We have the answers to your hardwood floor questions.
- Are wood floors suitable for high traffic areas?
- Is hardwood flooring an affordible choice?
- Do hardwood floors need special maintenance?
- Are hardwood floors environmentally friendly?
- Can wood floors be used with radiant heat?
- How do solid and engineered woods compare?
- What are acrylic impregnated wood floors?
- Are there wood floor customization options?
- What are the coating and additive choices?
- What are wood flooring installation options?
- What refinishing choices are available?
1. Are wood floors suitable for high traffic areas?
Modern finishes are extra tough and easy to clean. They stand up to traffic in the busiest and messiest areas. Wood species vary in hardness, and the harder the wood, the better it is for high traffic areas. If you expect heavy use of your floors, be sure to discuss your ideas with one of our design consultants about the best wood flooring material for your application.
2. Is hardwood flooring an affordable choice?
With proper care, a hardwood floor can last a lifetime. Wood floors enhance property value, often resulting in higher real estate prices. The low maintenance, high life expectancy, and ongoing performance of a hardwood floor makes it a smart investment. After 15 years of use, when other flooring is worn out, hardwood floors can be refinished for about half the cost of replacing carpeting. Back to Top
3. Do hardwood floors need special maintenance?
Most hardwood floors are easier to care for than carpet, ceramic tile, laminate or vinyl. They only need regular sweeping or dusting with a dry mop. Since wood and water don't mix, spills must be cleaned up quickly. A wood floor should be freshened periodically with a cleaner approved for that specific floor. Back to Top
4. Are hardwood floors environmentally friendly?
Wood is one of the most recyclable and renewable resources. When hardwood flooring is manufactured, it requires less energy than other flooring types and at the end of its useful life, wood can be reused or recycled. According to the American Hardwood Information Center, forests in the United States are producing two times more wood than what is harvested every year. Back to Top
5. Can wood floors be installed with radiant heat?
Not all types of wood are ideal for radiant heating. For example, strip flooring is a better choice than plank flooring, because narrow boards expand and contract less. Narrow boards provide more seams in a floor to take up movement. Good choices for radiant heat include engineered floors (due to their dimensional stability) and floating floors which tend to move as a unit to help accommodate moisture content changes. Back to Top
6. How do solid and engineered woods compare?
Solid wood is a complete piece from top to bottom. Typically 3/4" thick, new milling technology can also produce a 5/16" thickness. The most common width is 2 1/4" with sizes from 1 1/4" strips to 7" planks. Lengths are random from 12" to 84".
All solid products react to the presents of moisture. During low humidity, wood dries causing the floor to contract or leave gaps between each board. When higher humidity occurs, it will cause the wood to expand and if there is too much moisture it can cause it to cup.
In most instances, solid strip or plank floors can not be installed below grade and generally are not recommended for high moisture areas.
Engineered flooring is several layers of wood laminated in a cross-graining process for dimensionally stablity not affected by moisture as much as solid wood. Engineered hardwood ranges in thickness from 1/4" to 9/16" and widths from 2 1/4" to 7". Lengths are random from 12" to 60". Engineered floors can be installed above or below grade level. Back to Top
7. What are acrylic impregnated wood floors?
Liquid acrylic (and stain) is injected into the cell structure throughout the surface layer of the wood. This process fortifies the fibers for increased hardness and added durability. Back to Top
8. Are there customization and style options?
Different edge profiles can provide subtle design accents. Square edges are flush and butt up tight to one another for a seamless look. Beveled and eased-edge styles have a slight angle on the top edge of the plank or strip. These edge profiles add flair and can also hide minor imperfections where the boards meet.
Inlays and borders add a distinctive character to hardwood floor designs. These accents can be as intricate as a family crest or as simple as geometric patterns. Different types of wood are often used to produce variations in color and grain. Inlays and borders can also be installed with other materials, such as aluminum, brass, leather or ceramic tile. Back to Top
9. What are the coating and additive choices?
Factory finished polyurethane coatings are cured with ultra violet lights instead of heat. This process provides a smooth, long wearing hardwood finish in gloss levels from satin to full gloss. UV coatings are known for their clarity, non-yellowing properties, and protective topcoat. UV coatings are an environmentally-friendly alternative to solvent-borne finishes.
Aluminum oxide particles can be added to a polyurethane finish to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer. This has become an extremely popular option when better grade hardwood floor are installed in high traffic locations.
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10. What are wood flooring installation options?
Nail Down is typically used with 3/4" solid wood. The edge of the floor is nailed into the subfloor and the tongue and groove design hides the nails. Solid wood strip or plank floors should only be nailed to wooden subfloors on grade or above grade.
Staple Down is used (versus nailing cleats) to attach the wood flooring to the subfloor. A pneumatic gun drives the staple into the wood flooring and subfloor.
Glue Down is typically the installation method for engineered and parquet woods. It employs mastic or adhesive spread on with a trowel to attach the wood flooring to the subfloor. Solid strip floors and solid plank floors can only be nailed or stapled.
Floating floors are not mechanically fastened to the subfloor. A thin pad is placed between the wood flooring and the subfloor and wood glue is applied to the edge of each plank to hold the planks together. The padding resists moisture, reduces noise transmission, feels softer under foot, and provides additional R value. Some engineered floors and all longstrip floors can be floated. Back to Top
11. What refinishing choices are available?
Sand & Finish is complete sanding to bare wood to remove worn or bare spots and obvious scratches. In some cases a color change is made or the sheen level of the finish is adjusted. Dust extractions systems remove an enormous amount of dust and older finish materials that would otherwise linger for months after refinishing.
Solvent-borne polurethane finishes take longer to cure, while water-based finishes will take the least amount of time. Conditions can vary and drying time will depend on the relative humidity.
The Screen & Recoat (also called Buff & Coat) procedure for hardwood floors is a cost effective method for revitalizing worn or dull floors. Less expensive than a complete refinishing, this process floors can bring floors back to life, though deep scratches and dings will not be removed. Back to Top