January 19th, 2010
Is it worth it to waste your time and go to the floor store? It depends on how much you trust the installers and how much you can spend on the project. A wood contractor may charge you a little bit more and you won’t be able to verify it without visiting the store.
Those of you who would like to know what they are walking on should devote your free time to learning more about types, styles and colors of the wood floor. Before you go the hardwood flooring store, you should do research, find some information to be able to ask tricky, sophisticated questions. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Listen for personal experiences like how long ago their floor was installed, how it looks like today, what was the biggest issue (if any) with the wood floor.
You are in the store and the first thing to do is to ask for the wood floor expert. He/she is unavailable. Come back when someone knowledgeable will show up. Be prepare to explain what your wood floor goal is, for instance you have a small open kitchen or you want to replace the carpet in the bedroom. You may tell your friend’s stories about damages, scratches and color changes and ask what could be the reasons. Also you may want to ask if they can recommend the reliable wood contractors.
Remember he/she is only a salesperson and their job is to sell the products to their customers.
Tags: bedroom, floor store, hardwood, installers, kitchen, project
Posted in Choosing a New Wood Floor | No Comments »
December 1st, 2009
Lets start a new subject types of wood, costs, estimates and a little bit of do-it-yourself. It also should be the first article, because before we can start taking care of our beautiful wood floor, we must have it. And there are a lot of new homeowners who prefer to walk on the wood instead of carpets.
There are two options to start the new wood floor project. Call on the professional installers and let them do everything from the purchase and delivery to installation and finishing. Or do a research of hardwood flooring dealers, stores in your neighborhood, and check what they offer, what they recommend and how much it can cost you. Be aware that specialized contractors may give you higher price for materials and delivery.
During a visit in the flooring stores, you may be confused of what they can offer. There are hundreds of types, styles and colors to choose from. They have different features and functions depending on your needs and preferences. You may ask the experts what is best for your climate intend to use, whether it will in the living room or kitchen.
Here are some hints of what you should do before the installation process:
Dealers and the wood floor experts
Installers and wood contractors
Type of wood
Finish
Cost
Do-it-yourself
Tags: do-it-yourself, functions, hardwood, kitchen, living room, wood
Posted in Choosing a New Wood Floor | No Comments »
October 1st, 2009
A shiny floor caught your eyes during a visit at your friend’s house. “ What did you do to get the wood floor looked like that?” you might ask her. You’ll probably receive name of a some specific remedy or a safe, eco-friendly cleaner. In many cases an effective cleaners aren’t the best solution for your floor,
Most installers or manufactures may recommend you to use … nothing. If the finish on the floors in good condition, it does not need any special oils and waxes. One of the worst choice is to use a vegetable soap for instance “an oil soap”. It can buildup and cause a damage when it is time to put a new coat of finish on the floor. If you really need to impress visitors and have a shiny floor before they come, remember to pick a neutral pH cleaner.
Tags: cleaner, condition, installers, manufactures, remedy, shiny
Posted in Care & Maintenance | 1 Comment »
July 15th, 2009
As it was written, water doesn’t damage the properly protected and well-sealed hardwood floor. It is true when we wipe it up in a short time of period and don’t let it stay to dry up. Clear water does not affect the finish to the large extent but the other liquids can be dangerous. All spills of cleaners, oil, blood, alcohol, food and urine that remain on the floor may create a chemical reaction that can permanently damage the wood finish.
A friend of mine, who is the owner of Hardwood Flooring Chicago company, told me that he receives many calls from the clients regarding the white or dark spot on the wood floor. They ask how it can be removed or cleaned. Very often the only way to restore the floor to the previous condition is to refinish the whole hardwood floor ( sand and varnish it ). That could cost a lot of money so my recommendation is to keep an eye open, especially if you have the kids. The wiping not only save your floor but it can save someone from falling.
The sun can accelerate the damage process so if you leave spills of the chemical on the floor and let sun rays to accompany them, the unwanted effect will occur much quicker.
The sun itself doesn’t cause any significant problems. Maybe couple what should be mentioned. Some older varnishes and other finishes can yellow in the long time of period. The darker wood attracts more heat in the sunny days. It warm up the floor what is also impropriated.
Tags: accelerate, Chicago, finish, hardwood, protected, varnish
Posted in Care & Maintenance | 2 Comments »
July 7th, 2009
Do you realize that dragging things from outside across the floor, it becomes perfect sandpaper to scratch, grind, dull and dent the finish and surface? If you don’t even feel that you scratch your floor walking through it with the muddy shoes, you always leave all sorts of dirt, gravel, and tiny morsels of mud. It is not a crime to get dirt on the wood floor, it will happen – the crime is not cleaning it. It means that your floor needs to be swept, dust mopped, or vacuumed at least once a day. You must get the dirt off before all housemates start destroying the hardwood floor finish.
Since a contact with water is necessary in some cases, sand, grit and foreign matter become the number one enemy of the hardwood floor. Getting into the habit of sweeping leads to the best prevention, but who has time for this?
The easier way to protect your floor is to stop dirt from shoes coming into your building entrances. You need to buy a good mat to keep the damaging grit off your floor. The best solution is to put a tough, aggressive mat on the outside of the entry ( it will get the heavier mud, soil, grass, etc.) and an olefin or nylon mat inside (it is softer and it is designed to capture dirt and dust your shoes as you enter).
Tags: floor, gravel, hardwood, mat, sandpaper, scratch
Posted in Care & Maintenance | 1 Comment »
