, but is ultimately more stable.
Plank – This normally denotes wider widths 120mm up to 200mm width.| This is a wider width than plank flooring. However, always bear in mind that the wider the width, the more the tendency for the floor to shrink and gap, or expand and buckle.
Parquet Flooring – Parquet floors have a very different look from typical hardwoods. It is constructed from short stathes of hardwood assembled by hand into tiles, which are then mounted, on a backing board. Some of these can be installed in a similar fashion to the plank floors
Engineered Hardwoods- solid hardwood wear layer of between 2mm-6mm which is laminated onto either a softwood or plywood core. The advantage of engineered hardwoods is their ease of installation, and their stability. If you desire a very wide plank type look, an engineered plank floor will ensure far less movement than solid wood. However this may cost a little more than buying solid plank.
Engineered hardwoods although suitable for secret nailing, can also be installed ‘free floating’ over an underlay. Another advantage of engineered hardwoods is that most can be used over underfloor heating.
Wood Finishes
The final finish (as opposed to staining) is what protects the wood from staining, wear and moisture. The different types of finishes are as follows:-
Oil-Finish – The most common surface finish, oil is applied in two or three coats. Oil soaks into the wood providing good protection against wear and staining. This can be left as a mat finish or buffed to give a light sheen. The big advantage is that the finish is inherent in the wood- it wont’ scratch off, and can be easily repaired.
A polyurethane lacquer – A good option for the DIY-er, this finish dries quickly and cleans up easily with soap and water. This provides excellent wear protection for the floor and gives a professional finish. Although in high traffic areas may show scratching or marks.
PU Impregnator and Wax. A polyurethane sealer (impregnator) is applied to the wood, which acts as a waterproof barrier. A wax can then be applied by hand and buffed up to achieve a warm patina.
Wood or Laminate?
With the popularity of laminate flooring growing everyday, many people often ask which they should choose, hardwoods or laminate.
Laminate flooring is typically constructed with an HDF core, sandwiched between a melamine laminate backing, high quality photographic paper with an image of wood, stone or other natural flooring, and a melamine laminate top. While laminate floors are inexpensive and durable, they are also noisier to walk on, cold and not as attractive as the ‘real thing’
There are benefits and drawbacks to both hardwoods and laminate flooring. Hardwood floors can be
scratched, but scratches are pretty easy to repair. If a laminate floor is scratched or dents, it is not very easily repaired. Where a hardwood floor can be sanded to remove imperfections, the same cannot be done Laminate flooring companies do make touch-up and chip repair kits as well as offer plank replacement. With hardwoods, though, a simple light sanding may do the trick.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Caring for a wooden floor usually requires little effort. Always try and dry clean the floor, as this is the safest and most efficient method. If you do have to wet clean your floor, bear in mind that leaving a layer of moisture to dry on your floor will leave it looking dull and will soon make it attract more dirt.
Maintaining sheen is important as this prevents dirt adhering to your floor. Always fit protective pads to the base of furniture and install a good door mat at the entrance and you will find that this will eliminate most of the scratches on your new floor.