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HARDWOOD FLOOR
Wood
flooring is timeless. It enhances the warmth of any home and complements the
decor of any room. Like
a fine piece of furniture, wood flooring increases in value and becomes more
beautiful with time. In a national survey, 90 percent of real estate agents said
that houses with wood flooring sell faster and for more money. The
state-of-the-art technology and almost limitless choices of today's stains,
finishes, styles and designs make wood flooring one of the most practical,
easy-care and versatile floor coverings today. Maintained properly, wood
flooring should never have to be replaced. |
The richness of a natural hardwood
floor can add warmth and charm to any room.
Today's wood floors come in more
species and colors than ever before and with proper care hardwood floors can
last a lifetime
- Wood floors are a natural,
non-allergenic product
- Hardwood floors can add real value to a
home
- Wood floors come in 3 basic types:
- solid wood floors (prefinished
& unfinished)
- cut from tree as a solid piece of
wood
- will react to changes in humidity
- recommended for above grade
installations
- nail-down installation to a wood
type sub floor
- solid wood needs proper expansion
allowances along vertical walls
- engineered wood floors
(pre-finished)
- a type of pre-finished engineered
wood floor
- usually 3 plies of wood laminated
together
- planks are approximately 8 inches in
width and 8 feet long
- glue, float, staple or nail-down on
all grade levels
- some companies make a glueless
version, no glue or nails required
- can be installed on wood subfloors,
concrete slabs and floated over some existing floors.
- good choice of do-it-yourself
- Unfinished hardwood floors (also
called job-site finished).
- with a job-site finish they sand the
floor smooth, less chance for overwood
- custom stained colors, generally 2-3
coats added of finish
- this can be fairly messy, takes
several days
- Pre-finished hardwood floors
(also called factory finished).
- usually installs in less than a day
- less messy than job-site finish
- limited to manufacturer's colors
- manufacturers can apply 7-10 coats of
finish
- factory finishes are extremely wear
resistant
- some manufacturers add aluminum oxide
for additional durability
- today's factory finishes are much
easier to care for than the old waxed finishes.
- prefinished trims are not an
exact match to the floor.
- Wood accents available to create unique
looks and patterned designs.
- Variety of wood trims and moldings
available
- All hardwood floors can be scratched.
Scratches in the finish layer are fairly easy to repair.
- Areas with lots of sunlight may effect
the color
- Most hardwood floors can be used over
radiant heat with some limitations
- Mostly used for: living rooms, dining
rooms, bedrooms, dens, and great rooms.
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