How To Pick The Right Hardwood Flooring For Your Home

Whether youre renovating your home for a resale or simply to make your home more enjoyable for you and your family, flooring is one of the most significant changes worthy of your investment. The right hardwood, among the most popular flooring options, can significantly boost your homes value.

Solid or Engineered Wood?

But how do you go about deciding between solid wood or engineered wood? While the look and feel of both types can sometimes be indistinguishable, its important to make your choice based on practical considerations.

Beyond cost, climate and durability are the key factors in determining which floor is best for your needs. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on where the flooring is being installed and how much traffic it gets.

Solid Wood Flooring

As the name implies, solid wood flooring made from solid wood, milled from a single 3/4-inch thick piece of hardwood such as oak, maple, hickory or poplar. Solid wood floors can be installed on or above ground level and must be installed over a plywood subfloor, not a concrete slab.

Because they are made from thick sections of trees, solid wood floors react to moisture as they wood in nature. This means they may not perform well in moisture rooms, like basements, kitchens and bathrooms, or climates with significant temperature variations, often swelling and contracting as they soak up moisture.

Beyond tradition, most people choose solid wood because they are relatively easy to sand and refinish. As a result, they tend to last much longer than other types of floors. Oak is the most popular hardwood flooring in the United States, and in many cases the most practical. Its typically the most economical, resists dents and scratching better than most hardwoods, and is relatively easy to sand and refinish, according to the National Wood Flooring Association.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood flooring is manufactured using multiple layers of wood veneers, with the top layer being a solid wood and the ones below being plywood. The quality of engineered floors depends on the composition of woods used. Most engineered wood flooring is factory-finished, but it can be done at the job site.

Engineered wood can be nailed to a plywood subfloor or glued onto a concrete slab, making it a better choice for basements. While engineered floors react better to moisture and humidity than solid wood, they are not invincible. Its important to follow manufacturer recommendations regarding relative humidity. Prolonged use in climates that are too dry or too wet will cause damage that wont be covered by the manufacturers warranty.

The main advantage to engineered flooring is the cost savings in comparison to solid wood. Keep in mind, however, that the quality of wood used in engineered floors greatly affects performance. Sanding and refinishing engineered flooring is more difficult than solid wood, and can seldom be done more than once or twice with good results. For this reason, the life span of these floors is shorter than solid wood.

When selecting hardwood flooring to install in your home, look beyond the aesthetics of your options. With this type of investment, its important to analyze which flooring works best for the space as well as your long-term plans.

The post How To Pick The Right Hardwood Flooring For Your Home appeared first on ProSand Flooring.

Car wash tips: six ways to clean auto interiors with steam

Thanks to HomeRight for partnering with me on this post. After a long winter, my husband is always chomping at the bit to do a car wash on the first pretty day. He's a car fanatic - he even went to school to be an automotive technician and worked for several years at dealerships, so [...]

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50 farmhouse decor finds for under $25

There's nothing quite like farmhouse decor that makes my heart go pitter patter when it comes to all things decorating. Natural elements, laid back decor, with a touch of worn, warm patina - all of which brings just a little happiness to my home-loving heart. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to find really good deals [...]

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How to Care for Your Hardwood Floor Investment

How To Take Care of Your Hardwood Floors

Alright, so you invested your money into some new hardwood floors. The color is beautiful and will add a lot of value to your house if you ever decide to sell. Now how do you take care of your investment?

That beauty comes with an effort, however, and hardwood floors can require a lot of work to maintain. The flooring can take quite a beating between discoloration, water damage and scratches. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to prevent this damage and to fix it if it has already happened. Here are some "do's" and "don'ts" for your hardwood floors.

"Do's"

Do Quickly Wipe Up Spills - If you don't clean up spills quickly, it can cause irreparable water damage to the floors. As a preventative measure, try putting down a rug in areas of the house where spills happen often. Just don't forget to move the rugs around so that the wood changes color evenly.

Do Use Contacts on Furniture - It is important to use felt contacts on the bottom of furniture when moving them around. This while prevent scratches on the hardwood. You should even keep felt contacts on the furniture while they are stationary.

Do Protect Floors from Sunlight - According to Wikihow, sunlight can cause discoloration to your flooring. Cover your windows with blinds or drapes to protect from the sun's rays. Exposure should be limited, even though some is inevitable.

Do Use Hardwood Cleaner - You should use a cleaner made for hardwood floors. Other cleaners can cause damage to your floors. Most vendors will have cleaners for hardwood clearly labeled. It is preferable to use a microfiber cloth while mopping to prevent scratches in the floor.

Do Form a Cleaning Schedule - Making a schedule for cleaning can help you remember to regularly clean. Regular vacuuming is important to keep dust and dirt from scratching the finish. Even tiny pieces of dirt and dust can damage the floor when they are walked on. That's why vacuuming is preferable to sweeping. It cleans between the planks, where sweeping doesn't reach.

"Don'ts"

Don't Wet Mop - If you mop with too much moisture the liquid will warp and discolor the floor. Make sure that you wring out your cleaning equipment thoroughly. It is best if there is barely any dampness left when cleaning the flooring.

Don't Use Vinyl or Tile Cleaners - These cleaners will not work as a substitute for a hardwood cleaner. According to The National Wood Flooring Association, vinyl and tile cleaners dull the finish on the floor. It will need to be sanded and repaired.

Don't Wear Sharp Shoes - Sharp shoes or stiletto heels will scratch the wood as well. The best solution is to take your shoes off at the door.

Sometimes even when you do everything right the floors can still be harmed. On top of accidents, normal wear and tear does a number on your flooring. In some cases, you might need to call in a professional to repair certain damages. With a little bit of care, though, you can keep your floors looking beautiful.

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Antique Hardwood Flooring 101

Of all of the hardwood flooring options you have, one of the most unique is that of antique hardwood flooring. Antique flooring is created from various pieces that have been saved and restored from previous builds, and together they create a look that is rustic and simply breathtaking when properly taken care of.

What Makes Antique Flooring Different?

As mentioned, antique flooring is not meant to create a uniform look. While property owners can request that similar colors and widths be used for their flooring, many owners use a blend of pieces to create a more unique design.

Antique wood is available in a variety of lengths and widths as well as a plethora of colors depending on where your antique hardwood comes from. The antique hardwood shades each have a sheen known as "patina" which is gradually produced by growing age and polishing. The finish creates a beautiful detail in each of the shades of antique flooring which range anywhere from light to golden brown, deep reds and dark browns.

Antique hardwood flooring is also unique in that it may display various signs of old age and wear and tear. Markings may include old nail holes, various knots, cracks, and saw marks that allow each piece to tell its own story.

Refinishing Antique Hardwood Flooring

Prior to applying a finish to antique hardwood you must sand down the entire area. In the final stages of sanding, make sure to apply a light sand with a fine grit paper as well as prior to applying your last coating finish.

Using a light sanding will allow the finish to look uniform, which will bring out the various textures of the pieces instead of making them look gritty.

To finish your floor, consider using oil-based polyurethane with as many as 3 applications. The first may be heated in hot water in order to thin out the liquid, which will help to oil to fill in the knots and cracks more thoroughly. The last coat may also be thinned with hot water or a mineral spirit, so as to give the finish the smoothest look possible.

Looking to maintain your already existing antique hardwood flooring? Simply give the flooring a good clean and a light sand then apply the thinned polyurethane again. If you have recently exposed old wood, the flooring may need to be stripped of old finish prior to applying afresh finish.

Recognizing the Antique Hardwood Finish

If you are unsure about the existing finish on your hardwood flooring, then you should contact a professional to help you identify it. The finish previously used will be the deciding factor for what kind of new finish you use, so avoid harming the hardwood and get some help if necessary.

Exposing or investing in antique hardwood flooring in your property will greatly improve the property's value and look. Antique hardwood flooring can be its own statement piece in any room, with stories of the past being told in each piece and the unique colors and textures adding outstanding detail to a room. Take the proper steps to care for and maintain your antique hardwood flooring so it may be enjoyed for years to come.

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8 unique upcycling ideas

Is there anything better than taking something from trash to treasure? I hate the idea of waste, so taking broken or unwanted items and bringing them back to life is near and dear to my heart. Oh, and my wallet! Saving money is always a bonus, but creating something unique for your home is a [...]

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How we erased teenage entitlement

This post could have alternately been titled "How I became the world's meanest mom." Seriously. Because the struggle with teenage entitlement is real. Let's start at the beginning. My teenage daughter wasn't always a selfish, spoiled, entitled brat. Yes, I just called her that. I know most of it was my making - and no [...]

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101 Nutella Recipes

Nutella ... just the thought of them makes my mouth water. There's just something about all the chocolatey, hazelnut goodness that I can literally eat with just a spoon. But, even as much as I love it solo, it's even better in when highlighted in ooey, gooey, mouth-watering treats. And why stop at one or two... [...]

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We've Remade Ourselves on DIYNetwork.com

As our name suggests, we're all about making things -- and remaking them-- around here. You may have noticed a little, um, slower pace of posting over the past couple of months. That's because we've been remaking ourselves within our parent site, DIYNetwork.com. It's the same blog, same creative projects and helpful tips, just a slightly new look and a new home page. Now you can find fun ideas on your favorite topics from your favorite bloggers (plus a few new folks) there every day. Let's make things together again!

How to clean an ice maker on a refrigerator

When you buy your first home or move into your first apartment, someone should hand you a huge book of every little thing you should maintain and clean on a regular basis. I don't know why it never occurred to me, but for some odd reason I never realized that you should clean an ice […]

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