Protect Your Hardwood Floor

One of the things that concerns me about hardwood floors is how to protect it from water damage and gouges. Here's a great article on how to protect your hardwood floor...these tips would also apply to laminate flooring.

5 Easy Steps to Protect Your Hardwood Floor From Disaster
By Michael Nelson

Common knowledge states that hardwood floors are a great investment for a homeowner. They add a certain charm and character to a home that can’t be replicated by laminates, carpeting, or any other type of flooring. However, the investment does not stop with the decision to purchase hardwoods. To retain the value, the hardwood must be properly cared for and maintained. Fortunately, with a few simple, easy, inexpensive steps, your hardwood flooring will always remain in perfect shape.

1. Do not use Murphy’s Oil Soap. Murphy’s works great on wooden furniture, but don’t make the mistake of using it on your hardwood floors. You won’t notice anything wrong after applying it once, but if used consistently, residue will build up and leave your floor with a dull appearance.

2. Do not use a Wet Swiffer. A Dry Swiffer is great for collecting dust, dirt, and pet hair from your floors, and it is also less abrasive than a vacuum cleaner. However, a Wet Swiffer can cause major long-term damage. The chemicals in the cleaning solution can break down the urethane finish on your floor and leave it dull, faded, and lifeless.

3. Place area rugs anywhere that might collect water. Prime areas are in front of the refrigerator, by the dishwasher, and near any sinks. Make sure that the floor is protected in any spot that is susceptible to minor leaks and water collection. A pool of water is the quickest way to destroy your floor.

4. Use floor mats in spots where people step on the hardwood directly after being outside. In addition to protecting against wet or muddy footprints, floor mats will help collect any sharp or abrasive materials stuck in the treads of shoes. This step will help prevent accidental scraping or scratching.

5. Use felt pads when moving furniture. Or better yet, lift the furniture off the ground instead of sliding it across your hardwood floor. If felt pads must be used, please make sure that they are free of any debris. Even if a tiny little object like a staple is under that pad when heavy furniture is set upon it, your floor could receive some serious gouges.

These steps will help ensure that your home retains its value by protecting your hardwood floors against major damage.

Accidents do happen, however, no matter how careful you are. If your floor becomes damaged, contact the manufacturer or the installer for advice.

You can read more about hardwood flooring at http://www.hardwoodflooringspot.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Laminate Flooring- What You Should Know

What You Should Know About Laminate Flooring
By E. Timothy Uy

Laminate flooring imitates the aspect of traditional wood. Their biggest advantage is that they are very easy to install and very durable. Laminate flooring are suitable for many of your rooms: hallways, family spaces, bathrooms, kitchens. Also they are perfect for an active home.

At first look, laminate flooring seems to be a natural wood floor but in fact is a layer of paper under a tough protective film that is glued and pressed to a high-density backing board. There are also types of laminate planks that are installed over a moisture barrier which levels any uneven areas of the floor. You don't need any glue or nails for them because the planks snap together.

Before choosing a laminate flooring material you should think about the type of traffic in your house. One other advantage for laminate flooring is the durability. So this type of floor is one of the best choices for households with heavy foot traffic, kids, or pets. But, best of all, laminates will look like new for years.

Laminates are also highly resistant to stains, fading and moisture and many laminate flooring manufacturers offer warranty protection against them for a long period of time (usually from 10 to 25 years).

If you already have a type of floor this doesn't represents a problem for you. Laminate flooring can be installed over floors like wood, tile, vinyl or linoleum because most of them are floating which means they do not fasten directly to the subfloor. Also, at this moment, many manufacturers offer snap-together laminate flooring systems.

A typical laminate flooring is and extremely economical solution, if you take in consideration the costs of alternate flooring solutions. Solid hardwood floors will require 4-5 refinishings and carpets and vinyls will need to be replaced at least twice (depending on traffic loads), while laminates don't require anything.

Laminates come in different styles an types. You can find transition strips, end caps, stair nosings, moldings and baseboards. Almost anything you need you can find at a laminate flooring manufacturer. There are companies that offer floor registers for heating and air vents.

Laminate flooring provides a much cleaner and healthier living environment when compared to other floorings such as carpets, with regular cleaning cycles. It accumulates less dust, pet dander, allergens and it doesn't hold residual stain contaminants on the surface. Allergic people will often be recommended to remove the carpets from the living space.

In conclusion laminate floors are a very good choice for your home because there are durable, resistant, economical and easy to install.

Laminate flooring enthusiasts unite! Installation, maintenance, selection, e.g., Harmonics, Pergo, Shaw, Mannington - you name it, we are talking about it. Join us at http://laminateflooring.oncloud8.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Laminate vs Hard Wood Flooring

Dh is a bit of a wood snob and wants hard wood flooring or nothing...but I'm leaning towards laminate for a few reasons.

I love the look of "real" hard wood flooring but it is more expensive than laminate, and we are planning on moving in 3 years, maybe less. $5000 or so is a lot to drop on hard wood floors for someone else to enjoy.

Laminate flooring seems a great low maintenance choice for me...Mom of 3 (almost 4) kiddos. I want something easy to clean, stain/scratch resistant, etc.

Here's an article on how to select Laminate Flooring.

How to Select the Best Laminate Flooring for You
By E. Timothy Uy

Hardwood flooring - its' traditional look is almost timeless, its' beauty is unmatchable. However, it's pretty hard to maintain a hardwood floor, not to mention the price you have to pay for it. Even with the most recent floor treatments they will still scratch, fade, dent and stain in a rather small amount of time. That's why laminate flooring was invented. Because it's machine made and its' top layer is a hardwood photographic laminated surface, laminate has the look and appeal of real hardwood floors, but it's more durable and it requires less maintenance.

Unlike real hardwood floors, laminate flooring is more resistant to scratching, staining, fading and denting. Laminates warranty range from 10 years to lifetime and it covers all of the bad things mentioned above, while entry level laminates come with a 10 to 15 years one. But they are designed for light traffic areas. I mentioned this because many people mistake and think that they will remain the same if used in a high traffic area during the warranty period. This is not true. Used in a high traffic area, they will begin to show wear and tear rather quick (usually within 3 to 5 years).

Remember that choosing the right laminate flooring is not as easy as it seems, but by doing that, you will save money in the long run. Just think of things like the amount of time you are planning on staying in that house or the amount of traffic, because there is no point in buying really expensive laminate flooring with extended warranty if you know that you are moving sometime in the near future. Another thing you should know is that people usually replace the floor first when moving in a new house, so, with expensive laminate with an extended warranty, you will either pay an amount of money for nothing, or for the people who will move in after you.

A thing you should consider when buying laminate flooring for bathrooms or kitchens is it's core. A thicker core is more stable, less vulnerable and sounds more like the real hardwood floor when walked on. Quality laminate cores are treated with water repellent chemicals. Also consider buying laminates with Paraffin wax impregnated joints, as this wax acts as a water repellent and prevents water from penetrating down to the core.

As glueless locking mechanisms has been introduced to the market, laminate flooring has become the perfect choice for households because it has a quicker installation, it's easier to repair and it can be installed by people without experience or specialized tools. This will save you a considerable amount of money.

Laminate flooring enthusiasts unite! Installation, maintenance, selection, e.g., Harmonics, Pergo, Shaw, Mannington - you name it, we are talking about it. Join us at http://laminateflooring.oncloud8.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Hardwood Floor Refinishing Tips

One of the advantages of a hardwood floor over laminate is that a hardwood floor can be refinished. If you get a big water stain or gash in laminate, you're up the creek. Here are some do-it-yourself tips for refinishing hardwood floors.

Refinishing A Hardwood Floor


Want to bring your hardwood floors back to their former beauty,
but don't have the money? Then read on for some tips on how you
can refinish the floor yourself.

If you have the time and don't mind doing the work, then
refinishing your floors yourself is a great option but before
starting out, it's not a bad idea to get an estimate from a
professional so you can compare the cost of doing it yourself
to what they would charge. You'll get quite a shock at the
amount that is charged. It may cost over $1000 to have just 1
room done. You could carpet over it for less, but doesn't
carpeting over beautiful hardwood floors seem, well, wrong?

It is actually rather easy to refinish a wood floor - if you
pay attention to what you are doing. To sand the floor, you
need a drum sander and possibly a belt sander which can be
rented at your neighborhood Home Depot or hardware store. They
can help you figure out which machines you need to rent, what
kind of sand paper you should buy and also can help with the
type and amount of stain and finish for the floor. You might
also want to get some dust masks and plastic to section the
room off from the rest of the house. Fine particles of dust
will get everywhere - even if you section off the room, but you
may be able to minimize the impact on the rest of the house.

The most important part of refinishing your floors is learning
how to control the sander. The key to running the sander is to
make sure it keeps moving at all times, otherwise they are
simple to use, although a bit hard on the ears. If you stop in
1 spot, you will probably get a big gouge in your floor. Equate
it to using an iron on your clothes - if you stop in 1 spot too
long you'll burn a hole. The sander is similar since it creates
a lot of heat, keeping it in 1 spot can burn or dent your floor.


You do need to be careful with the sander as it is self
propelled. When you first start it up, make sure you hold on
firmly. Don't be afraid of the machine but make sure you
maintain complete control. Relax, after a few spins, it may
even start to seem like fun.

After the old finish is removed, you need to apply the stain
and new finish. Think of this as the same as doing your nails -
first you remove the old finish, then basecoat, color and
topcoat. Sometimes you don't want color on your nails so you
skip that part. In your floor you might also skip that part
(the stain) but you still want to use a finish to protect the
floor.

When selecting a finish you can pick from an oil based or
polyurethane (water based) finish. When selecting an oil based
finish you will need to decide if you want a satin, gloss or
semi gloss finish. It's probably best for you to use satin on a
hardwood floor as it will help hide any flaws in the wood and is
much more pleasing then a bright shine Using oil based finish is
better for wood floors as it casts a warm amber glow. Water
based, on the other had dries quicker and resists yellowing.

No matter which you choose, you must let each coat dry before
putting down the next coat. Think back to the nail polish
analogy! Follow the manufacturers instructions on the finish
before you occupy the room again. Usually you can move your
furniture back in after about 24 hours.

As you can see, the task of refinishing your floors need not be
overwhelming. Think of it as giving your room a manicure. Take
it one step at a time and use care in the process and you can
have a great looking floor and save yourself almost $1000 to
boot!


About The Author: Lee Dobbins is a contributing writer for home
improvement resources such as
http://www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com. Visit our site
and see how you can refinish your hardwood floor:
http://www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com/Solid-Hardwood-Floor.html

Hard Flooring Decisions

Hi there!

Dh and I are going to be replacing our floors very soon and while researching our options, I've learned a little bit in the process. I thought...why not publish what I found the world wide web for the benefit of others trying to decide on which hard floors to choose?