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 Hardwood Flooring is a product of nature, and a wood floor is not really made by man, it is merely altered by man. Isn’t it a fact that all the great artists have, in one way or another, reverted to nature to get the best inspiration to create the famous masterpieces that we know today? Now why do you think they would do that? It’s quite simple actually. Nothing can beat nature’s beauty, or even nature’s toughness and durability for that matter.
why choose hardwood floor over tile or carpet
The natural beauty of wood alone should make anyone want to have wood floors in their home or office. Add to this beauty that hardwood floors are also durable, eco-friendly (green, renewable), cozy, and very forgiving to life’s accidents (unlike carpet which seems to stain if you look at it the wrong way) and hardwood really is the perfect flooring solution.
ok so wood floors look great, but are they for me?
So you’re wondering if wood floors will work in your situation right? Because your home is built on a concrete slab? Or because you need new floors for your basement? Or because somebody told you that your home is not suitable for hardwood floors? It is true that certain applications may not be suitable for a traditional, solid hardwood floor. The good news is that there is a solution for nearly all applications! That solution is called Engineered Hardwood Flooring… Read more...
White Oak is an excellent choice of flooring material for people who are searching for a hardwood floor that is not only beautiful, but incredibly durable too. White oak, which has a botanical name of Quercus Alba, has a numerical hardness value of 1360 on the Janka Hardness Chart. This Janka Hardness Rating for White Oak is slightly harder than that of its near-relative, Red Oak. Often times people choose White Oak vs Red Oak simply because White Oak is harder, when in reality, White Oak has some other qualities to consider when comparing with Red Oak.
Not only is White Oak harder than Red Oak flooring, it is also more dense (yes, density and hardness are different), meaning it is less likely than Red Oak to dent or be gouged. Also, White Oak flooring is more dimensionally stable than Red Oak, meaning it will expand and contract (move) less during seasonal changes and changes in RH (relative humidity). White Oak is also a better choice than Red Oak for applications where you will be staining the floors any shade of brown, since Red Oak tends to cast a reddish hue altering the color of brown stain colors. Read more...
So you’re looking for hardwood flooring, but you’re debating between Pre-finished flooring vs. Unfinished flooring. The benefits of Pre-finished flooring are obvious, but this article is going to focus on why Unfinished flooring is still a viable option.
 #1 Reason to Choose Unfinished Flooring
No dirt traps! Unfinished flooring is almost always manufactured with Square edges, meaning each plank buts tightly against the next plank, without any “bevels” or “micro-bevels” to catch dirt. This means that your entire floor will be flat across the entire space, from wall-to-wall. This is a perfect solution to one of the biggest complaints about Prefinished wood floors, which are almost always manufactured with beveled edges, which are notorious for collecting dirt and grime, which is not easy to clean out of those little grooves.
#2 Reason to Choose Unfinished Flooring
A perfect seal! Think about it, when a prefinished floor is installed, each plank is butted up to the next as tightly as possible, and when the installation is complete, the floor is instantly ready to be lived on, which is great! But… Read more...
If you’re looking for the right hardwood flooring in Florida, here’s some information that you should find useful. Of course, you should leave the ultimate decision up to your local installer, but here is some general information relating specifically to choosing the right hardwood floor in FL.
Solid Hardwood Flooring in Florida
Generally speaking, most Florida homes are not good candidates for traditional, 3/4″ thick, solid hardwood flooring. Now, technically, those of you who have multi-level homes may certainly be able to install a 3/4″ thick solid hardwood floor on the second or third floor of your Florida home. While that is certainly possible, and I have personally done it many times for customers who simply insist on having that 3/4″ hardwood that they grew up on up north, I do not personally recommend 3/4″ thick solid hardwood flooring in Florida.
That being said, if you insist on having solid hardwood floors in Florida (and you want to avoid the same problem in the picture above) here are a few factors that will go a long way in preventing serious damage that Florida’s climate (humidity) can inflict on your floor: Read more...
The way the flooring industry has evolved, it’s hard to believe that there was a time that pretty much all hardwood flooring was wide plank flooring by today’s standards. Currently, with so much strip flooring being produced, mostly in the 2 1/4″ to 3 1/4″ range, those who want something extraordinary often set out to find something at least a little wider, hence the search for wide plank flooring begins.
What is wide plank flooring?
The answer to that question is kind of a gray area, depending on who you ask really. In certain regions, and/or according to certain manufacturers, you might say anything 4 inches or wider is considered “wide plank” flooring. I would have to disagree. I think anything that is 4 inches or wider is certainly considered “plank” flooring, but Wide plank flooring? That would be a little stretch of the imagination. But again, there is probably not a “right” or “wrong” answer to the question “what is wide plank flooring?”
That being said, in my opinion, any wood flooring that is 6 inches wide, or wider, is truly Wide Plank Flooring. I don’t care if it’s solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, or even softwood (like wide pine flooring), generally speaking, wide plank flooring is plank flooring that is 6 inches wide or wider. Read more...
Hardwood Floors are one of the most sought after upgrades for homeowners today. Hardwood floors can add beauty and value to any home. There is a huge variety of different types of hardwood floors available on the market but the very first choice to make when shopping for a hardwood floor, is the choice between Engineered Hardwood or Solid Hardwood. Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.
Q. What is solid hardwood flooring?
A. Solid hardwood flooring is always made from one single piece of hardwood. While the great majority of solid hardwood flooring is 3/4″ thick, the thinner solids, such as 1/2″ thick and 5//16″ thick hardwood flooring are growing in popularity. Solid hardwood is recommended for installation over plywood, OSB or other wooden sub-floors. Solid wood flooring is usually not recommended for installation over concrete slabs or areas beneath the surface such as a basement floor. Solid wood floors come in a variety of different woods and finishes. Some of it comes unfinished which gives you the option to choose your own custom color and gloss level, although sanding and finishing a hardwood floor can prove difficult for the do-it-yourself-er. Another option is to buy prefinished solid hardwood flooring that comes completely finished from the factory with several coats of extremely durable finish. Solid hardwood flooring that is prefinished just needs to be nailed or stapled down, and you’re ready to enjoy it right away! Read more...
 If you are shopping for hardwood flooring, one of the first things you will need to find out is how much that hardwood flooring is going to cost you. We’ve prepared some vital information here which you should read if you are researching hardwood flooring prices. Once you’ve finished reading it, check out our site to get a price for the exact hardwood flooring you are looking for.
Hardwood Flooring Price Variations
Probably the first thing you will notice once you have started shopping for wood flooring is the drastic variations in hardwood flooring prices from one flooring dealer to the next. You may find a particular Bruce hardwood floor at The Home Depot for $3.49 per sq. ft. and then find that same exact Bruce Hardwood Floor at Carpet One or some other retail flooring outlet for $5.99 per sq. ft. Perhaps what is most confusing is when you go online and find that same Bruce Hardwood floor for only $2.89 from a reputable online hardwood flooring dealer. Read more...
Oak flooring has been the single most popular hardwood floor selection for several decades now. There is perhaps no other hardwood that is more versatile, and blends into more interior design schemes than oak. Plain Sawn (flat sawn) oak will show a very open and casual grain pattern (sometimes referred to as a cathedral grain pattern), and fit perfectly into a casual, or country style setting. Quartersawn oak flooring, however, offers a tight, vertical grain pattern, and shows off the beautiful medullary rays, which are the unigue, almost iridescent ribbons and fleck that complement the grain throughout a quartersawn product.
 Quarter Sawn White Oak - This is engineered hardwood that was installed unfinished, then lightly sanded and finished on-site with Bona Traffic - Satin water-borne finish Here at National Hardwood Flooring we get very excited about quarter sawn oak flooring, especially quarter sawn white oak flooring, and while we will soon be offering our blog followers a full, comprehensive blog post dedicated entirely to quartered oak flooring, and indeed all kinds of quarter sawn hardwood flooring, including quarter sawn walnut flooring and even quartersawn cherry flooring, for now we must stay on topic. Read more...
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Hardwood Flooring is a product of nature, and a wood floor is not really made by man, it is merely altered by man. Isn’t it a fact that all the great artists have, in one way or another, reverted to nature to get the best inspiration to create the famous masterpieces that we know today? Now why do you think they would do that? It’s quite simple actually. Nothing can beat nature’s beauty, or even nature’s toughness and durability for that matter.
