How do you care for solid hardwood floors?

Solid Wood Flooring offers a unique combination of class, durability and character to its surroundings – making it one of the best flooring choices for a homeowner looking for a new floor. However, these dashing good looks and amazing characteristics of  hardwood floors need protecting from daily wear and tear and other environmental circumstances and require a little attention. The general rule of thumb for any solid wood flooring is: pay your flooring care and attention and your floor will reward you with years of stunning style and service.

When maintaining solid wood flooring, keep your solid wood flooring clean using a vacuum and a brush to remove dirt and debris. Ensure your hardwood floor is dry as water presence can facilitate buckling and and warping of the boards. A slightly damp mop when mopping is recommended, but keep mopping to a minimum. Protecting your flooring from furniture is easier when using felt adhesive pads to create a cushion between your furniture and your floor. Considering pets, ensure nails are trimmed to prevent claw scratches. Finally, excessive sunlight can cause fading and discolouration, using curtains, blinds or UV coating on windows can protect your flooring from direct sunlight.

Keep your Solid Wood Flooring Clean

The most frequent threat to your flooring is general dirt and dust that can scratch and damage the surface. Thankfully, the solution to this problem is regular care with a vacuum and a brush. This gently removes the dirt to remove any debris.

Keep your Hardwood Floor Dry

Another regular threat to hardwood floors is water. If left to soak in, water can warp the boards and lead to buckling; therefore any spills require quick cleaning.

It is worth noting that you should only use a slightly damp mop when mopping the floor – but also to keep mopping to a minimum. As an alternate method of cleaning, a soft bristled broom will also help keep your hardwood floor free of dirt.

Avoid Excessive Sunlight

Homeowners should beware the potential havoc that sunlight can wreak upon floors that are made of hardwood. Excessive sunlight can cause fading and discolouration, so care should be taken to make sure that no area of the wood floor receives too much direct sunlight.

Curtains and blinds are perhaps the most inexpensive way to minimize sun damage, but UV coating for the windows is another possibility when it comes to protecting your floors from harsh sunlight.

A mat can also help cover part of the floor that is heavily exposed. Also, if you do get an area of exposed wood fading, moving the mat around to ensure similar levels of sun elsewhere can help even out the colour, although the result will be a paler floor.

Stains on Hardwood

Hardwood can be stained by materials such as ink and wine. While dried stains may need sanding, a fresh spillage can be dealt with by quick cleaning. However, it is important that you do not clean a stain using too much water, as this can lead to the wood soaking up a lot of water and swelling. For the same reason, avoid allowing standing water to stay in place on the wood. Always mop it up quickly.

Taking Care of Problems

Your hardwood floors will get scratches in the protective finish, and that is to be expected. Most won’t be visible. Putting on a new top coat after 3-4 years can rejuvenate the luster of the floor.

For deeper scratches that are visible, you’ve got several options:

• Use a cotton swab to apply stain to the scratch.
• Use a scratch kit from the wood manufacturer.
• Use a magic marker of similar color for very small scratches.
• Use a wax stick of the same color as the stain.
• If your floor is not prefinished, you may be able to sand out scratches and reapply the finish.

Top tips for maintaining and cleaning wooden floors

• Wipe away water spills immediately.
• Remove footwear before walking on your floor.
• Use felt protector pads and never drag heavy objects across the floor.
• Sweep away dust and dirt on a daily basis.
• Clean your floor using a microfibre mop and wooden floor cleaning spray.
• Never use a steam mop, wet mop, furniture polish or abrasive products.

Methods To Clean and Maintain Your Floors

• Choose a soft-bristled broom angled. Take preemptive action to get into corners and wide enough to swiftly do the job—moving with the grain, of course.
• Vacuum with a soft floor nozzle; carpet beaters and brush rolls can damage the finish. Robot vacs do the work for you; shop for one that won’t vacuum itself into a corner and will last at least an hour before stopping to recharge.
• Attack sticky debris ASAP with a damp clean cloth, a mini squirt of wood floor cleaner, and a vigorous rub; if you don’t like to crouch, plant one foot on a rag. Lift off dust and pet hair with a microfiber mop head, ideally treated with a positive electric charge so it can capture negative-ion ephemera. Keep the mop head moving, again with the grain.
• Use a damp-mop with a flat-head mop and microfiber pad or a microfiber string mop that has been thoroughly wrung out when it looks dingy. Move with the grain, and control the amount of cleaning solution by using a spray bottle, aiming for a heavy mist or gentle squirt of about a half teaspoon per 2 square feet. No need to rinse. No need to buff either, but cloth diapers and soft socks do work well here.

Benefits of Solid & Engineered Hardwood Flooring

When it comes to flooring, you have a lot of options at your fingertips. From carpet and tile to laminate and hardwood, there is a wealth of flooring options available. With an investment this big, you want to make the right flooring decision for your home.

They’re Safe.

Unlike carpet, these floors do not harbor harmful dust and debris. With just a quick vacuum, mop or sweep, you’ll have clean floors. You’ll also have clean air. Without fibers or grout to trap in allergens, such as pollen and animal dander, you’re able to breathe easier in your home. Hardwood flooring is the best choice for allergy sufferers.

They’re Easy to Clean.

If cleanliness is a top priority with you, than hardwood floors are a great option. Routine sweeping and occasional polishing with a wood cleaner will keep your floors looking beautiful. Just be careful of excess water with your cleaning! Find out more on how to care for hardwood floors here.

They Look Good.

You don’t just want clean floors – you want a beautiful home. Hardwood flooring is elegant enough to add a sophisticated look to any room and timeless enough to work perfectly with any décor. This versatile style makes hardwood flooring one of the most popular choices among homeowners.

They’re Durable.

It doesn’t matter how good flooring looks if the quality and durability doesn’t last. With hardwood, you don’t have to worry.

Ways to Use Recycled Old Hardwood Flooring

It certainly was a great selection of articles and in fact the first one, featuring a remodeled kitchen with an island unit made from reclaimed floorboards, inspired me to think about different ways to use old hardwood flooring on new projects. A few hours of Internet research later and I had discovered a whole world of incredibly great ideas for recycled wood flooring, from designer credenzas to simple kids’ toys!

Of course just about any kind of wooden object can be made from repurposed wood flooring, but there are two important factors that need to combine to really make something of beauty. First you need to have some pretty decent woodworking skills. The better your skill the more “finished” a recycled wood project is going to look, and don’t be fooled: even those shabby-chic distressed wooden items require some fairly solid understanding of how to properly manipulate, glue and finish wood

Reclaimed Hardwood for Cabinet Refacing/Cladding

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to recycle old wood flooring is by using it to reface or clad your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. Depending on how much reclaimed wood you use in your space you can create very different looks: if you want to go rustic then use repurposed wood flooring throughout, or use it on just one element of your space (like this kitchen island below) to create a more quirky, laid-back feel.

The type and nature of the old reclaimed wood will also dictate to certain degree what kind of overall style your room will have. This breakfast bar has been made with unfinished, paint distressed reclaimed floorboards and adds to the shabby-chic feel of the space; whilst the combination of old wood slats set on the diagonal with the metal frame on this kitchen island adds visual interest to an otherwise quite pared down design.

Reclaimed hardwood flooring doesn’t only have to clad cabinets. Many contemporary interior designers are using this unique material to clad feature walls. The key is to keep the cladding just to one focus wall of the space, using the most interesting pieces of wood to add texture. Wood clad walls can work with either rustic, minimalist or urban loft themes – it’s all about how you match the wood to the furnishings that makes the difference as the images below aptly demonstrate!

Hardwood Floors

Buying a rental home with a carpet already installed may give you a great surprise. Some homes have beautiful hardwood floors covered by the carpet. But should you let it stay hidden, or should you remove the carpet? There would be property owners that would benefit best with retaining the carpeted floors. It would be a more economical and efficient choice for them. Yet, there are others that would get higher rental income and better tenants if they decide to reveal those hardwood floors. The bottom line is not to rush to a decision but to consider both the pros and cons of exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors

it’s important that you think about some things. Hardwood floors can be an attractive feature in a rental home. They have beauty and durability that few carpets can match. However, this doesn’t mean that hardwood is always the best option for rental homes. You’ll need to look into the type of tenant you have, the resale value of the property, the neighborhood, and the cost of preparing and maintaining each flooring type. All of these things should be considered carefully before choosing to permanently remove your rental’s carpeting.

Not all tenants would respond to the upgrade of a hardwood floor the same way. There are many tenants that may appreciate the beauty of a hardwood floor, and many of them are conscientious enough that you feel safe giving them the responsibility to keep the floor clean and dry. However, there are also those who would only end up damaging the floor. For example, tenants with pets and heavy furniture can easily scratch or gouge a wood floor. Some tenants may prefer hardwood floors for other reasons aside from its beauty. For people who suffer from allergies, carpets make life more difficult. Hard floor surfaces are very much preferred since they are easier to keep clean and free of dust. But if the tenant doesn’t know how to properly care for hardwood and uses harsh cleaning products or scrubs it really hard, they could easily damage it.

Beyond appearance, rental property owners should make their flooring choices based, at least partly, on the property’s current and future value. Because value is often influenced by a property’s location and nearby homes, it makes sense to find out if the other homes in the neighborhood feature hardwood floors or if they have carpet floors. If most of the homes have carpet, then it may not be a good idea to remove yours. On the other hand, if the neighborhood is improving and undergoing a renewal, offering upgrades like a hardwood floor may be the key that would make your rental house better than the competition.

Finally, think about the costs when you’re considering permanently removing your rental home’s carpet. While you may save on the cost of replacing the carpet every five years, you will meet additional expenses when you remove the carpet and prepare the floor for your tenant. For one, newer hardwood finishes are very durable when compared to the old ones, but it’s likely that the floor under your rental’s carpet is not exactly new.

ESSENTIAL WOOD FLOORING ACCESSORIES YOU NEED TO INSTALL

Hardwood flooring creates an attractive, luxurious atmosphere in your living space. The rich colors, warm texture and solid durability come together to provide a foundation for any room. Consider how the right wood flooring accessories bring this combination to another level, and allow the true beauty of your hardwood floor to shine.

Flush-in Bull Nose Piece for Wood Stairs

Some homeowners hesitate to invest in wood flooring accessories, but these elements represent only a fraction of the overall budget. Check out this list of three essential accessories, including their cost, importance and availability.

Vent Covers

Mechanical ducts run through your home, with heating vents and fresh air vents in various locations. Floor vents do not need to break up the smooth visual created by your hardwood floors.

Transitions

Moving from hardwood flooring to carpets, tile or vinyl is inevitable, and transitions help to make this smooth and attractive. You can find a wide range of transitions on the market, but try to avoid the cheap, unattractive brands that create an eyesore.

Good quality transitions match the tone of your wood flooring, both in color and texture. You can find sleek threshold pieces that finish the edge of your wood floor and transition cleanly to carpet or another style of flooring. Ask your flooring retailer about the availability of these products in your preferred wood.

Your Easy Install Wood Flooring (No Experience Needed)

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you don’t have much experience installing hardwood floors and you want to find the simplest way to do it. You’re interested in installing hardwood for your home as an upgrade, a sound investment, and because it looks good.

I’m Installing Hardwood Floors!

It’s an easy decision. Hardwood is practical. Wood has natural insulating properties. If you live in an area where cold weather is frequent, hardwood floors just feel better under your feet than other hard surfaces.

Hardwood is beautiful. Every board is as different as a snowflake with interesting wood grain patterns, making every room in your home unique. Hardwood floors are as cozy as they are elegant. They’re a blank canvas for your decorating ideas. With so many wood grains and colors from which to choose, it’s a designer’s dream.

The Hidden Values of Installing Hardwood Floors

By properly installing hardwood, it adds value and quality to your home should you decide to sell. they found that 54% of home buyers are willing to pay more for hardwood floors. Most buyers prefer hardwood floors, with “25% of buyers under the age of 35, and 28% of those between 35 and 54, considered hardwood floors “very important” when looking for a home.”

Hardwood is easier to clean than carpets. Solid hardwood floors may need to be sanded and refinished every ten years, depending upon traffic. However, hardwood is still less expensive when you factor the cost of replacing the carpet, plus all the additional carpet cleaning.

The Types of Vinyl Floors – All That You Need to Know

Like most flooring, the vinyl flooring comes in different shapes and sizes. The vinyl flooring comes in different kinds of vinyl sheet flooring, vinyl tile flooring, and vinyl plank flooring.

1. The vinyl sheet flooring – The vinyl sheet flooring is most suited or ideal for moisture-prone areas like bathrooms or mudrooms. Unlike the other flooring, the vinyl sheet flooring is expensive but is usually 6 to 12 feet, which makes it nearly seamless for vinyl installation at homes.

1. The vinyl plank flooring – vinyl plank flooring is very demanding almost for all house owners, as it has a great added and return value due to its durability and dirt resistant nature.  Vinyl plank flooring imitates the look of hardwood . Vinyl plank flooring is relatively less expensive and the vinyl installation is so easy that vinyl plank floor can be installed directly above the sub floor.

1. The vinyl tile flooring – The vinyl tile flooring gives a look similar like that of marble or other classically tiled flooring. This type of vinyl installation is relatively easy and gives an attractive look to the new room.

Type of Vinyl

With new advances in the vinyl industry, there are several types of vinyl floors that will impact your decision when it comes to thickness and durability. There are basic LVT’s and there are new, engineered vinyls. Floors with an engineered rigid core construction will have a more dimensionally stable core than a standard LVT.

With the rigid core constructions, you can find floors from 4mm to 8mm+. Although a rigid core vinyl may be 4mm, it will have a solid construction, which differs from the bendable LVT. When it comes to a rigid core vinyl, thickness isn’t as much of a factor, since the core is constructed with durability in mind.

• Type of Subfloor

Your subfloor is also a very important part of choosing the thickness as well. If you have an even concrete subfloor, you can get a thinner vinyl flooring. This is because your subfloor is sturdy enough that you don’t need the extra support. However, if you subfloor is a thin, creaking hardwood, you should opt for the thicker vinyl for added stability and support.

• Vinyl Flooring Wear Layer

The durability of vinyl plank flooring is determined by the wear layer. When shopping for vinyl plank flooring, pay also attention to the wear layer. Just like the thickness, the thicker the wear layer, the more durable the floor will be. Make sure to choose features of the flooring that’s right for you and your application, using the same questions posed above.

The wear layer is the protective coating on top of the decorative layer of the vinyl flooring. The most popular is a urethane-based layer that protects the floor against scratches, stains, and scuff marks. The wear layer keeps the original look of the floor longer, providing a maintenance-free finish.

Styles of Vinyl Planks

Wood-Look Vinyl Planks

So you want vinyl planks that look like wood. Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of options. Everyone wants the look of wood, without having to deal with the finicky nature of real wood.

Best yet, we have wood-look flooring that hits all the modern trends. Do you want gray floors? We got that. Do you want textured floors? We got that too. Dark wood or light wood? I think you know the answer.

Wood-look vinyl planks come in all the colors and finishes as real hardwood floors. If there’s a look you want, you’ll definitely find it

Stone-Look Vinyl Planks

Most people get stone-look flooring in tile format, but as ceramic plank flooring becomes more popular, I’m guessing we’ll be seeing more vinyl stone-look planks come into play.

Concrete, travertine, and slate are very popular when it comes to stone-look vinyl planks. Guess what? We totally have those looks too. Vinyl planks have a lot of those looks, in fact. From a light beige travertine to a dark gray slate, we got your stone-looks covered.

Vinyl Finishes

There are 3 types of finishes for vinyl flooring, all of which provide a beautiful end result.

• Vinyl no-wax finish: This is the lightest type and is great for areas with light foot traffic and minimal exposure to dirt and moisture
• Urethane finish: More durable, this finish is heavier and can stand up to moderate foot traffic and is also resistant to scuffing and easy to clean
• Enhanced urethane finish: This is the toughest available and can accommodate the heaviest foot traffic, is highly resistant to scratches and stains, and enjoys a lasting luster without constant care

Vinyl Tiles and Planks – Super Easy to Install

If the idea of putting a huge roll of vinyl sheet into place seems a little daunting, then a better option might be to go for some luxury vinyl tiles or planks. Don’t be put off by the word ‘luxury’ you can still find some price friendly products.

Again, the technology has come a long way with these products, and you’re now able to get some very good looking vinyl tiles that are made to resemble real encaustic cement, porcelain or stone tiles for a fraction of the price!

Plus, you can make things super simple with the click-lock or peel and stick versions – easy to install, even for the novice DIYer, making your flooring project even cheaper.