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About Solid Hardwood Floors
Before you purchase and install solid hardwood floors, you should understand that it should never be installed over a concrete slab or below ground level. When hardwood is installed in these areas, large gaps can appear, which are due to the wood contracting and swelling because of the change in humidity. In addition, the solid wood planks can even buckle or cup due to excessive moisture, which is why solid hardwood floors are not recommended in wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. Because solid hardwood floors swell and contract, enough space must be left to accommodate for this during installation, in addition, the wood flooring should also be acclimated to the room before installing. When you begin shopping for your solid wood floorings, you will notice that it is divided into three categories of style: strip flooring, plank flooring, and parquet flooring. The difference between strip and plank flooring is the width of the wood as the strip flooring widths are between 1-, 2, and 2- and the widths of plank flooring ranges between 3 and 8. Parquet flooring is made up of wood strips that have been laminated together to form geometrical patterns. Another term you will hear about is hand-scraped or hand-planed hardwood floors, which are as their name implies in that they are hand crafted. Hand-planed hardwood floors are available in both engineered and solid flooring. Engineered hand-planed hardwood floors have an advantage over solid hardwood flooring in that they are best suited for installation over a concrete slab as well as in high humidity conditions. Several flooring companies market distressed hardwood flooring, which has machine made marks resembling hand planning. Because hand planned floors are hand made, these beautiful floors are extremely expensive when compared to distressed hardwood flooring. Your beautiful solid hardwood floors have been installed, now its up to you to keep them looking new. Your first step is to purchase and use the cleaning products only recommended by the manufacturer. Secondly, you should vacuum or sweep your floors regularly to remove dirt, mud, grit, and small stones, which will mar the finish. Thirdly, place doormats at all entrance for people to wipe their feet before entering your home, this will great help to protect your wood floors finish. When moving furniture, never push or shove it across your wood floors as this can dent or scratch the flooring. Always lift the furniture. Place furniture coasters or felt protectors under all legs to also prevent scratching and use non-staining, wide rubber cups for under heavy items such as entertainment centers and pianos. Do not use paste wax on the hardwood floor that have a polyurethane finish as the wax will damages the finish. Quickly clean up all spills with a paper towel or damp cloth, then dry the area thoroughly.
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