Solid wood floorings are a great investment not only because they look beautiful but also they last a lifetime. No other kind of flooring material can match their beauty and depth. And they will look magnificent throughout their lifetime if you take care of them properly. It's not difficult, and the proper kind of maintenance will give more life before they will need to be replaced.
1. The worst enemy of your wood flooring is moisture allowed to stand on any of your hardwood flooring. It can trigger buckling and discoloration. Make sure to wipe any spills immediately.
2. Avoid sand, grit, and dirt. These 3 imitate sandpapering, thereby scraping and dulling the glossy surface till it ends up being unsightly. Utilize mats near outside doors to avoid the dirt from getting into your house.
3. Avoid moving the furnishings to minimize damage from scratching and scraping. If you must, always raise instead of push or pull them.
4. Avoid direct sunlight on your hardwood floor. It can blemish the timber. Secure the sunlit areas with drapes or blinds.
5. Clean your wood flooring by using a soft broom, a container vacuum with a unique bare flooring attachment, or an excellent dust mop.
6. Pets pose a threat to your solid wood flooring as well. Their nails and claws will scratch surfaces. Keep your family pet's nails well-cut. Also, keep animal food containers off the floor surface area. Pets constantly spill food around the containers, which will harm the floor over time. Utilize newspaper or something more durable to safeguard the flooring.
If your beautiful hardwood floor does get a bad scratch in it, have comfort in the knowledge that it can be remedied. You could purchase a scratch kit from the hardware store or have a hardwood floor refinishing specialist come to the rescue. Generally, the "fix" is to sand and smooth the afflicted area and then re-stain and re-varnish. As simple as this may appear, it is not. It requires years of experience to achieve a satisfactory result and is best left to the professionals. One such company is West Coast Floor Company in Vallejo and Benicia, CA. They are a 2nd generation hardwood flooring specialist with 40+ years of experience. Visit their website or call them at (707) 297-2476.
Factory-Finished or On-Site Finished Hardwood Flooring -What Would You Prefer?
In order to make the best choice for you, we should talk about the benefits of each option.
Here are the Benefits of On-Site Finished Hardwood Flooring:
Best for New Construction and Large Renovations:
Many contractors prefer to wait until the end of the job to finish the floor. That way, a dropped tool or a mortar pebble under a work boot can’t mar the finished floor—and ruin customer relations.
Greater choice of finishes.
There is no question that the site-finished route opens up a greater variety of choices with respect to color and shade. Prefinished products, however, come in more species and stains than ever before.
Unlike prefinished floorboards, unfinished boards have no bevels.
Prefinished floorboards usually have micro-bevels on all edges. These bevels hide slight discrepancies between board depths and widths. Inevitably, some homeowners will prefer the flush look of site-sanded floors, as they feature no such grooves and can be finished to a mirror-like surface.
Now For the Benefits of Factory-Finished Hardwood Flooring:
Immediate access to your new floor.
This is probably the major reason. Solid hardwood floors need to be finished with a durable top coating to protect the wood and withstand foot traffic. Floorboards that are finished on-site with oil-based or water-based polyurethane require time to dry. Sometimes, a homeowner may have to wait for days before furniture can be moved back into the room even though the floor may feel dry to the touch. Unless the top finish has totally cured it can still be vulnerable to scraping.
Factory-finished hardwood floors have fewer VOCs to affect your family’s health.
For days after applying an oil-based polyurethane, you will smell and breathe in vapors from polyurethane resins and solvents. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been shown to be carcinogenic. Some waterborne polyurethanes produce them, too. On the other hand, when you buy prefinished, the curing process takes place in a factory, not in your living room.
No worries about dust with prefinished flooring.
On-site staining and varnishing require a clean environment and dust and errant hairs are the enemies. Pre-finished hardwood flooring is varnished in a sterile environment so that these annoyances won’t occur. You will, however, still need to protect prefinished floors from scrapes caused by moving furniture, pet claws, and such.
Installation of prefinished flooring can be done in one session.
A crew of two can get a 300-square-foot pre-finished wood floor installed, with underlayment, in about two hours. No need to plan for days of not being able to use the space.
Factory-applied finishes are nearly flawless
Not only are they better than what contractors or DIYers can apply on-site, but these factory-applied finishes are also incredibly durable and often come with a lifetime warranty.
Prefinished floors are less expensive.
Prefinished solid wood floors initially cost more than unfinished wood flooring. But once you factor in finishing costs, prefinished ends up being less expensive.
As you can see, there are good arguments for both types of wood flooring. If you like the idea for more stain and top finish customization on-site finishing may be the ticket for you. On the other hand, if the speed of installation and use is what is important to you, factory-finished is what you want. Either way, we can help you make the choice that works the best for you. Just give us a call at (707) 864-2199 to arrange for a visit to our showroom or a Covid-safe in-home consultation.
Solid hardwood floors continue to be one of the more popular flooring options because wood adds warmth, charm, value, and style to any room in your home. In addition, hardwood flooring is durable and available in local and imported wood options.
There are two basic types of installation: nail-down, or staple-down. The type of installation method will depend on the existing subfloor. If no subfloor exists, one can be created with plywood. This, however, may increase the overall cost of the project a bit.
Here are some things to note when considering a hardwood flooring project in Napa
Make sure you’ve got the right amount of flooring for your space. Most manufacturers recommend a standard cutting/ordering allowance of 5 percent. You should also figure on up to 10% culling allowance if installed on a diagonal surface. Hardwood is sold in full case quantities, so round up when ordering.
Install on or above grade.
Always let hardwood acclimate in the room you’re installing it in for five days prior to installation. The recommended temperature of the room should be 65 degrees to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and recommended humidity levels should be 30 to 55 percent.
Stack flooring log-cabin-style or just spread it around the room, but not directly on concrete.
Given the variety of subfloor types, always refer to the installation guidelines for information specific to your hardwood flooring and subfloor type.
Make sure you have a sturdy subfloor: Most 3/4-inch solid hardwood flooring can be installed using nails or staples over a wood subfloor. 3/4-inch CDX plywood is preferred.
Often a floor will meet an obstruction such as a fireplace or counter. If so, miter boards to create a border that frames the obstruction. Position the boards so the tongue or groove mates with the rest of the floorboards. Cut off the tongue if it is on the edge that meets the obstruction. Install the rest of the floor as you normally would, fitting the pieces into the frame as you go.
Safety is key. Be sure to use work gloves and knee pads to make installation safer and more comfortable.
While many install methods are straightforward, some methods, such as nail-down require professional hardwood flooring installation, depending on your skill and comfort levels.
Here are the common steps your installer will take when prepping for a hardwood floor installation:
Remove the baseboards in the room where the install will take place.
Make sure the subfloor is level and smooth. He will sand down raised spots if necessary and fill low spots.
Cover the floor with underlayment or a moisture inhibitor such as 15 to 30 lb asphalt-saturated felt or silicone vapor shield. Even if you have chosen waterproof hardwood, a moisture inhibitor will protect the floors and subfloors from spills and water vapor that rises from the ground beneath the foundation. As an added benefit the underlayment will also help muffle noise.
Spread out floorboards for a while to get acclimatized.
He will mark the walls to show the location of the floor joists.
For added strength, he will run the strip flooring perpendicular to the floor joists.
You might see him measuring and snapping a line or using a string to guide the installation of the first row. Then, at each end of the starting wall, he will measure out the width of the floorboard, plus 1/2-inch for the expansion gap between the flooring and the wall, and make a mark. However, don't be surprised if you see him just using the longest, straightest wall as a guide.
He will use his nail gun to drive nails into the marks and stretch mason's line between them to create a straight guideline along the wall. Or, alternatively, he may snap a line on the floor with a chalk line.
His experience will guide him to lay the hardwood planks according to room size and shape.
He will begin by spreading the boards from several cases across the room. This is known as "racking the boards." Flooring cases tend to be uniform in color and, if you don’t rack them, you will create noticeable light and dark areas on your floor. Mixing boards from different packages allow for greater shade and color variation.
Once the floor is in place he will proceed with applying the top finish.
As you can see there are many steps involved in installing a hardwood floor and requires a process, not to mention many hours on your knees. Since the fruit of your labor is evident for many years to come, laying hardwood floors is best left to professionals. Pick one that has his own source of flooring materials, a crew that has many years of experience and can help you select the best wood and finish for your unique situation. Such a provider is West Coast Floor Company in Napa and Vallejo. You can call them for a design consultation in their showroom - open by appointment only - to keep you safe and get their undivided attention.
Thinking about changing your flooring to hardwood? Choosing the right hardwood flooring for your home may be harder than you think, given all the options available.
Changing your floors also changes the character of your home. It’s as simple as that. It is therefore important to pick the floor that will harmonize with the existing interior. Not all wood floors are equally appealing or appropriate for every space.
The wood flooring industry has evolved considerably in recent years, as wider planks have increased in popularity and finish and installation options have expanded. Given all the choices now available, here are some tips on how to navigate the various decisions you’ll have to make. First, you will need to decide on:
Solid vs Engineered Wood
Solid wood is just what it sounds like: a plank of your chosen wood, cut from a log. An engineered wood floor is composed of a thinner layer of your chosen wood on top of a manufactured base of layered plywood.
Pros and Cons:
Engineered wood has many benefits. It’s built to be more dimensionally stable therefore, it will expand and contract less, reducing the chance that the boards will warp or shrink over time.
Engineered flooring is especially useful in basements, in high humidity areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, and over radiant heating systems.
Engineered flooring can be glued directly to the slab, whereas solid wood floors require a plywood subfloor so it can be nailed in place.
The cons are that solid wood floors last for centuries and can be stripped and refinished many times over while engineered hardwood floors will need to be replaced in the event of damage.
Choose the Wood Species and Color
Browsing through flooring samples to choose a type of wood and a color for your new floor is probably the most enjoyable part of the process. At this stage, much depends on personal preference and your overall vision for your home.
One of the most trending floorings now is white oak, which is widely available, durable and can take stain very well. That means it allows for customization and blending into your existing interior designs.
Hickory - This wood has a lot of color variation, from light tones to dark tones and is considered a hardy wood.
Walnut - is a good choice for those that want a rich, darker brown.
Maple or Birch - are the go-to choices for those that prefer blonder woods.
And there are more of course, but these are the most popular ones.
Where stain is concerned, the current trend is toward subtle colors that leave the wood with a natural look.
If you find selecting the type of wood and color for your home challenging, consider the other wood elements in the room. For example, if you have walnut cabinetry, a walnut floor is an easy match; if you have oak doors, oak floors are a natural choice.
Consider Wood Grain and Character
How the wood logs are sawed into boards has a big effect on the grain pattern that’s visible on the floor.
Flat-sawn (or plain-sawn) boards, the grain has a wavy appearance. The defining feature is this arching ‘cathedral’, which is the industry name for the pattern.
In contrast, quarter-sawn boards offer a more linear appearance, with faint striping which some people call tiger stripes.
Rift-sawn boards feature the cleanest, straightest grain, whereas live-sawn boards may include all types of grain patterns.
What is interesting to point out is that a floor can be compiled using one cut exclusively or can incorporate various types of cuts. A popular option these days is a mix of a quarter and rift-sawn boards producing flooring with understated grain patterns. For a warm, woodsy appearance, using only flat-sawn boards might be the best option.
Additionally, to the way the wood is cut, you can also choose how many knots and other distinguishing marks you want to see. People commonly refer this to “character”. The options here are “clear” (no knots), “light character” (a few smaller knots), as well as “character-grade” (the most, and largest, knots).
Another very popular choice we now see is reclaimed wood. Many flooring companies offer wood salvaged from barns, factories, and other structures, which can have even more character — with nail holes, cracks, and saw-blade marks. Funnily enough wood with lots of character has become so popular that flooring manufacturers have started to offer distressed wood floorings simulating reclaimed wood.
Prefinished or Site-Finished?
Another major decision is whether to buy prefinished flooring or unfinished flooring. Prefinished flooring was stained and top coast applied in the factory whereas site-finished means that the planks will need to be stained and finished by an installer after it’s put down.
There are pros and cons associated with either option:
The main advantage of prefinished flooring is that it can be installed very quickly, and you will know upfront what the finished product will look like.
When floors are finished on site, the home has to be vacated to allow for sanding, staining, and finishing, including drying time. This is messy work and you may not be able to step on the floor for days on time. On the positive side, on-site finishing allows for total customization.
A key difference, however, is that prefinished boards usually have beveled edges to allow for slight irregularities, which creates more pronounced lines between the boards after installation. Because unfinished flooring is sanded flat after it is installed, the finished floor typically looks more like a solid plane, without gaps.
Plank Widths and Installation Pattern
Wider planks seem to be all the rage now. But how do you decide which board width and installation pattern are best for you? Consider the proportions of your space and the style you want: As a rule, bigger rooms tend to look better with wider boards, and a herringbone or chevron pattern adds a touch of tradition.
On a side-note, more complicated installation patterns require additional labor for installation, thus increasing the cost of labor. They also result in more wasted wood from the multitude of cuts.
Choose the Finish
Most hardwood floors today have a finishing coat of clear polyurethane which protects the wood from moisture, wear, and staining for years. Water-based polyurethanes have grown in popularity in recent years, and the finishing sheen can range from matte to glossy.
An alternative is an oil-based finish. The oil penetrates the wood, making it look richer. The added benefit to oil is that it allows for relatively easy spot repairs because it doesn’t leave a film on top of the wood.
As you can see, there are many things to be taken into consideration to get the floor you always wanted. That is why we offer an exclusive design service from our Napa and Vallejo showrooms. Just give us a call to arrange for a visit. Cheers! 😊
