Engineered wood flooring

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Did you know. Twice as much wood grows each year  in the United States than is harvested. American forests are 90% larger now than they were 50 years ago. Individual trees are selected for harvest, encouraging forests to renew and regenerate themselves naturally. Every part of the log is used as lumber or by-products. Finished products are reusable, recyclable and biodegradable. With hardwood growth well-exceeding removal, the US supply of hardwood for flooring, furniture, cabinetry and millwork is sustainable now and for future generations. Ergo all wood floors grown in the US are green.

    There is no other effective repair.

     An engineered product works best using a floating installation. Oak is an ideal species for this purpose. Maple and pecan are usually discouraged for radiant floor heating.

     You can also use a solid wood flooring. Preferably a rift and quarter sewn wood flooring. Widely available in oak and brazilian cherry.

     You should also consider using no more than a 2.25inch or 3.25inch flooring. As this will minize the natural movement of the solid wood flooring.

     Don't use a plain sewn solid flooring.

Firstly you must determine if cleaning is what is needed. Or do you need re-finishing.

You can't clean a wood floor that has little or no finish. Because, you are not cleaning the wood, you are cleaning the finish.

Therfore, if you can see dirt in the grain no amount of cleaning is going to remove this.

It has been my experience when someone asks about cleaning there wood floor. What they really need is there floor refinished.

That being said there are many products claiming to be wood floor cleaners. The industry leader is POLYCARE by BONA-KEMI.

My personal red flag is where it says on the bottle"if swallowed drink 3 glasses of water." I ask you, how many cleaning solutions do you have that only require you to drink water if ingested? There are no ingredients listed on the bottle. Leading me to believe, other than water, what is really in the bottle for ten dollars.

There is also a product by BRUCE flooring with similar qualities. How about CITRUS ORANGE CLEAN. Again no ingrediants. I think other than citrus and distilled water there are no other ingrediants.

Therefore another ten dollars spent for little or no results.

What about MURPHY'S OIL SOAP or SWIFTER WET JET. Both leave behind an oily sheen. Giving the appearance of cleaner floors. The problem comes when you do decide to re-finish. They will prevent you from screening and coating your floor do to the oily residue. They make the job much more difficult and costly. But they will buy you more time between re-finishing.

Remember the manufactures know any chemicals left behind WILL prevent simple refinishing or screening of a wood floor.

What about a FLOOR STEAMER?

Are you kidding me. Wood and water. Really? Think about this scam.  Forcing water into the seems of a wood floor. Wood is a fibrous and porous material. It will absorb the water and blacken the joints. Which is a mold build-up.

What about water with a little vinegar? Manufacturer's have gone to great lengths to prove the vinegar breaks down the properties of wood.

But really. How often do you wash your wood floor? I think it would take an awful lot of vinagar and many washings

Ace wood floors specialists work on 500 to 600 houses annually and we have yet to see a floor damaged to vinegar disease!

I use a slightly dampened cloth on my wood floors. Seems to do the trick. 

If you do not, you may void the manufactures warranty- although the chances of collecting on a warranty are almost impossible.

That being said, the recommended guidelines for installing a hard wood floor are universal. They do not vary, regardless of where you live.

The problem with the guidelines however, is that climate difference has a big effect on wood flooring. A very humid climate (southwest U.S) will cause the floor to expand more than in the northeast where Ace Wood Flooring Inc. is based.

Because we are located in the northeast, we use a three step installation technique:

1. Remove baseboards
2. The use of an additional 3quarter round molding on top of the baseboard.
3. Snug fit the flooring to the baseboards.

 In the northeast we have more dry months than humid months.

Each installation should be judged by the installer and the homeowner. It should take into account many variables, i.e. moisture, humidity, wall and base board paint,and the type of baseboard, and furniture, and whether the home is newly constructed or not.

White oak has a brown or tan finished color, while red oak is actually lighter in color and has a pinkish hue. Because they have a different density, they will absorb a stain color differently and won’t match each other when stained.

 99% of all staircases are red oak- stair treads, spindles, posts, risers, and stairs. 90% of flooring in homes built after 1950 are made of red oak.

 Most floors with accent borders are white oak. White oak has more mineral streaks in it's overall appearance.

 When a contractor does a flooring repair quite often they will put in the wrong oak. Many contractors cannot tell the difference between the two species. Make sure you get the right one, especially if you are trying to match existing wood flooring or details.

The photo shows the difference between White Oak(top) & Red Oak(bottom).

When you're remodeling a room, people often paint or wallpaper in addition to adding new wood flooring. The question often comes up- "Which step should be completed first"? 

The rule of thumb is that the flooring contractor should go in prior to the painting being completed. This is because when wood floors are installed, chances are that the equipment- especially in refinishing- can rub up against the baseboards. This will nick or mar paint, especially new paint.

The professional painter does not wish to come back and touch-up their paint job, and I'm sure you can imagine how you would feel if you'd just put some fresh paint or even wallpaper up. Even if you don't mind touching up the paint, why put yourself through the extra stress?

You may be worried about getting paint on your floor, but don't- as long as you wipe it off quickly, you'll be OK. There are also some great products out there that can help, so please ask us! We'll be glad to recommend something. 

The exclusion to this rule is if the paint is being sprayed on, a professional painter will usually want to go first.

A professional painter will prepare the walls prior to painting by spackling or compounding and they will thoroughly clean the walls to maximize adhesion.

Whichever way you decide is best, keep this in mind- if the flooring company goes in after the painter, the newly painted walls may need additional cleaning. Keep in mind new paint can take up to a month or longer to cure- making the cleaning very difficult.

With this run of humidity it becomes especially important to consider which finish is right for you.
There are primarily 3 types of finishes you have to choose from...

Oil base polyurethane, available in high gloss, semi-gloss and satin.

1. Will not dry in high humidity.
2. Can take up to 30 days to fully cure
3. Recommended 1 coat sealer. 2 coats finish.
4. Will yellow over time.
5. Least durable
6. Moderate cost

Water base polyurethane, available in high gloss, semi-gloss, satin and matte.

1. Will dry to touch 2-3hrs.
2. Can take up to 15 days to fully cure
3. Recommended 3-4 coats.
4. Will ashen and lose the shine quickly.
5. Durability depends on how much you pay for finish.
6. Most expensive

Moisture cure urethane, available in high gloss and semi-gloss.

1. Will dry 4-6hrs.
2. Will cure over-night
3. Recommended 2 coats
4. Will yellow over time.
5. Most durable of all finishes.
6. Moderate cost.
7. Cannot put over stain.

Let's take a moment to talk about warranties.

Most wood flooring comes with some sort of warranty. Most often, I hear about warranties on pre-finished wood flooring or laminate flooring.

Lower grades of wood flooring may only have 5yr. warranties-, for example Home Depot's Bruce Plano Strip line. Laminate flooring has a variety of warranty lengths, but no warranty seems better than the other.

The majority of all flooring is select grade. Lumber Liquidators has their running line of Bella Wood which has a 50yr. warranty and a seven coat finish.

Somerset flooring has 25yr warranty and ten coat finish. (go figure)- They use the same finishing technique. (your first red flag)

Read the fine print, and you'll find that the list of exclusions on most warranties is taller than your house. You can void your warranty as easily as:

• A pebble from your shoe
• Sand on the floor
• Your shoes
• The wrong cleaning product.
• Wet mop

Also, reduction in gloss is not considered surface wear. There is a good chance the warranty may only cover the defective part of the floor. It may not cover anything at all if your installer uses a different technique than the manufacture approves.

The bottom line? Warranties don't have much credibility.

Trust and respect an experienced installer.