Installation hardwood floor maintenance - All hardwood Floor Ltd

Installation hardwood floor maintenance - All Hardwood Floor ltd - Vancouver, BC

With a few simple steps and precautions, you can enjoy and preserve the original beauty of your floor.

Humidity

   Changes in humidity level can cause any wood floor to shrink or expand. In order to    minimize such movement, it is important to maintain the humidity level in your home    between 40% and 50%, through the use of appropriate humidity and ventilation    systems.

Liquids and spills

   All liquids and spills should be wiped off as soon as possible in order to prevent any    possible damage. You may consider using area rugs to protect susceptible areas    (around kitchen sink, at entrance for wet footwear, etc.).

Protection

   Abrasive dirt such as sand, street dirt and cat litter can damage any hardwood floor.    Protect your floor by using entrance mats and area rugs. Regular cleaning or    vacuuming of these rugs will prevent accumulation of dirt. Felt protectors under the    legs of all pieces of furniture will prevent damage caused by scratching.

Sunlight

   Normal exposure to sunlight will cause slight color changes in any hardwood floor.    Area rugs, which block out light, should therefore be shifted regularly.

Care products

   For best results, we recommend the use of specially formulated wood care and    maintenance products.

Installation

   Before installing hardwood floors, subfloors should be carefully treated and/or    prepared, in order to prevent moisture-related problems and other problems
   associated with construction defects or sub-par installation conditions. Floors
   should be installed according to widely recognized industry standards and practices.

Maintenance

Never use a damped mop or wet cloth to clean your hardwood flooring. Water
can seriously damage any kind of wood.
Never use wax on your polyurethane prefinished hardwood flooring.
Never allow direct contact between the legs of pieces of furniture and the flooring. Use felt protectors under the legs in order to prevent scratches.
Use a dry mop or vacuum cleaner frequently to eliminate solid particales which might scratch your hardwood flooring.
Please remember that water, sand, salt and dust are not compatible with hardwood flooring.
Without losing time, absorb water or liquid spills with a dry cloth.
If there is a door leading outside where you have installed hardwood flooring,
use a door mat to catch the dirt and absorb the humidity. Never use a rubber mat, with a Styrofoam or plastic backing. Some Styrofoam may damage your floor, therefore they are not recommended on hardwood flooring.

Glossary

Acrylic Impregnated

With acrylic impregnated hardwood flooring, the 1/16" hardwood veneer on the top of the floor has been injected (impregnated) with a plastic acrylic solution under very high pressure and heat. This specially treated acrylic resin makes the floor up to 300% harder and more indent-resistant than
natural wood. The engineered construction also reduces the risk of expansion and buckling.

Bevel

Modern hardwood flooring is available in many different edge styles, from square edge to micro-bevelled, to deeply grooved edges.

Square Edge - no Bevel - The edges of all boards meet squarely creating a uniform, smooth
surface that blends the floor together from board to board. The look is contemporary and formal,
and there are no grooves to catch dust. The square edge can cost 5 - 10% more, but it gives a smoother appearance and square edge floors are easier to refinish. The square edge is not recommended over uneven floors.

Micro-Bevel - The micro-bevel is meant to help hide minor irregularities, such as uneven plank heights.

Heavy or Hand-Bevel - These floors also hide floor irregularities, and have a very distinctive
deep groove in them. The beveled edge planks lend themselves to an informal and country decor.
The hand-beveled planks have a rustic, hand-hewn look.

Caramelized or Carbonized Bamboo

Bamboo flooring is available in Natural or Caramelized.

Natural is a light blond color similar to maple, and Caramelized is a dark amber color similar to
young teak. This darker color is not a stain, but a process of pressure heating the fiber at the
factory, which darkens the sugar compounds in the fiber.

Engineered Flooring (also called Laminated Flooring, Engineered-Wood Flooring)

Engineered Wood Flooring is wood flooring made from two or more laminations (layers) of wood glued together in a sandwich. The surface is real, resandable wood -- not to be confused with plastic photo laminates.

Floating Wood Floors

What makes floating hardwood floors different from traditional hardwood flooring is that such floors aren't glued or nailed to the wood subfloor or concrete slab. The planks are attached to each other,
and sit on top of the subfloor or sound barrier.

The floor is installed with a small expansion gap at all edges, to allow for some natural expansion and contraction due to the seasons. The expansion gaps are never seen, they are covered by molding or shoe trim, and door thresholds .

Glue-down

In a glue-down application, hardwood flooring is adhered to the floor using a special type of
adhesive - a chemical-drying compound.

Some types of hardwood flooring may be adhered directly to:
Concrete
Sound Barriers
Plywood Subfloor
Radiant Heating

The advantages of a glue-down application are:
No need to build a plywood subfloor, saving time and material
No subfloor means less height build-up, so less height differences between hardwood and non-hardwood flooring

A very solid floor with little to no movement

Glue-down application requires a skilled installer and meticulous site preparation.

The strength of your floor depends on the quality of the glue used. AllHardwoodFloor only uses proven, quality adhesives to ensure the bond remains strong into the future.

Hardness

When choosing your hardwood flooring it is essential to take into account not only its appearance
but the hardness as well. It is worth choosing a harder wood species rather than a softer one for
areas where hard wear is expected: children playing, pets, stiletto heels, a busy entrance hall.

In the table below, the hardness of the different wood species are compared to oak whose
reference value is 100.

Relative Hardness of Hardwood Flooring Species

Pine	42
Birch	67
Birch Baroque	67
Maple (European)	82
Cherry	85
Walnut	90
Beech	95
Red Oak	97
Oak	100
Rose Gum	103
Ash Baroque	105
Ash	105
Beech Baroque	118
Beech Antique	118
Maple (Canadian)	123
Jarrah	131
Merbau	144
Kempass	154
Santos Mahogany	163
Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)	175

Horizontal or Flat Grain, Vertical Grain (Bamboo)

Bamboo flooring is available in Horizontal (Flat) Grain and Vertical Grain.

Horizontal or Flat grain flooring is laid-up with 3 layers of flattened bamboo slats adhered together. When you look at the floor from above you can see the bamboo nodes.

Vertical grain flooring is comprised of stalks that are adhered together vertically. You see a smaller portion of each stalk, and the nodes are less noticeable.

Engineered Flooring (also called Laminated Flooring, Engineered-Wood Flooring)

Engineered Wood Flooring is wood flooring made from two or more laminations (layers) of wood glued together in a sandwich. The surface is real, resandable wood -- not to be confused with plastic photo laminates.

Plain Sawn vs. Quarter Sawn

The grain that shows on the surface of your hardwood floor will appear different, dependingon how
the wood was cut.

Plain sawn (or flat-sawn) lumber has the growth rings of the tree parallel to the board's broad face. Plain sawn wood highlights the grain, loops and growth swirls of the wood.

Quarter sawn has the growth rings of the tree approximately perpendicular to the board's surface. Quarter sawn wood has the straightest grain, and is used for our premium floors to add a sleek, streamlined look to any room.

Rift Sawn lumber is cut at a 30-degree or greater angle to the growth rings. This produces narrow boards with accentuated vertical or "straight" grain patterns.

How Quarter-Sawn Wood is Milled

First, the log is cut into quarters. Then, the quarter is flipped ninety degrees back and forth to saw
off a plane of wood. This process does not produce any more waste than plain sawing, but it does require some extra time to flip the quarters back and forth. This milling process produces a specialty wood flooring cut called Rift and Quarter Sawn.

The benefits to this cut of wood are straighter grain that is up to 50% more stable than plain sawn flooring, and a superior looking product featuring less variation, longer lengths, and medullar rays.

Plank Style

Engineered flooring may be available in different plank styles.

3 Strip
The entire board consists of three parallel strips of the same width. This style is usually the
least expensive, and gives a busy patterned appearance that can disguise the seams where three
strips end together.

2 Strip
The 2-strip Long Plank consists of 2 parallel strips, with joints. The strips are longer and larger, but there are still seams with two strips ending together.

1 Strip
The 1-strip consists of a single strip along the whole length of the board. This style may be available
in different widths. This style is a bit more cost, but the single strip boards are the only style that truly give the effect of traditional hardwood flooring.

Prefinished

Prefinished floors arrive for installation with a durable finish already applied to the surface. Because there's no need for finish application and drying time, the floors are fast to install.

Quarter Sawn vs. Plain Sawn

The grain that shows on the surface of your hardwood floor will appear different, dependingon how
the wood was cut.

Plain sawn (or flat-sawn) lumber has the growth rings of the tree parallel to the board's broad face. Plain sawn wood highlights the grain, loops and growth swirls of the wood.

Quarter sawn has the growth rings of the tree approximately perpendicular to the board's surface. Quarter sawn wood has the straightest grain, and is used for our premium floors to add a sleek, streamlined look to any room.

Radiant Heated Floors (& Recommended Flooring)

For many builders, the reluctance to install hardwood floors over radiant heat stemmed from
problems associated with the original technology introduced more than 40 years ago. Back then,
floors were heated excessively to compensate for poor building insulation. Those high temperatures exaggerated expansion and contraction in hardwood flooring. Today, modern insulation and building techniques allow a radiant floor to stay cooler than the floor of the average sunroom.

Many of the new engineered floors available today are designed for radiant heated floor installation.

Recommended flooring:

Premium site-finished long-length wood
Engineered Floating
Engineered Glue-down
Bamboo (engineered)
Cork Floors

Rift Sawn

Rift Sawn lumber is cut at a 30-degree or greater angle to the growth rings. This produces narrow boards with accentuated vertical or "straight" grain patterns.

Site-Finished

Site-finished hardwood floors are installed, and then stained and finished on-site. Site-finishing
gives a traditional, flowing, and unbroken finished appearance.

Vertical or Horizontal Grain, Flat Grain (Bamboo)

Bamboo flooring is available in Horizontal (Flat) Grain and Vertical Grain.

Horizontal or Flat grain flooring is laid-up with 3 layers of flattened bamboo slats adhered together. When you look at the floor from above you can see the bamboo nodes.

Vertical grain flooring is comprised of stalks that are adhered together vertically. You see a smaller portion of each stalk, and the nodes are less noticeable.

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Wood Flooring Installation

Hardwood Flooring Installation

Wood flooring Installation services for variety, quality and affordability

Choosing wood flooring for decorating a new home is obviously the best decision, however, selecting the right material and appropriate services is more vital. There is variety of wooden materials that is available and offered by a number of companies. It always makes better sense to choose the Wood Flooring Installation services for Value and your decorating needs. We have a wide variety of wooden materials ready to be installed. We assist our customers in choosing the right materials that perfectly matches with the interior decoration of their home. Further, our flooring materials add an elegant radiance to the home. Some of the different wooden materials that are used to create the floors include oak, pine, maple, walnut, mahogany, teak, and many more. Each type of material is offered in assorted patterns and designs. We also offer more exotic types of materials such as engineering and acrylic based woods to suit our clients' needs. While offering a plethora of designs, we likewise ensure that Wood Flooring Installation services are highly affordable. We are definitely competitive. Further, there is no compromise on the quality of the materials we utilize or the services we provide. The floors installed by us are durable, cost effective and enrich the entire visual aspect of your home.

And the peace of mind that your investment in hardwood flooring did add great value.

Convenient and affordable hardwood flooring Installation

It always seems to be stressful when it comes to selecting hardwood materials for your flooring. Hardwood flooring materials can be broadly classified into two categories, which are unfinished materials and prefinished materials. Our contractor services offer both of these types of floor materials in a wide assortment of patterns. It includes solid and engineered floor materials that are available in an assortment of thicknesses and lengths. All Hardwood Floor Ltd Hardwood Floor contractor services offer you a broad range of patterns with many different finishes and colors that offer your home an extremely luxurious appearance. People typically opt for engineered prefinished materials due to a low cost and high durability. Satisfying the needs of the customer by offering the desired choice of material, hardwood flooring installation NY services offers something beyond the conventional methods of installing wooden flooring. Though the cost of this kind of flooring is already highly affordable, our services bring you lavishness at a great deal. In addition, all of the materials that are used in hardwood floor installation are eco-friendly, which means that they are safe for environment. They are not only user friendly, but a great convenience for customers.

Hardwood Flooring Installation Services

Hardwood floors are an excellent financial investment - with the proper installation and care, they will last for years. Here at New York Wood Floor, we employ different installation methods depending on what kind of flooring you choose (for example, engineered wood strips, solid wood strips or parquet).

But whichever method of installation is used, moisture testing is imperative to ensure the job is done properly. The installation of wood flooring is a painstaking process, which is why you need professionals you can trust. We promise to leave your home looking beautiful, because we take pride in our work. Our crews both reliable and experienced – they have seen every kind of situation and are proficient in the three different types of installation used with hardwood flooring.

Nail Down/Staple wood flooring Installation

With this method, we will nail down or staple solid or engineered wood strips to the sub-flooring (which usually is made either of plywood or plank wood). The floor is laid with random length strips – a few are placed down and arranged prior to fastening, to ensure proper placement and tautness.

Glue Down wood flooring Installation

This kind of installation involves gluing down engineered wood strips or parquet directly to the sub-floor. In such cases, the sub-floor is usually concrete, so extra attention needs to be paid to the question of moisture.

With glue-down installations, it is important to point out that homeowners with allergies or sensitivity to smell may experience some discomfort in the installation. Having said that, New York Wood Floor uses an acrylic-based glue, which is relatively mild.

Glue-down installations can be walked on in no time at all – usually the following day – and furniture can also be moved back in to the room

Floating wood flooring Installation

When it comes to floating installations, the tongue and groove of every plank is glued together, leaving the flooring ‘floating’ over a foam-cushioned padding. If the flooring has a locking system, pieces can be fitted together without glue.

This is a method that is used both with laminate and engineered wood - in both cases the flooring is pre-finished. Floating installations can also be placed over sub-flooring of more questionable quality, which is not possible with nailing-down and gluing-down. As a general rule, laminate flooring gives a hollow feeling underfoot, with this particular method.

Another factor is the ‘wear’ layer - the thicker the layer, the more times it can be re-finished.

Finally, it’s important to remember that ‘floating’ floors expand and contract as a whole, because all of the pieces of wood have been fused together. You will need to allow for such expansion.

Our comprehensive service ensures that no detail is overlooked. We will determine the temperature, evenness of the sub-floor, and presence of moisture and sound barriers, before we even begin work. Whichever installation you choose, we guaranteed that you will be satisfied with the quality of our work and the finished product.

Call us today at 604 603 7317

Please come look at our web site http://allhardwoodfloor.com

AFTER THE HARDWOOD FLOOR IS COMPLETED:

Do not use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly.
Use throw rugs both inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked onto your wood floors. This will prevent scratching.
Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
Wipe up spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
Do not over-wax a wood floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax buildup under furniture and other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
Avoid walking on your wood floors with cleats, sports shoes and high heels. A 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch. An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 pounds per square inch. This kind of impact can dent any floor surface.
When moving heavy furniture, do not slide it on wood flooring. It is best to pick up the furniture completely to protect the wood flooring.
For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink.
Use a humidifier throughout the winter months to minimize gaps or cracks.

What to Expect During the Curing Process

Wood Floor Maintenance

Simple steps can be taken to maintain the beauty and luster of your new Glitsa finished floors.

Use Glitsa's untreated mop with Dust Pad on your floor regularly. This will keep the sand and grit off of your floor that may cause premature wear. Throw rugs that are cleaned on a regular basis are recommended in front of your kitchen sink and at each outside door.

Cleaning

Wipe up food and other spills immediately using a dampened (not soaking wet) Cleaning Pad on the Glitsa Mop or paper towel. Regular cleaning should be done with Glitsa Clean which is specially formulated to clean your Glitsa finished floor. Follow directions on the bottle for correct application. Glitsa Clean is available through your flooring contractor.

No Waxing

Glitsa finished floors should never be waxed. Do not use oils or waxes, or cleaners that have these properties, on your Glitsa finish. If wax or other treatments are applied, recoating may not be possible.

Recoat

As your floor begins to show wear and does not clean easily with Glitsa Clean, recoating is recommended. Glitsa Aerosol is available for minor repairs or touch up for the Gold Seal System. Contact your hardwood flooring professional when recoating becomes necessary.

Know your Floor

Know what products were used to finish and clean your wood floor. Keep track of the dates (month/year) that the floor was installed, finished, refinished and/or repaired. Remember the company name of your floor installer and finisher. When moving, leave the above information in the home for the next homeowner.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance may be the most important factor in determining the longevity of your wood floor finish.

Place walk off mats in entry ways and near sink areas to minimize the amount of dirt and water that comes in contact with your floor.
Check your chair legs and other pieces of furniture and attach Safeglides Felt Floor Protectors to all furniture that will come in contact with your wood floor.
Keep high heel shoes in good repair. Heels that have lost their protective cap can cause little indentations in any floor surface, even concrete!
Keep pet claws trimmed.
Do not over-water plants. Soil, fertilizers, and plant foods may have chemicals in them that could damage your Glitsa finish.
Soft rubber (shoe soles, toy wheels, etc.) will leave marks on the floor. Most of these marks can be rubbed out, but should be avoided if possible.

Post Application Tips

A minimum of 24 hours is recommended before returning to the residence. Providing good ventilation will minimize the odor and help the floor finish cure faster. You can generally walk on the floor after 24 hours. However, you should use your floors with care for the first two weeks after application. The more gentle you are on the floor during this time, the more satisfaction you will get from your floors for years to come.

Furniture

Allow two to three days before placing furniture on the floor. Do not drag or slide the furniture into place. Install Safeglides Felt Floor Protectors on furniture legs before replacing furniture.

Carpets

Allow two to three weeks before putting carpets or rugs on the floor. If covered prematurely, finishes may discolor.

Cleaning

Do not use water or any cleaning substances on the floor for the first two to three weeks.

®AHF-All Hardwood Floor Ltd™

604 603 7317 Ken MOERSCH