 | Aaron McPeak has over 11 years of experience in the floor covering industry, holding various positions including sales, operations, marketing and advertising, installation, and leadership. Other significant experience was with the U-haul Company where he spent 10 years ending as the district manager for Kansas. He is degreed from Friends University in business management and is currently attending Wichita State’s EMBA program. He can be reached at amcpeak@starlumber.com or at 316-941-1753. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2007-02-01 14:25:00
Hardwood floors are a great addition
ANSWER: : If you've seen hardwood floors, you know they definitely add a beautiful and natural touch to any home. In addition, hardwood floors add value to your home and are one of the most requested amenities of prospective buyers. Every room in the home is a candidate for hardwood flooring except those areas where there will be significant moisture or humidity such as bathrooms or utility areas. The potential moisture that can collect there is one of the worst enemies of wood.
You will find that this type of flooring will last a lifetime. There are literally hundreds of styles and colors available, from domestic species such as oak, hickory, cherry, and pine, to exotic species such as Brazilian cherry, bloodwood, and wenge.
Wood plank construction is an important aspect to consider. There are two primary kinds of plank construction, solid and engineered. Solid wood comes from one piece of wood and is typically ¾" thick while engineered wood is made from three or more layers constructed in a cross-ply fashion. Both of these products have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, but your flooring professional can decide what is right for you based off of your lifestyle and the installation environment.
Wood flooring is available in plank or parquet style. Very little parquet flooring is installed anymore as the consumers like the asthetics of the plank flooring. There are different edge treatments to consider on the plank flooring. These include square, micro, or beveled edges. While there are some manufacturing reasons related to the presence of some of these edge treatments, they are primarily there to change the overall look of the installed product. Neither one is better than the others, it is just up to what the customer prefers.
Most of the engineered planks and a substantial amount of the solid planks are available pre-finished and ready to install. I highly recommend that you install a pre-finished floor in an existing home to keep the mess to a minimum. These finishes are applied in a factory setting, in a very controlled environment, and in my opinion are as good if not better than a finish applied on the job site. The job site finished products can give you a more custom look, as the sand and finish crew can match (as closely as possible) the existing stain in the house. However, the dust that is generated by sanding the floors may not be worth it. I have found that no matter how much I try to prepare a customer for the mess, I have never done enough.
Many people consider installing their floor themselves. The actual process of nailing or stapling down the floor is not where the professional earns their money in an installation. It's everything that goes along with it where they really add value. Adequately preparing the floor to accept the new wood, preparing the base, casing, and doors for the wood, and knowing how to lay out and position the floor in the most asthetic and efficient manner is what the professional installer can bring to the table.
The finishes which are used on today's floors, whether site finished or job finished, make having a wood floor more practical than in the past. They are very durable, don't need waxing of any kind, and are designed to last a minimum of 10 years. That being said, the finish is only as durable as the material beneath it. Some softer woods (pine & cherry) will dent and scratch easier than harder woods (oak & hickory). When considering the look that you want regarding the species of wood, also consider the performance of the product itself.
Wood floors should rarely require a re-sand unless they suffer some major damage or if you want a new color. Depending on the use and environment, they might need a re-coat of finish. This process is relatively inexpensive and involves a quick screening of the surface to rough it up and then an application of new finish coats. This will revitalize the floor so that it looks new once again.
I would recommend that you talk to a flooring professional about your interest in wood flooring. While there might be a lot of information available on the internet, it would be best if you talked to someone about your specific situation. I hope this gives you some ideas and assists you with knowledge about wood flooring.
