photo courtesy of Bruce Hardwoods

Character in a home, especially an older home, can often be attributed to the beauty of hardwood floors. Warm, rich and distinct, hardwood floors are a perfect choice for all types of living.

Whether remodeling a 100-year-old farm house, or flooring a new construction project, hardwood flooring adds an element of timeless beauty and flair that is unachievable with more basic styles.

Why is hardwood flooring a good choice for my home?

Hypoallergenic: Hardwood flooring traps less debris such as dust, pollen, and dust mites, and is recommended by the American Lung Association to improve air quality.

Increased home value: Hardwood floors can last a lifetime and are always in style, making them cheaper in the long run because you don't have to reinstall.

Durable: Maintained properly, wood flooring should never have to be replaced.

Versatile: With today's technology and almost limitless choices of stains, finishes, styles and designs, wood flooring is a practical, easy-care and versatile floor covering.

Fashion: Hardwood flooring is timeless. It enhances the warmth of any home, and its natural colours blend with the decor of any room.

Structural integrity: Because of its strength, hardwood floors add structural strength to a home.

Re-coating: Hardwood floors can be re-finished to hide damage such as gouges.

Maintenance: Normal care such as sweeping or vacuuming is generally all that is required.

How do I decide on colour and style?

One of the most popular attributes of hardwood flooring is its natural colouration. Natural hardwood flooring adapts to any style.

For rooms with plenty of natural light, consider some of the darker tones available. If the room doesn't have natural light, lighten it up by choosing a lighter colour. You can avoid being tied to a particular scheme by choosing natural colours.

You can mix colours of hardwood to attract the eye and focus attention. If you want the room to feel bold or energized, consider mixing colours or creating different fields of colour. If you are seeking a quiet, restful place, a simple, monolithic installation will seem all the more beautiful.

Oak is the most popular wood species for flooring due to its durability, graining, and natural characteristics. Maple is also a popular choice for hardwood flooring as it offers subtle grain characteristics for an elegant and sophisticated style.

When shopping for hardwood, bring a few colour swatches or photographs of your existing decor.

What do I need to know before buying?

• Wood is a natural product so expect colour variations from board to board.
• Hardwood contains a cell structure so if enough pressure is applied, the cell wall will collapse and a dent will appear.
• Wood goes through a natural aging process called patina, accelerated by bright sunlight. Move area rugs that may cause this effect from time to time to limit this effect.
• Popping sounds when walking across your floor could be due to uneven sub-floors, improper trowel or improper adhesive. In most cases, the problem is easily corrected.
• Hardwood is not recommended for bathrooms because of moisture.
• There are touch-up kits available to take care of scratches and chips. If the damage is severe enough, you can have individual boards replaced.
• Once you wax a floor, it should be maintained as a wax-finished floor. Wax may inhibit the adhesion of future application of top coating materials or make it slippery.

Types of Hardwood Flooring

Solid Wood Floors

Solid Wood flooring comes in three basic types:

1. Strip flooring accounts for the majority of installations. Strips usually are 2-1/4 inches wide, but also come in widths ranging from 1-1/2 inches to 3-1/4 inches. They are installed by nailing to the subfloor.
2. Plank flooring boards are at least 3 inches wide. They may be screwed to the subfloor as well as nailed. Screw holes can be covered with wooden plugs.
3. Parquet flooring comes in standard patterns of 6" x 6" blocks. Specialty patterns may range up to 36" square units. Parquet often achieves dramatic geometric effects of special design patterns.

A solid hardwood floor can be installed on a concrete slab as long as the floor is on or above ground level. They can be sanded and refinished over several generations of use.

Solid wood flooring expands and contracts with changes in your home's relative humidity. Normally, installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall. Base moulding is the traditional "cover-up" for this gap.

Engineered Wood

Made of several layers of different woods or different grades of the same wood stacked and glued together under heat and pressure. Engineered wood flooring is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity and can be installed above, on, or below ground level. Some engineered wood floors with thicker top layers can be sanded many times.

Unfinished wood floors:

• With a job-site finish you get a perfectly smooth finish.
• Unfinished hardwood allows you to match existing woodwork by staining it to blend.
• Custom colours, generally 2-3 coats of finish
• This can be fairly messy, takes several days

Prefinished wood floors

• Usually installs in less than a day
• Less messy than job-site finish
• Limited to manufacturer's colours
• Manufacturers can apply 7-10 coats of finish
• Factory finishes are extremely wear resistant
• Some manufacturers add aluminum oxide for additional durability
• Today's factory finishes are much easier to care for than the old waxed finishes.
• Prefinished trims are not an exact match to the floor.

Wood Finishes

UV-cured: Factory finishes cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat.
Polyurethane: A clear, tough and durable finish applied as a wear layer.
Acrylic-urethane: A slightly different chemical make up from Polyurethane with the same benefits.
Aluminum Oxide: Added to the urethane finish for increased abrasion resistance of the wear layer.
Ceramic: Advanced technology that allows the use of ceramics to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer.
Acrylic Impregnated: Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood.

How can I ensure value for money?

Our collection is a range of hardwood solutions that we feel represent the most value for quality and price. You can be sure you're buying quality for value when you choose from this range.

If you need further help, come on in. Our salespeople can explain the relative merits of different hardwood flooring brands and help you choose the best hardwood flooring for your home.