Archive for the ‘Hardwood’ Category

Hardwood Floors – 7 Secrets for Selecting Perfect Flooring

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

To create great looking hardwood floors in your home requires several important functional and design considerations to get it right.  Whether you are considering natural hardwood floors, bamboo, or even laminate flooring – pay close attention to these 7 tips.

DESIGN STYLES

With thousands of colors and styles to select from today it can seem like a daunting task to make the right flooring choice. To narrow the field down it is recommended that you select a flooring style that complements your overall interior design style. Nothing will look worse that a glaring clash of styles, so make sure your new flooring complements your existing (of planned) interior design. Look here for a quick summary of matching hardwood floors and their design styles.

 SITUATIONAL FACTORS

Almost every install will have physical or functional requirements that will further narrow down the scope and selection of an appropriate hardwood or laminate flooring system. Here is a brief summary of factors to consider:

FLOOR TRAFFIC EXPECTATIONS

The quantity and type of traffic you expect on your floors will impact the flooring material you can choose. Laminates offer high durability, as well as wood species that have high “hardness rankings” on the Janka scale. Softer woods are generally not a good selection for high traffic areas.

 SUB FLOORING

The quality of any new hardwood flooring installation can only be as good as the subfloor underneath. For the best outcomes, the subfloor should be dry, stable, and level. Concrete subfloors generally are only acceptable for laminate installations, but you should be mindful of installing a quality underlayment that provides an appropriate moisture barrier as well as good sound installation. Poor laminate installations will sound very hollow when walking on it.

HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE

To prevent warping and cupping of floors make sure there is adequate ventilation and regulated temperatures thought the year. Laminates work best in areas that experience higher humidity levels.

INSTALLATION

The time and cost of installation is an often-overlooked factor in floor selection decisions. Glueless click-style floating laminate floor systems can be a weekend project for experienced do-it-yourselfers, and can save a lot of installation labor. Other flooring installation methods are generally more complex and will require professional installation in most cases.

WARRANTY

Making a successful claim under a flooring warranty often requires that you can demonstrate the product was installed exactly as per the manufacture’s recommendations and that the damage is not a product of wear and tear or poor workmanship. Hiring a professional installer and dealing with a large brand name product that has an established track record is your best protection.

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Hardwood Floors For Interior Design And For Home Decorating

Sunday, December 20th, 2009
Using hardwood floors for interior design and for home decorating, based on furniture of the eighteenth century may be discussed from different points of view. However, what most people realize is the distinguish details of tables made from that century. Dinner and wine tables were some of those pieces of furniture that could add a different touch of class to your interior decorating. Learn from the history of furniture book, by Frederick Litchfield ideas on how 18th century furniture, from the earliest to the present time.
To the latter part of the eighteenth century the English furniture of which time has been discussed on the site belong the quaint little “urn stands” which were made to hold the urn with boiling water, while the tea pot was placed on the little slide which is drawn out from underneath the table top. In those days tea was an expensive luxury, and the urn stand, of which there is an illustration, inlaid in the fashion of the time, is a dainty relic of the past, together with the old mahogany or marqueterie tea caddy, which was sometimes the object of considerable skill and care. They were fitted with two and sometimes three bottles or tea-pays of silver or Battersea enamel, to hold the black and green teas, and when really good examples of these daintily-fitted tea caddies are offered for sale, they bring large sums.

Eighteenth Century Wine Tables

The wine table of this time deserves a word. These are now somewhat rare, and are only to be found in a few old houses, and in some of the Colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. These were found with revolving tops, which had circles turned out to a slight depth for each glass to stand in, and they were sometimes shaped like the half of a flat ring. These latter were for placing in front of the fire, when the outer side of the table formed a convivial circle, round which the sitters gathered after they had left the dinner table.

One of these old tables is still to be seen in the Hall of Gray’s Inn, and the writer was told that its fellow was broken and had been “sent away.” They are nearly always of good rich mahogany, and have legs more or less ornamental according to circumstances.

A distinguishing feature of English furniture of the last century was the partiality for secret drawers and contrivances for hiding away papers or valued articles; and in old secretaries and writing tables we find a great many ingenious designs which remind us of the days when there were but few banks, and people kept money and deeds in their own custody.

 

 

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Hardwood Floors – Important Facts

Sunday, December 13th, 2009
A hardwood floor can be a beautiful addition to any home. As with any product that you might buy, you should always research the different types of hardwood floors on the market today to see which is best for your needs.
Hardwood floors are a long-lasting product known for both its natural beauty and also durability. In addition, its affordable, easy to keep up, good for the environment, and also healthier for you than some flooring.
Not only are hardwood floors affordable, but they can also add value to your home if you are trying to sell it. In fact, as your home increases in value, so does the floor. A hardwood floor is very sought after in a buyers market, as well as in home remodeling and also new construction.
A hardwood floor can be very easy to maintain. Routine maintenance may be a little more than just the sweeping and vacuuming that you are used to, especially since you have to make sure to protect it from moisture and also heavy traffic areas that may become scratched. Maintenance is as simple as using an area rug where traffic is heaviest, and/or floor protectors on all furniture. The use of a hardwood floor cleaner is key to making sure it stays as beautiful as the day it was installed.
You may not know this, but a hardwood floor is known to be ecologically sound. They come from sustainable, natural resources, unlike in the past where wood was cut down without any though to what could happen in the long run to the forest. Today, the timber used in a hardwood floor is cut from forests that are managed in a way to ensure resources for future use. According to statistics from the U.S. Forest Service, just about twice the amount of hardwood timber is put in each year when new growth is harvested.
The EPA, or environmental protection agency, has stated that the quality of your indoor air can be a top threat. But, a hardwood floor can help you to maintain a healthier living environment.
Hardwood floors do not harbor such things as dust mites or mold. This helps to create a better quality of air in your home, alleviating symptoms for those who suffer from different types of allergies.
Also, hardwood floors can help to avoid the accumulation any artificial substances, such as pesticides. A study recently conducted by the EPA found that pesticides used in both homes and gardens can accumulate on surfaces such as floors, but hardwood floors can reduce that.
The selection/variety of hardwood floors are great and choosing one can be tough. There are many types of species, colors, and grains to choose from. Today’s manufacturing technology allows for different stains and finishes, sizes, and also styles, colors, and finished. Although red oak natural and maple natural are the most popular, darker colors are great for formal interiors and lighter colors are great for a more casual look.
Make sure you choose a hardwood floor that not only compliments your home and décor, but you will also be happy with for a long time.
A Hardwood Floor can be a Beautiful Addition to any Home.

As with any product that you might buy, you should always research the different types of hardwood floors on the market today to see which is best for your needs.
A hardwood floors is a long-lasting product known for both its natural beauty and also durability. In addition, it’s affordable, easy to keep up, good for the environment, and also healthier for you than some flooring.
Not only are hardwood floors affordable, but they can also add value to your home if you are trying to sell it. In fact, as your home increases in value, so does the floor. A hardwood floor is very sought after in a buyers market, as well as in home remodeling and also new construction.
A hardwood floor can be very easy to maintain. Routine maintenance may be a little more than just the sweeping and vacuuming that you are used to, especially since you have to make sure to protect it from moisture and also heavy traffic areas that may become scratched. Maintenance is as simple as using an area rug where traffic is heaviest, and/or floor protectors on all furniture. The use of a hardwood floor cleaner is key to making sure it stays as beautiful as the day it was installed.
You may not know this, but a hardwood floor is known to be ecologically sound. It comes from sustainable, natural resources, unlike in the past where wood was cut down without any thought as to what could happen in the long run to the forest. Today, the timber used in a hardwood floor is cut from forests that are managed in a way to ensure resources for future use. According to statistics from the U.S. Forest Service, just about twice the amount of hardwood timber is put in each year when new growth is harvested.
The EPA, or environmental protection agency, has stated that the quality of your indoor air can be a top threat. But, a hardwood floor can help you to maintain a healthier living environment.
Hardwood floors do not harbor such things as dust mites or mold. This helps to create a better quality of air in your home, alleviating symptoms for those who suffer from different types of allergies.
Also, hardwood floors can help to avoid the accumulation of any artificial substances, such as pesticides. A study recently conducted by the EPA found that pesticides used in both homes and gardens can accumulate on surfaces such as floors, but hardwood floors can reduce that.
The selection/variety of hardwood floors is great and choosing one can be tough. There are many types of species, colors, and grains to choose from. Today’s manufacturing technology allows for different stains and finishes, sizes, and also styles, colors, and finished. Although red oak natural and maple natural are the most popular, darker colors are great for formal interiors and lighter colors are great for a more casual look.
Make sure you choose a hardwood floor that not only compliments your home and décor, but you will also be happy with for a long time.

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