The 3 Types of Edges on Hardwood Flooring

Many people don’t realize that there are 3 types of edges used in hardwood flooring material.

The 3 are beveled edges, eased edge, square edge.

Square edged flooring is by far the most commonly used flooring however if you are after a look that compliments the style of your home a the other 2 styles can be an asset.

The grooves the create is a trap for dust and dirt however they can actually serve as a trap to get dust and dirt of the flat surface itself so it can’t scratch it and dull the finish, proper care and cleaning will negate the whole issue anyway.

Some manufacturers either bevel or ease the edge to hide minor irregularities like uneven heights.

Tools used by a Hardwood Installer

Back in the 60′s the hand nailer was introduced which made the nailing of  hardwood flooring easier but it was still physically demanding work.

Today we use pneumatic staplers that allow us to work more efficiently and more productive so we can install more flooring faster yet not compromise on quality and the pneumatic stapler has made the job of  laying wood flooring much less demanding work.

So today we can lay wood flooring much easier, more efficient and this makes the cost of wood flooring more economical for our customers.

Hardwood Floor Installation of the Month

This month we are featuring Barrett’s red oak hard wood flooring  job.

It turned out beautifully!
Barrett has been with Wood Floors by Design for 4 years. He also is a full time student. He is a hard working employee who does quality work!  Maybe you will have the chance to meet him on your next project.

Santos Mahogany Hardwood for Flooring

Santos Mahogany is a very popular hardwood flooring, it is a superior choice over domestic mahogany because of its hardness and color fastness. Santos Mahogany is one of  the hardest hardwood flooring material you can choose, with a Janka rating of 2220 psi.

Description: Santos Mahogany is a great choice for flooring if you want the beautiful look of Mahogany and a wood that is hard enough to serve as a flooring material.

Color: This wood is a rich dark colored wood that varies between a light orange brown with yellow overtones to a dark reddish brown.

Color Change: This wood will lighten just slightly over time for a slightly muted look.

Botanical Name: Myroxylon, balsamum

Lumber Name: Santos Mahogany, cabreuva vermelha, red incensio, quina quina, estoraque, balsamo, nava

Grows In: Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Paraguay

Allergic Reactions: Santos Mahogany in many countries is known as incensio or balsamo because of its strong scent when fresh cut, the scent will quickly dissipate but the scent has been known to cause respiratory reactions in some people from inhaling its dust produced from working with the wood so you may want to wear some type of respiratory filter.

Still Time for Those Summer Projects

Click on image to enlarge and see full details of August Special. 

Subflooring for Hardwood Floors

The successful installation of hardwood flooring can be complicated and it requires a certain level of expertise.

Before you can even get to the task of  installing and finishing a hardwood floor you first need to determine the state of the subfloor.  If you don’t pay attention to the subfloor, a hardwood floor installed over an improperly prepared subfloor will end in an improperly laid hardwood floor and no amount of craftsmanship or experience will overcome this fact and since 80% of  hardwood floor failures are the result of poor subfloor preparation it is essential that any hardwood floor installation start with the subfloor. This applies to wood floors over concrete or wood subflooring.

Below are the items you need to consider when preparing a subfloor. Hardness factor

• Slab and Ambient Moisture
• Radiant Heat Systems
• Slab Flatness
• Surface Contamination
• Leveling

In future posts we will cover these more in detail but for now beware that if you are not aware of what these items or how to properly deal with them then you are not capable of successfully installing a hardwood floor or properly preparing the subfloor.

Hardwood Flooring Colors

Information you can use to be an informed consumer of hardwood flooring!

Color

There are many different colors to choose from though most people choose stain colors that enhance the natural beauty of the wood. You can go beyond that and choose stain colors that are as diverse as the colors of the rainbow, see samples to the right. 

There are 4 different shades of stain, Natural, Light, Medium, Dark and custom colors.

Custom colors is any color apart from Brown, Sand and Tan.

Sheen

Another aspect of stain is its sheen, a stains sheen falls under one of 3 categories.

Satin – a low reflecting characteristic, it’s a traditional choice for a natural appearance.
Recommended for high use area such as wood floors.

Semi-gloss – this finish is a compromise between Satin and Gloss.  It brings out the beauty of a hardwood floor yet still offers durable performance.

Gloss- This offers the optimal look of a lustrous finish with depth and brilliance.

Once you have chosen a color and sheen you still need to consider how the stain will look on your floor.  The best and often the most practical way to determine whether your chosen stain looks darker or lighter, whether it brings out the grain more than you thought or not is to try the stain of a sample of the stain.  It is the only way you can be absolutely sure how it will look unless your hardwood floor installer shows you a sample.

Also if you are having  a hardwood floor company install your floor they will  work with you to determine which stain choices will be get you the results you are looking for.

Want to know exactly what a stain is and understand the characteristics of stain then click here!

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Flooring

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood is a very popular choice and cherry wood comes from sources around the world however not all cherry wood is the same.  Some types of  cherry wood are much softer than others and not all is suitable for flooring.  Brazilian or Jatoba cherry is an extremely popular choice and one of  the reasons is probably its Janka rating of 2820.  The Janka rating tells you how hard the wood is.  Asian and Bolivian cherry is also used. Cherry hardwood is easy to machine, glues and nails well, and produces a smooth finish when sanded. Cherry wood also dries quite quickly after milling, but has a high shrinkage rate unless its kiln dried. 

  I will talk about Jatobá or Brazilian Cherry because it is overwhelmingly popular for floors. 

 The most interesting thing about Brazilian Cherry is that it is not a cherry wood. It is referred to as a cherry wood but it is actually botanically related to Brazilian Copal, South American Locust, the West Indian Locust Tree or Stinking Toe, Old Man’s Toe or Stinktoe, the last 3 names are because of the odor the pulp inside its seed pods gives off. 

 The natural density and hardness of  Brazilian Cherry makes working with hand tools somewhat difficult to do. You can sand nail it without difficulty though and if nailing is a problem you can adjust the nailing angle and pre-drill. 

Brazilian or Jatobá is a very hard wood which has a Janka rating of 2350, compare this to American or Black Cherry which has a Janka rating of  950 and you can see how tough Brazilian Cherry really is. 

Freshly cut  Brazilian Cherry has a dark orange salmon like brown color, it darkens to a reddish brown with dark streaks as it ages, its coloring has helped make it one of  the most popular hardwood choices. 

Brazilian Cherry flooring will change color stigmatically after installation, interestingly direct full exposure to sunlight helps it  develop its rich, reddish colors that Brazilian Cherry so popular. If this wood gets less than full sunlight it end up getting dull lack luster look so remember that full sunlight will bring out its true beauty.   Also the type of finish applied to the wood will affect how fast and how much the wood coloring changes. Water based finishes tend to suspend the change in color and slow it down while oil based finishes will speed up the color change. 

Brazilian Cherry Jatoba comes from Central America, southern Mexico and down to Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru, it is used in flooring, specialty items including railroad ties, tool handles, furniture and cabinetry. 

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Flooring is one of about 7 of the most popular hardwood species used for floors out of 150 different species of cherry would.

5 Things that Damage Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is very durable and can last for the life  of your home but if you want to ensure that it stays looking like new you need to first understand what will cause a hardwood floor to lose its luster and beauty.

• WATER or MOISTURE, these are obvious but carelessness or any situation that exposing your floor to standing water or moisture for an extended amount of time will create serious damage to not only to the finish but the wood itself.
• DUST - acts as an abrasive wearing the luster off  and dulling your hardwood floor’s finish. 
• DIRT and GRAVEL – These can seriously scratch a hardwood floor finish which won’t actually damage your wood but will destroy the beauty of floor.
• HEAVY OBJECTS – Dents or gouging to due to unprotected furniture legs or object that don’t distribute the weight enough will end up dimpling your hardwood floor. All hardwood has it breaking point, a point at which the cell structure of the wood will give way and a dent dimple will result so anything that focuses a considerable amount of weight to a small focused area should be avoided. Things like furniture, appliances, etc.
• DIRECT SUNLITE – All hardwood flooring will darken over time, it is part of the natural aging process but direct sunlight will accelerate the process. 

Now that you understand those things that can cause your floor to loose it luster and orginal beauty you are better prepared to follow good hardware floor cleaning tips.

~For more inforamation on how to care for your hardwood floors see Hardwood Floor Care.

Tips for cleaning your wood floors

You should have a dust mop and use it often. Darker wood floors, or floors with a dark stain will highlight dust particles. A disposable cloth mop can actually damage your hardwood floor. A dust mop is softer, and will pick up particles that you might be scraping against the floor with a disposable cloth type mop.
Small dust particles, dirt, bark dust, rocks and everyday stuff you drag in from outside can do serious damage to your hardwood floors. Every time you walk on surface debris, you are grinding it into and scraping the finish on your floor. Small spills can also be taken care of with a dust mop. Get a dust mop where you can remove the mop part and wash it regularly.
A damp mop is also ok to use. Your best bet is to use a damp mop with clean water when you clean your floors. If the floor is still dirty, only then should you move up to a stronger cleaning solution other than water. You can use a special cleaner for wood floors, preferably something with a neutral pH. Ph neutral cleaner with help prevent your finish from breaking down.