FOR A PHONE QUOTE
(267) 507-9935
Hardwood flooring is a natural product that varies from piece to piece (expect variations as opposed to a uniform color.) The characteristics of hardwood floors that give them their uniqueness are their variations in grain patterns and color. Also, although your hardwood floor boards will be installed tightly, it is natural for them to absorb and expel moisture thus leading to the expansion and contraction of the boards from season to season. Do not be alarmed if you notice that the floor is somewhat separating. It is the changes in humidity that cause this reaction within the flooring. During the winter, as your home heats and the air dries, wood flooring gives up some of its moisture and shrinks causing some thin cracks to appear. In the spring, when the heat is turned off and the indoor air regains moisture, most of the cracks close up. This is a normal characteristic of wood flooring. Keep in mind that light-stained wood floors and naturally light wood floors tend to show cracks more than darker, wood-toned floors.
Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to your hardwood floors:
Expect Your Hardwood Floor To React To Daily Wear And Tear:
Each species of hardwood floor has its own characteristics. When it comes to indentation and general wear due to everyday traffic, choose your floor based on your own expectations of how a floor should look after a year or two. Also, keep in mind that color will change over time. Your floors are a natural material.
Expect Color Variation
Diversity is part of every hardwood floor. Even the most primeval grade of wood species will have some variation.
Expect Expansion And Contraction
Your hardwood floor needs to breathe and thus room to expand whether you want it to or not. It is part of its nature so make sure (as it is being installed) that room for this kind of movement is allowed.
Expect Your Environment To Be Important
Make sure to install your wood floors where moisture or humidity is uncommon. Some hardwood floors do well in basement suites and in areas not specifically controlled for air moisture. But always ask and investigate whether or not the flooring you’re interested in is suitable.
Expect Regular Maintenance
Your hardwood floors will show signs of wear over time. But with a little attention, your floors will last a long time. Make sure to clean minor spills when they happen, keep an eye on pets, and every now and then give your floors a refinishing touch.
Decorating your home with real wood floors instead of tiles, linoleum, laminate or carpet, is an important decision to make. When it comes to any type of home improvement there are no small decisions when a lot of materials are involved. Every process must be evaluated to ensure that the end result meets your expectations. Today, many homeowners are choosing bamboo flooring instead of the usual hardwood floor because it offers a lot in terms of look and performance.
Following are some reasons why bamboo can be your best choice for flooring:
Durability
If you’re concerned about your kids or pets damaging your bamboo flooring, there is no need to worry. Bamboo is a durable flooring choice for any location subjected to extensive usage and abrasions. It is also tough enough to resist the impact of falling objects in the kitchen as well as in high-traffic areas such as living rooms and hallways.
Warmth
Bamboo flooring provides your home with a warm environment through its natural growth patterns. While solid wood flooring materials create beautiful floors, some flooring contractors and homeowners seek a different look that could be described as “outside the box.” Bamboo flooring gives your room a unique touch, providing comfort and warmth with a good flooring finish.
Environmentally Friendly
Bamboo flooring is one of the most environmentally friendly wood flooring options because it is made from a highly renewable source. It is actually a grass that re-grows after it is strictly monitored and harvested. Also, bamboo does not require any chemicals for its cleaning and maintenance.
Color
Bamboo flooring is available in two colors. One is a natural blonde color that shows the unique growth patterns of the bamboo to matches with any décor. The other color is a rich amber color called “carbonized bamboo.” The color is achieved by a boiling process that carbonizes the starches found in bamboo.
Cutting Edge
Bamboo flooring is among the newest flooring options to appear on the market in recent years. It is widely preferred by many, and is highly appreciated by those who install it. In all, bamboo flooring provides a unique style to your home while adding an exceptional appearance!
Enough with coating your rooms with rough and cold tiles, it’s time for something that feels great. No one will argue about the beauty of wood flooring. In fact, the rise in affordable options that look like old-fashioned hardwood has made the look even more common in today’s homes. Something is to be said for the beauty of a genuine hardwood floor. Outside of its beauty, however, this floor option carries several benefits. Hardwood is much easier to maintain than carpeting. Stains are far less common, as most spills can be easily mopped or wiped up without leaving behind any residue. In the past, hardwood was considered difficult to maintain, but new technology and new finishes make it one of the easiest options for your floors.
Wood flooring is affordable for several reasons:
First, the variety of hardwood styles, colors, and materials make it possible to create some very affordable options for the budget-conscious homeowner. Second, these floors hold their value well. They stand the test of time both in durability and style, which means the need to replace the floor covering regularly, is removed. When hardwood starts to lose its shine, simply refinish it to restore it to a “like-new” look. Because of the popularity of hardwood along with its durability, homes that have hardwood floors get a better price on the real estate market. Even homes with carpet that covers hardwood can get a better price, as the new homeowner knows that a little refinishing will make those hidden floors shine again!
Installing wood flooring today will increase your home’s value later when you are ready to sell. Wood flooring comes from a natural, renewable resource. Not only can more trees be grown to replace the floors, but your current floors can also be recycled one day. Some hardwoods actually come from recycled buildings, barns, or other sources. Hardwood floors do not collect allergens in the same way carpets do, making them an excellent option for those who struggle with indoor allergies. There are several differences in the construction of natural hardwood flooring and engineered hardwood flooring. Natural hardwood flooring is constructed entirely out of a piece of hardwood. The only hardwood used for engineered hardwood flooring is for the top layer.
The possible types of hardwood that are used for engineered hardwood include oak, pine, ash, teak, and bamboo. The top layer allows engineered hardwood flooring to have the same visual beauty as natural hardwood flooring. There is a core layer that is glued to the bottom of the top layer. The core layer consists of layers of replenishable and affordable wood. These layers of wood might be medium-density or high-density fiberboard or plywood. The numbers of layers that are used for the core vary from one flooring manufacturer to another. Most flooring manufacturers will use three layers of wood in the core. However, there are several flooring manufacturers that are beginning to construct core layers that consist of five to seven layers of wood. They are adding more layers of wood to the core because the extra layers will make their engineered hardwood flooring more durable. The finish of engineered hardwood flooring is durable.
An engineered hardwood floor will still look good even after years of heavy use. However, if it is necessary, engineered hardwood flooring can be refinished. But this is not a task that you should take on yourself. This is something that you should pay a professional to do. Each engineered hardwood floor can only be refinished a limited number of times before you destroy the top layer. So, who doesn’t want to get those old British architectural feel in their house, as this theme only can be obtained by simple hardwood flooring. Get yours done today!
One of the main objectives of interior designs is to create a floor that appeals to the customer. The floor should look exceptional and create a long lasting impression on a person’s mind. Flooring is supposed to be an important part of interior decoration. Nowadays, society has a variety of options when it comes to flooring, for example, hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, and bamboo flooring.
Flooring installation involves a lot of hard work to finish and refinish hardwood floors. However, the good news is that the process is simple, easy, and straightforward. Home improvement stores, rental stores, and hardware stores are some of the places where the equipment is available. A customer should get a demonstration and instructions at the rental centre before he or she brings them home. The floor should be swept well, and anything that is not permanent, should be removed. Any leftover carpeting staples should be removed with pliers.
As installation begins, the coarse sandpaper should be fitted into the drum sander. The drum sander should be turned on with the drum off the floor, and then it should gradually be lowered on to the floor, while walking the sander forward at the same time. The edge sander is used to border wall edges and corners that cannot be accessed using the larger drum sander. The edge sander should be raised, turned on, and lowered onto the wood. Gently, sand the floor. Now, the medium grit sandpaper should be put on and sanding of the entire floor should further be commenced. A fine abrasive is used for the final sanding and finish with a palm sander around the edges for smoothening the area.
When it comes time to prepare for the floor staining one must make sure the area is well ventilated before the initial staining. Extreme caution and care should be taken because the one will be working with inflammable chemicals. The stains should be applied along the wood’s grain using one rag, and the excess should be removed using another rag. Keep on applying coats until the desired richness of colour is obtained.
The stain should be allowed to dry overnight walking on the floor should be avoided. The customer should use a high quality natural bristle brush to apply the wood finish. The awkward drips and thick overlaps of finish should be avoided, as one should apply an even coat throughout. All the dust on the floor should be picked up using a damp cloth, and the final coat should be applied just like the previous coats.
Hardwood Flooring comes in many different species, colors, sizes, finish, looks and types. There are 3 main types of hardwood flooring. The first type is solid hardwood flooring which usually comes ¾” thick. The next type of hardwood flooring is engineered which has multiple plies of wood with the actual look as the top ply of wood. The last type of hardwood flooring is locking which is a newer category of hardwood flooring where any do-it-yourself with some mechanical abilities can install fairly easily.
Solid hardwood flooring, for years, was the most common type of hardwood flooring. You can purchase solid hardwood as an unfinished product or a pre-finished product. The unfinished product will end up getting sanded and finished after it is installed in the home as a raw material. The unfinished hardwood is usually done in new home construction. The pre-finished hardwood is usually installed in homes that are already being lived in. This is not always the case for both situations but due to the mess from sanding and finishing in the home, many consumers choose to go with the pre-finished floor unless they are looking for a completely flat surface. When installing a pre-finished floor the ends and edges usually have a micro-level on them and so dirt can catch in the grooves. A solid hardwood floor is meant to be installed if you have a plywood sub-floor so it can be nailed into the sub-floor. You can also have medallions and borders installed with your solid hardwood flooring. This is mostly done with the unfinished floors in order to achieve a great look.
Engineered hardwood flooring is usually installed over concrete slabs where solid hardwood flooring cannot be installed easily. Depending on the manufacturer specifications engineered hardwood flooring can either be: glued down, floated into place, nailed down, or stapled down. You must check with the manufacturer for their installation guidelines before purchasing and installing your floor. Many times engineered hardwood can be installed on, above or below grade and can sometimes be installed over radiant heat. Engineered hardwood flooring will come in many different thicknesses.
A beautiful is ones most precious possession. Most of the people like to decorate their house with beautiful furniture and accessories to make it elegant. One can’t deny the fact that the spending or savings of the lifetime goes in décor of the house. Interior designers are hired to give the finishing touch to the bedrooms and drawing rooms. But most of the people simply ignore the importance of a customized stairs, it is because most of us are not aware of the flexibility and space a custom stairs offer. At the time of building of the house it does not come to the minds and they end up spending handsome amount on stairs that occupy lots of space, thought one must accept the fact that it does enhance the beauty of the house. This can also be done by installing custom stairs without spending huge amounts.
If one is planning to renovate the house or feels the need of making their living and drawing rooms spacious then the best bet is to go for the custom stairs. These stairs are available in the market in different designs and materials, from glass to wood and at a rock bottom price. The custom stairs does wonder to a two-storey house. It gives the much need space to roam around or to have new furniture or machines around the stairs. This makes the room look bigger and attractive. There are five factors that must be considered before purchasing custom stairs, they are Pulling Permits, Engineering Design of the stairs that match your need, Fabrication of stairs and the installation. Among the five, the most important factor is perhaps the Pulling Permit. It is necessary to hire a General Contractor to have the permission permit from the authorities before installing custom stairs.
It is imperative to remember size and the shape of the stairs your house needs. Most of the people are ignorant while ordering such stairs without measuring the size and the length of the stairs. It is necessary that you consult custom stairs installers to get the right set of stairs and check whether a Y- shaped stair would suit to the design of the house or not. There are many companies that offer custom stairs at a cheap price and there information can be found on the internet. So, if you are in the process of renovating your house then a custom stairs is the best gift to give to your family.
Hard wood flooring can give you the most positive environmental impact in your house. Some people might find it counterintuitive, as using dead tree to floor your home, but take your time to understand and you will find out why wood flooring is more environment friendly than alternatives.
Now-a-days the most widespread choice of the population is carpet flooring, as it is soft and comes in a variety of colors to fit mostly any décor. It is also a breeding ground for fungi, parasites and other allergens that can drive you to any sort of illness. Besides that it is least environment friendly flooring materials. Moreover when you think that you need to replace the carpet, it cannot be recycled and at times it can be of no use for anyone else. It will almost always end up in the landfill where it will then sit for few hundred years until it breaks down. The resources used for it is manufacture are mostly non-renewable as well.
Wood, on the other hand, is made from an abundant and very renewable resource. Trees will continue to grow until the earth itself dies, making them one of the most renewable resources globally. Thanks to the realization that forests were being harvested at an unsustainable rate, law and industry policies now mean that, on average, 2 new trees are planted for every one tree harvested. At one point in time, we were using far more wood than the planet could tolerate but now that we are taking responsibility and replanting, wood is an environmentally around option for flooring.
The fact that it is renewable, wood is also very reusable. When you do eventually tear wood floor out, the old material can be used for something else. It can be recycled into any number of other things like paper, particle or pressboard, plywood, art and craft or even burned for fuel. These are things you simply cannot do with carpets or laminates. When it comes time to replace the floors in your home, consider doing the planet a favor by installing hard wood floors in your home.
Hardwood flooring makes a long lasting, beautiful upgrade to any home and will add value to the property anytime. It is also the eco- conscious flooring choice and we are all trying to do right by our planet these days.
Previously, we have talked about the important of prevent “cupping” of your Philadelphia hardwood flooring. Here’s some additional pertinent advice on how to prevent cupping.
After installation there are a couple of things that can cause cupping, both with concrete or raised foundation home. If you do not run your air conditioning when the weather is very humid, you can cause your Philadelphia Hardwood Flooring to pick up moisture due to increased humidity and some cupping normally occurs. If you leave for vacation, you should leave your HVAC system on for this same reason. Many people have turned off their HVAC during Summer vacations and come home to cupped floors. The temperature can be set slightly higher than normal but the AC should remain on. Both heat and A-C dry out air and lower humidity.
All Philadelphia hardwood flooring, both solid and engineered, will cup due to large spills, plumbing leaks or water saturating a foundation wall and getting into the Philadelphia hardwood flooring laterally throught a wall. Make sure that your plumbing is in good condition and that your drainage is good allowing your foundation and crawl space to stay dry.
Handling of moisture issues is important beyond the affect it can have on the Philadelphia hardwood flooring. Excess moisture damages wood and other building materials and can allow mold or mildew to grow. Moisure control is a very important consideration if you are building or own a home.
As a final thought, although the information is primarily written for homes with solid wood flooring, it still can be pertinent with engineered wood floors if moisture conditions should be severe. Engineered floors are manufactured on a plywood base and, therefore, are less subject to expansion-contraction issues. Howev er, excessively damp crawl spaces or concrete subfloors can cause engineered floors to cup.
When looking to install Philadelphia hardwood flooring, YD Hardwood Flooring delivers a great product at a great price. Call us today or visit our website: www.hardwoodflooringphiladelphia.com
Do you have a hidden treasure with your Philadelphia hardwood floors? Many people have no idea how beautiful their Philadelphia hardwood floors can be with some qualify refinishing. The value of beautiful hardwood floors is more than aesthetic. Philadelphia hardwood floors increase the value of your home far more than carpeting that show wear and tear far faster. As well, hardwood flooring is easy to clean and greatly help people with allergies.
If you want to discover the hidden treasure in your Philadelphia hardwood floors, visit our Special page on our website to see just how affordable it is. Refinishing your Philadelphia hardwood flooring is a great way to get to invest your tax credit or tax rebate back into your home.
One of the ways to maintain your Philadelphia hardwood flooring is to prevent cupping. Cupping occurs when Philadelphia hardwood flooring expands causing the strips of wood to push up against one another. to prevent cupping, your should maintain the relative humidity of your home or business at 45% throughout the year. Hardwood flooring reacts to changesPhiladelphia hardwood flooring of relative humidity
In the Summertime, humidity is at its highest. The wood absorbs moisture causing it to expand pushing the planks against each other and causing cupping. Prevent this from happening with proper ventilation, dehumidying or heating. Conversely, in Wintertime, Philadelphia hardwood flooring contracts or shrinks because relative humidity is much lower. Use a humidifier to minimize the effects of shrinkage.
If you would like to learn more techniques of how to protect your Philadelphia hardwood flooring, please contact Ricki Li of YD Hardwood Flooring: www.ydhardwood.com