Looking For Hardwood Flooring

Pre-finished hardwood is excellent for people who want to do the installation themselves, but without the sanding and the exhaustive finishing process.

Price is generally not an advantage. For the cost of a very high-quality pre-finished floor, you can probably find a local contractor to install, sand and finish your floor cheaper.

However, pre-finished hardwood flooring offers a much cleaner, clearer finish than a floor finished in your home.

Because the wood is finished in carefully controlled factory conditions, it does not have the dust, dirt and other particles that are visible in almost any floor that's finished on site.

You also don't have to move out when the finish is applied.

Most people simply love the way hardwood flooring enhances a room. It gives a room a sense of warmth. Even in a small house with minimal space, hardwood floors give a well-crafted appearance. In fact, 90 percent of estate agents / realtors say that hardwood floors help a home sell faster and for more money. Remember the hardwood basics ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's recommendations for each individual flooring choice when installing or making other decisions regarding your project.) There are many good reasons why hardwood flooring may be right for your home. There are also a few good reasons why wood flooring might not be. It's worth taking the time to educate yourself about the pros and cons of wood before you make your purchase.

Hardwood Flooring Basics

Hardwood floors tie a room together, yet complement virtually any furniture, decor or overall style. The wide range of species, colours and patterns offer endless design possibilities.

Hardwood floors are easy to clean. They're ideal for people with allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems, because dust particles, pollen and dust mites stay on the surface where they can be thoroughly wiped out.

For the price of a high-quality carpet installation, a well-maintained hardwood floor can easily last beyond a 30-year mortgage, while carpets are replaced an average of three times in that same time span.
Before Considering a Wood floor, Consider What's Under It.

Before looking into the benefits of the various hardwood floor types, finishes and other considerations, it's extremely important to talk about the floor under the floor. Or, more simply: a wood floor is only as good as the subfloor.

Most solid hardwood flooring will need to be nailed or stapled through the face or blind-nailed through the tongue. The sub-floor must be able to hold the nail or staple. For that reason, concrete won't work. It's also not a good idea to install a wood floor over particleboard because it doesn't hold a nail well. And even if it does initially, it will soon work loose with foot traffic, leaving you with a huge problem.

Plywood, or tongue-and-groove decking products over joists are recommended for most installations.

Vinyl floors, glued-down carpets, and other existing flooring types are not suitable as sub-flooring and must be removed. Before installing solid hardwood flooring, get down to the solid, flat and dry sub-floor. Remember (and, yes, we're being repetitious), a wood floor is only as good as the sub-floor.

On-Grade, Above-Grade, Below-Grade

Most appropriate installations are considered "on-grade," meaning that the floor is level with the height of the exterior grounds with joists or post-and-beam construction supporting the floor. When installing on-grade, it's important that the crawlspace or basement under the subfloor is well-ventilated. If ventilation is inadequate, moisture will likely result in the cupping or warping of the hardwood months after installation.

"Above-grade," meaning upper floors of a multi-floor house or building may be appropriate for solid wood flooring if the sub-floor is wood. Another consideration is the amount of flex in the floor prior to installation. While all floors have (and need) some flexibility, a more rigid floor is necessary for strip solid wood floors.

"Below-grade" situations, such as basements with cement floors, limit your choices considerably. Some parquets, as well as the solid wood Natural Reflections Line from Bruce can be installed over cement using a direct glue method. In general, though, cement floors mean moisture, which spells disaster for hardwood.

Your best bet would be to install an engineered wood floor over a moisture barrier using the floating installation technique.

Pre-finished -vs- Unfinished

Pre-finished also offers more variety than standard unfinished hardwood flooring. The extra choices give you the opportunity to install interesting African hardwood species like Purple Heart, or to use contrasting species as accent inserts.
and other considerations, it's extremely important to understand the choice.

If you cannot find what you need, visit the
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