Refinishing is a restoration process that helps reset hardwood floors and extend their longevity. Although it can be costly, the benefits of refinishing are that you are able to restore uneven coloring from daily wear, repair scratches and dents, and even completely change the color of your wood floors, like...
What Do Wood Flooring Grades Mean?
Wood Flooring Grades measure hardwood planks on a scale of ABCDEF. Each grade has associated characteristics that are taken into account, such as size of knots, sap content, color uniformity, and more. The grades are as follows: Prime or AB Grade - AB Grade is the highest grade of wood...
What are some differences between engineered and solid wood floors?
Engineered wood floors will behave a little differently than solid, tend to be easier to install and are usually more cost effective than solid hardwood. Additionally, due to their multiple-ply construction, engineered hardwood floors have been found to be more suitable in high-moisture areas or in areas where frequent temperature...
Oil vs Lacquer: What are the differences? Which is better?
Lacquer is a bit like a modern-day varnish, it sits on the top of the wood and doesn’t sink in as oil does. The protection offered by lacquered wood finish is arguably the toughest of all and it really intended for areas where you expect high to heavy footfall. That...
How often can engineered floors be refinished?
This will very much depend on the wear layer of your engineered floors, on average, and depending on your refinisher, 0.75 to 1 mm of material can be expected to be lost each time the floors are refinished. This means that a floor with a 4 mm top layer can...
Can these floors be used over radiant heat?
Engineered hardwood floors are the ideal wood floors to be used when installing over radiant heat, while the change in temperature can elevate moisture causing solid hardwood to swell or warp, engineered flooring and its multi-ply construction can provide more stability thereby better resisting movement from environmental fluctuations. Engineered hardwood...
Can these floors be used in powder rooms and/or kitchens?
The short answer: yes. Despite moisture having always been the sworn enemy of wood, given the proper care, hardwood floors in the kitchen and powder room can be a beautiful addition to your home. When choosing a floor, being properly informed will make this decision easier as well as help...
Do these floors need time to acclimate?
Some experts will argue that, due to its plywood core, engineered hardwood does not need to acclimate. Despite this also being one of the advantages of using engineered versus solid wood as a flooring solution, it is still best to allow the material to adjust to the relative humidity in...
Are engineered hardwood floors real wood floors?
Absolutely! Engineered hardwood is simply a veneer layer affixed to a core of hardwood or plywood, this allows the material to be more flexible making it ideal for installation in areas with frequent or drastic temperature changes. Another great factor is that this process allows for less wood to be...