We are pleased to provide answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on a wide variety of our products.
Q. What is the most durable hardwood floor available?
A. Our hardwood floors are treated with up to 10 coats of an aluminum oxide finish. While this will certainly help the durability of the floor, it is the hardness of the floor that will give the best indication of durability. Refer to the Janka Hardness rating for a true indication of hardness for a selected species:
A. The prefinished hardwood floor is end matched with a tight micro-beveled edge, and has up to 10 coats of aluminum oxide finish. The unfinished floors come end matched with a square edge and must be finished on site.
Q. Can a hardwood floor be floated?
A. Our hardwood flooring is a four-sided tongue-and-groove product that can be nailed directly to a wood subfloor. A hardwood floor cannot be floated. Refer to engineered flooring for flooring that may be floated over radiant heating or below grade.
Q. How do I acclimate my hardwood floor?
A. Let the flooring acclimate for 5 to 7 days, with boxes opened and laid flat in the room where the flooring is to be installed. If you are in an area with high humidity, you may need to install some humidity controls like a humidifier or dehumidifier.
Q. How does moisture affect my hardwood flooring?
A. Excessive moisture can lead to numerous changes to your floor, such as cupping, buckling or cracking. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you do not use water to clean your floors.
Q. What is the moisture content of our hardwood floors?
A. Our hardwood floors are kiln dried to a moisture content of between 6 and 9 percent. Hardwood floors will naturally expand and contract with fluctuations in temperature and humidity. However, hardwood floors perform best when they are within a temperature/humidity range of 6 to 9 percent. At this range, expansion and contraction can be reduced to its minimum.
Q. What are some potential moisture problems I should look out for?
A. Cupping and crowning are caused when water is trapped between the wood floor and the subfloor. When this imbalance in moisture occurs, it is essential that the boards dry evenly; if not, cupping or crowning can appear.
Q. What is the best way to clean my floors?
A. The best way to maintain your floor is to sweep, dust mop and/or vacuum the floors regularly. Hardwood floors also clean easily with a Swiffer or similar type dry mop. You should avoid excessive moisture. A slightly damp mop may be used to mop up a spill.
Q. Can I use commercial cleaner?
A. Yes. However, for prefinished floors, always use manufacturer-recommended cleaners. For unfinished floors, finished at the job site, refer to the recommendation of the floor finish manufacturer. Do not use wax based cleaners.
Q. How do I handle stubborn stains?
A. For stubborn stains, apply the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner to a soft cloth and scrub the desired area. Repeat if necessary. DO NOT use wax based cleaners.
Q. The floor beneath my rug is lighter than the exposed floor, what can I do?
A. It is normal for hardwood floors that are exposed to sunlight to darken over a period of time. To eliminate the obvious tone differences, it is best to rotate rugs and furniture so that the flooring gets an equal amount of sun exposure. Any differences in light exposure will eventually fade away. If you know your going to away from your home for a number of days, fold up the corners on your rugs.
Q. How can I better protect my floor from early finish wear?
A. It is a good idea to implement a regular cleaning routine, as well at the use of throw rugs and felt or plastic floor protectors on furniture.
Q. When ordering hardwood flooring how much extra should I order to allow for waste?
A. As a rule of thumb, add 7% to 10% for waste and cuts depending on your skill level and the layout of the area.
Q. What are the different moldings and how are they applied?
A.
Q. Can I install hardwood flooring in a bathroom or a laundry room?
A. Hardwood floors are not covered by warranty if installed in a bathroom or a laundry room. Moisture can cause damage to hardwood flooring.
Q. How do I maintain my hardwood flooring?
A. In order to maximize the durability and beauty of your hardwood flooring, we recommend the following practices as part of your floor’s normal care and maintenance.
Q. What are the benefits of hardwood flooring?
A. Hardwood flooring is one of the most popular types of residential flooring. Here are a few reasons why you should choose a hardwood floor:
A. There are products that can be applied to prefinished urethane floors that will renew the floor back to its original appearance. Use only manufacturer recommended products.
Q. Can I expect my floor to have color variations?
A. Yes. Hardwood flooring is a natural product. Therefore, you should expect there will be natural color variations in the wood. Although lower grades of flooring will have a larger number of character blemishes, you can expect color variations in all grades.
Q. Should I use unfinished or prefinished hardwood?
A. Both choices have their advantages. If you are trying to match to an existing hardwood floor, you may want to go with an unfinished floor so it can be stained to match. However, this will mean finishing will be done onsite, resulting in more noise, dust and delays in using the room. Prefinished floors, on the other hand, are already finished with 10 coats of an aluminum oxide finish. This means you will get the convenience of not having to shut down the room while you finish the floor onsite.
Q. What is the most durable hardwood floor available?
A. Our hardwood floors are treated with up to 10 coats of an aluminum oxide finish. While this will certainly help the durability of the floor, it is the hardness of the floor that will give the best indication of durability. Refer to the Janka Hardness rating for a true indication of hardness for a selected species:
- American Black Cherry: 950
- American Black Walnut: 1010
- Yellow Birch: 1260
- Red Oak: 1290
- White Ash: 1320
- White Oak: 1360
- Hard Maple: 1450
- Santos Mahogany: 2200
- Brazilian Cherry: 2345
- Brazilian Teak: 3540
- Brazilian Walnut: 3680
- Ebony: 3692
A. The prefinished hardwood floor is end matched with a tight micro-beveled edge, and has up to 10 coats of aluminum oxide finish. The unfinished floors come end matched with a square edge and must be finished on site.
Q. Can a hardwood floor be floated?
A. Our hardwood flooring is a four-sided tongue-and-groove product that can be nailed directly to a wood subfloor. A hardwood floor cannot be floated. Refer to engineered flooring for flooring that may be floated over radiant heating or below grade.
Q. How do I acclimate my hardwood floor?
A. Let the flooring acclimate for 5 to 7 days, with boxes opened and laid flat in the room where the flooring is to be installed. If you are in an area with high humidity, you may need to install some humidity controls like a humidifier or dehumidifier.
Q. How does moisture affect my hardwood flooring?
A. Excessive moisture can lead to numerous changes to your floor, such as cupping, buckling or cracking. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you do not use water to clean your floors.
Q. What is the moisture content of our hardwood floors?
A. Our hardwood floors are kiln dried to a moisture content of between 6 and 9 percent. Hardwood floors will naturally expand and contract with fluctuations in temperature and humidity. However, hardwood floors perform best when they are within a temperature/humidity range of 6 to 9 percent. At this range, expansion and contraction can be reduced to its minimum.
Q. What are some potential moisture problems I should look out for?
A. Cupping and crowning are caused when water is trapped between the wood floor and the subfloor. When this imbalance in moisture occurs, it is essential that the boards dry evenly; if not, cupping or crowning can appear.
Q. What is the best way to clean my floors?
A. The best way to maintain your floor is to sweep, dust mop and/or vacuum the floors regularly. Hardwood floors also clean easily with a Swiffer or similar type dry mop. You should avoid excessive moisture. A slightly damp mop may be used to mop up a spill.
Q. Can I use commercial cleaner?
A. Yes. However, for prefinished floors, always use manufacturer-recommended cleaners. For unfinished floors, finished at the job site, refer to the recommendation of the floor finish manufacturer. Do not use wax based cleaners.
Q. How do I handle stubborn stains?
A. For stubborn stains, apply the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner to a soft cloth and scrub the desired area. Repeat if necessary. DO NOT use wax based cleaners.
Q. The floor beneath my rug is lighter than the exposed floor, what can I do?
A. It is normal for hardwood floors that are exposed to sunlight to darken over a period of time. To eliminate the obvious tone differences, it is best to rotate rugs and furniture so that the flooring gets an equal amount of sun exposure. Any differences in light exposure will eventually fade away. If you know your going to away from your home for a number of days, fold up the corners on your rugs.
Q. How can I better protect my floor from early finish wear?
A. It is a good idea to implement a regular cleaning routine, as well at the use of throw rugs and felt or plastic floor protectors on furniture.
Q. When ordering hardwood flooring how much extra should I order to allow for waste?
A. As a rule of thumb, add 7% to 10% for waste and cuts depending on your skill level and the layout of the area.
Q. What are the different moldings and how are they applied?
A.
- The Quarter Round molding is used to hide the expansion gap left around walls during installation.
- The T molding is used as a threshold in doorways or as a transition strip where the hardwood flooring meets floor or carpet of similar height. T moldings can also be used to change the direction in which the floor is laid.
- The Reducer molding is used as a transition from the height of the sub-floor to the height of the hardwood floor.
- The Stair nose molding is used to cover the front edge of a stair tread or step. If used on a stair, flooring is installed behind the Stairnose to cover the horizontal part (the tread) of the stair.
- The Stairtread molding is a one-piece molding used to entirely cover the structural stair tread.
Q. Can I install hardwood flooring in a bathroom or a laundry room?
A. Hardwood floors are not covered by warranty if installed in a bathroom or a laundry room. Moisture can cause damage to hardwood flooring.
Q. How do I maintain my hardwood flooring?
A. In order to maximize the durability and beauty of your hardwood flooring, we recommend the following practices as part of your floor’s normal care and maintenance.
- Place doormats or rugs at entrances to collect moisture, sand, grit and other potentially damaging substances from being tracked onto your hardwood floor.
- Dust mop or vacuum with a soft accessory to keep your bamboo floor clean from dust, dirt or grit. Hardwood flooring cleans easily with a Swiffer or similar type dry mop.
- For sticky spots, use a soft damp cloth to gently scrub the floor. If necessary, use a generic hardwood floor cleaner. Do not use steel wool or other abrasive scouring pads.
- Do not use harsh detergents, abrasive cleansers, or corrosive chemicals to clean your bamboo floor.
- Avoid excessive water. Use mats in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room to protect against spills. If a spill occurs, blot it up immediately with a dry cloth or slightly damp mop.
- Use only colorfast and non-scratch carpeting or pads on your hardwood floor.
- Protect the floor from furniture legs and do not walk on the floor with high-heeled shoes.
- Although hardwood flooring has effective UV inhibitors in its pre-finish, it is recommended that it not be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods.
Q. What are the benefits of hardwood flooring?
A. Hardwood flooring is one of the most popular types of residential flooring. Here are a few reasons why you should choose a hardwood floor:
- Solid hardwood offers a variety of grain patterns, natural color variations, and the beauty of a natural material
- Hardwood floors are easy to clean.
- Hardwood floors are ideal for allergy sufferers as they do not promote dust or harbor dust mites.
- Hardwood flooring is longest-lasting. Although there is a 25-year structural warranty on our hardwood floors , many hardwood floors last for decades longer.
A. There are products that can be applied to prefinished urethane floors that will renew the floor back to its original appearance. Use only manufacturer recommended products.
Q. Can I expect my floor to have color variations?
A. Yes. Hardwood flooring is a natural product. Therefore, you should expect there will be natural color variations in the wood. Although lower grades of flooring will have a larger number of character blemishes, you can expect color variations in all grades.
Q. Should I use unfinished or prefinished hardwood?
A. Both choices have their advantages. If you are trying to match to an existing hardwood floor, you may want to go with an unfinished floor so it can be stained to match. However, this will mean finishing will be done onsite, resulting in more noise, dust and delays in using the room. Prefinished floors, on the other hand, are already finished with 10 coats of an aluminum oxide finish. This means you will get the convenience of not having to shut down the room while you finish the floor onsite.