A Hardwood Floor For Your Home

A Hardwood Floor For Your Home

Perhaps it's time for a remodel and updating of your home. How
about a remodel that will transform your home, add lasting
value, beauty and elegance, and be something you will be proud
of? Think about hardwood flooring.

Generally hardwood floors come pre finished, this is when the
manufacturer applies a finish at the factory. This finish is
generally at least four coats of ultraviolet cured urethane
resin. Hardwood floors are generally easy to clean with a
simple sweep of a dust mop or vacuuming. You will need to
protect your hardwood floors from scratches as much as
possible. Putting protective rugs under your furniture is an
excellent way to prevent scratches on the floor. Hardwood
floors are meant to last a lifetime.

You will want to choose a color of hardwood floor that will
accent your home and home furnishings. As a rule lighter colors
go with country, contemporary and casual settings. Darker
colored wood floors are for formal or traditional interiors.
But, of course, anything goes! Your decision should be based on
your visual preference.

Lighter wood would be a white ash, sugar maple or southern
yellow pine. Darker colors are beech, birch, red oak, heart
pine and mesquite.

You want to make sure that your hardwood floor will be able to
withstand denting and wear. Of the woods mentioned above
mesquite is the hardest wood, and a southern yellow pine would
be the softest. In the middle of these fall the yellow birch,
heart pine and beech.

If you are going to be hiring and contractor to install your
hardwood floor make sure you ask for references. Go take a look
at a floor that he has installed. Make sure that he is
comfortable working with the type of word floor that you want
installed.

Make sure that you thoroughly inspect the hardwood floor after
the installation. Look at the floor from a standing position
and with normal lighting. The finish on your floor will not be
that you would find on fine furniture. Deep swirls or sander
marks or splotchy areas may mean that the floor wasn't finished
properly. There will however be some irregularities on any wood
floor. However, these irregularities won't seem obvious and
will only add to the character of the floor.


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