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Hardwood, Bamboo, Cork Flooring Information Topics: Wood Floor Construction, Grades, Wood Finishes, Installation Methods, Wood Floor Care Tips Alexanian's carries wood flooring lines, like Mannington, Lauzon, Kahrs, Northern, and Ancestral. Bamboo flooring from Teregren and Solida and cork from Solida. Here is a list of all the brands we carry. We prefer to specialize in prefinished flooring products because of their many advantages. We do offer site finished (installed, sanded and coated on site) products as well. Hardwood flooring is increasing in popularity. New manufacturing techniques have introduced many new options besides the once common 3/4" solid oak planks. By gluing hardwood veneers together for example, manufacturers are able create hardwood flooring that can be installed in places that the old 3/4" solid wood floors could not. In addition, the factory finishes used today are very tough and durable. Come to Alexanian's for the latest wood flooring lines, including bamboo and cork. Or check our selection online.    Wood Floor Construction Solid Plank: Wood planks are one complete piece of solid wood from top to bottom. The planks are usually 3/4" thick, however new technology in milling is allowing for a 5/16" thickness as well. The most commonly used width is 3 1/4" but sizes from 1 1/2" strips to 7" planks are available in some brands. Lengths of planks used for flooring will be random. Solid wood products react to the presence of moisture. In the winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract slightly. In the summer months, when humidity is high, the planks will expand. A proper installation is required to minimize the affects of these seasonal moisture conditions. Solid strip or plank floors are installed with the nail down procedure on a secure wooden subfloor. Engineered Planks: Engineered planks are made from up to 5 layers of wood laminated together to become one board. The cross-graining lamination process results in a flooring product that is dimensionally stable and not greatly affected by moisture, compared to solid wood floors. These floors do not expand and contract like solid wood products. Engineered floors can be installed on any grade level of the home; below grade, on grade or above grade. Installation options are nail down, staple down, glue down, or floating. Parquet: These floors come in many unique patterns, but are generally thought of as 12"x12" squares that fit together in a specific pattern. Parquets are a glue down installation either on grade or above grade. Board Edges: Hardwood floors come in either a beveled edge or square edge. The beveled edge is more "forgiving" over slightly irregular subfloors and for slight variations in plank heights. Grades of Wood Flooring One should be aware of the grade of flooring being purchased, especially when looking at what some retailers call "cabin grade or tavern grade". Cabin Grade and Tavern Grade Warning: These two grades often appear low priced, which can be deceiving. Alexanian's does not recommend cabin or tavern grade flooring for the following reasons: Cabin and tavern grade wood flooring is 100% seconds. There usually is no guarantee or warranty. No returns, even if boxes are unopened. The following defects can be expected: Uneven or missing stain. Excessive knots and knot holes. Uneven thickness (over wood or underwood). Worm holes and finish blemishes. Damaged tongue and groove and un-precise milling. Stain streaks and excessive warpage. The following extra costs can be expected: Up to 20% waste factor. Installation more time consuming and costly. Defective material must be selected and cut out. Extra work with warped or misaligned boards. You assume all the risk of future problems.  Wood Finishes Although the old method of stain and clear top coat is still used on unfinished wood floors, the sale of factory pre-finished wood floors has grown tremendously. Today hardwood flooring manufacturers are using new techniques to create tough, scratch resistant wearlayers that help prevent moisture from penetrating the wood's surface. The new surfaces are also very easy to maintain. UV-cured - Factory finishes that are cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat. Polyurethane - A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wearlayer. Acrylic-urethane - A slightly different chemical make up than Polyurethane but with similar benefits. Ceramic-Advanced technology that allows the use of ceramics to increase the abrasion resistance of the wearlayer. Aluminum Oxide - Added to the urethane finish for increased abrasion resistance of the wearlayer. Acrylic Impregnated - Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wearlayer over the wood. Wood Installation Methods The installation of wood flooring is very important to get the best performance and look to your floor. Alexanian's has professional installers that can do the job right. The following is a brief overview of the most common wood installation techniques. Nail Down Typically used with the 3/4" solid products. Staple Down Staples are used versus nailing cleats to attach the wood flooring to the subfloor. Glue Down Mastic or adhesive is spread on with a trowel to adhere the wood flooring to the subfloor. Floating Floating floors are not mechanically fastened to the subfloor. A wood glue is applied in the tongue and groove of each plank to hold the planks together. Care of Wood Floors Because of the many different finishes on wood floors today, it is important to know the manufacturer and follow their recommended cleaning procedures. However, if the manufacturer is not known, then the following are some general cleaning tips. For waxed floors: Keep grit off the floor, dust mop or vacuum regularly and keep door mats clean. Wipe up spills promptly with a dry cloth or dry paper towel. Use a slightly dampened cloth for sticky spills and buff with a dry cloth to restore luster. When areas of heavy use no longer respond to buffing, wax only those areas and buff all the floor to an even luster. Your floor should only need to be completely rewaxed once or twice a year depending on traffic. For surface finishes, including urethanes: Keep grit off the floor, dust mop or vacuum regularly and keep door mats clean. Wipe up spills promptly with a dry cloth. Use a slightly dampened cloth for sticky spills. For general cleaning, there are good generic wood floor cleaning products available. Do not use a soap based cleaning solution or excessive water. When the original floor luster does not return after cleaning, the floor may require recoating. Do not wax a surface finish because the floor coating characteristic could be compromised. |
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