Experience shows us that beautiful wood floors are not really complete until you have discarded those old metal floor registers and put in matching real wood floor vents. No matter what species of wood floor you have chosen, you can find wood floor vents to match. You have options, you can buy flush vents that are built into the floor as you install the floor and they sit perfectly flush, no raised lip. You can also buy vents that pop in after installation, these are called inserts. Either way the you create a beautiful custom finished look. Do some research and make sure you understand vents before you purchase them. Thickness, width, vent size, and over all dimension are important to understand. Quality counts, make sure they are built well and finished well, you only want to buy them once.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wood floor vents, the final touch!
Experience shows us that beautiful wood floors are not really complete until you have discarded those old metal floor registers and put in matching real wood floor vents. No matter what species of wood floor you have chosen, you can find wood floor vents to match. You have options, you can buy flush vents that are built into the floor as you install the floor and they sit perfectly flush, no raised lip. You can also buy vents that pop in after installation, these are called inserts. Either way the you create a beautiful custom finished look. Do some research and make sure you understand vents before you purchase them. Thickness, width, vent size, and over all dimension are important to understand. Quality counts, make sure they are built well and finished well, you only want to buy them once.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
What are grades of Hardwood Flooring?
Many people that are shopping for wood flooring don't realize that there are grades that they can choose from in whatever the species is that their interested in. Some people come in thinking that the grade is associated with the quality of the flooring and that they should buy the highest grade to get the best quality.
For starters when you decide on a species of hardwood flooring such as red oak, maple, ash, hickory and the list goes on, you have a choice of grade that you can get that species in. There are typically 3 to 4 grades available:
1) Clear grade - you would get the best board lengths and the least amount of color (most uniform) with no knots
2) Select Grade - this grade has a slight bit more color variation than the clear grade and no knots
3) Middle Grade - here you will get color variation between the boards and small pin knots scattered about.
4) Rustic Grade - has a lot of color variation and open knots and worm holes depending on the species.
I just did a quick generalization of the grades here without getting into the specifics, to give an idea of what to expect.
When choosing a grade you would be basing your decision on how much character and color variation you want in your floor. Some peoples preference would be a cleaner looking floor so they would choose a higher grade and some people prefer to have the variation so they would choose a lower grade.
Is the quality between the grades different? Typically not. For example at the flooring mill the lumber goes through the milling process and the tongue and grooves are put into the raw lumber to make the wood flooring. It is then sent down a conveyer belt where it is sorted and put into bundles of the different grades. So as you can see it is all running through the same machines, so the milling will be the same on all the boards through all the grades. The only difference that there might be in grading is if you used two different brands. Brand "A" may be a better quality milling than brand "B".
So when your out shopping for wood flooring either prefinished or unfinished, make sure that your salesman explains the grades to you and that you compare the grading between a couple different brands.
For starters when you decide on a species of hardwood flooring such as red oak, maple, ash, hickory and the list goes on, you have a choice of grade that you can get that species in. There are typically 3 to 4 grades available:
1) Clear grade - you would get the best board lengths and the least amount of color (most uniform) with no knots
2) Select Grade - this grade has a slight bit more color variation than the clear grade and no knots
3) Middle Grade - here you will get color variation between the boards and small pin knots scattered about.
4) Rustic Grade - has a lot of color variation and open knots and worm holes depending on the species.
I just did a quick generalization of the grades here without getting into the specifics, to give an idea of what to expect.
When choosing a grade you would be basing your decision on how much character and color variation you want in your floor. Some peoples preference would be a cleaner looking floor so they would choose a higher grade and some people prefer to have the variation so they would choose a lower grade.
Is the quality between the grades different? Typically not. For example at the flooring mill the lumber goes through the milling process and the tongue and grooves are put into the raw lumber to make the wood flooring. It is then sent down a conveyer belt where it is sorted and put into bundles of the different grades. So as you can see it is all running through the same machines, so the milling will be the same on all the boards through all the grades. The only difference that there might be in grading is if you used two different brands. Brand "A" may be a better quality milling than brand "B".
So when your out shopping for wood flooring either prefinished or unfinished, make sure that your salesman explains the grades to you and that you compare the grading between a couple different brands.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Is All Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Created The Same?
The question of wether all prefinished wood flooring is of the same quality comes up time and time again. The simple answer is no!
As an example, I had a customer come in today with a couple boards of prefinished wood flooring that she picked up at a local lumber yard. It was a white oak with a reddish stain on it. She asked if this was good flooring? I took a look at it and noticed a white scratch across the surface. I asked how it got scratched and she said she did it with her finger nail. This was the reason that she was questioning the quality. I said "I think you answered your own question". She went on to explain that the lumber yard had a lot of this flooring and that there was no warranty that came with it. This would be red flag #1. She also went on to say that they were selling it in the LOW $2 range, this would be red flag #2. When I asked what brand it was, she said that there was no name and it comes in generic boxes, this would be red flag #3.
Most likely this was a hardwood flooring product that was imported for the purpose of selling to gain market share. In other words, some companies believe that they need to bring in cheap wood flooring because that is what the consumer is looking for. For the consumer that hasn't done their homework, this looks like a great deal.
The reasons for this hardwood flooring being this cheap are simple:
1) It is being milled in countries where the labor rates are dirt cheap. The people working at these factories are working for very little money.
2) The amount of finish that is being applied is minimal. Usually the better brands use 7 to 10 coats of finish on the prefinished flooring. The cheaper imported flooring may only 3 to 5 coats of finish.
3) They don't use any aluminum oxide! For those of you that are not sure what this is, it is an ingredient that is mixed with the floor finish when being applied to the raw boards. It keeps the floor finish from wearing and makes it last for years to come. The cheaper floors don't have the aluminum oxide on them so you can expect the finish to wear much faster.
4) Milling of the product may not be consistant. Some of the mills that are producing the flooring aren't using the latest equipment or up to date equipment. The result of this will be a higher waste factor, meaning boards that you can't use or have to cut to eliminate the bad part. This along with the time that the flooring installer will need to sort through the boxes for the good boards may cost you more eliminating any money that you thought was being saved.
If your looking for good prefinished hardwood flooring that you can install with minimal waste with a finish that will last many years, choose quality brands such as Diamante, Mirage, Bruce,Somerset etc. These brands have been proven over time and will provide you with a quality wood floor at a reasonable price!
As an example, I had a customer come in today with a couple boards of prefinished wood flooring that she picked up at a local lumber yard. It was a white oak with a reddish stain on it. She asked if this was good flooring? I took a look at it and noticed a white scratch across the surface. I asked how it got scratched and she said she did it with her finger nail. This was the reason that she was questioning the quality. I said "I think you answered your own question". She went on to explain that the lumber yard had a lot of this flooring and that there was no warranty that came with it. This would be red flag #1. She also went on to say that they were selling it in the LOW $2 range, this would be red flag #2. When I asked what brand it was, she said that there was no name and it comes in generic boxes, this would be red flag #3.
Most likely this was a hardwood flooring product that was imported for the purpose of selling to gain market share. In other words, some companies believe that they need to bring in cheap wood flooring because that is what the consumer is looking for. For the consumer that hasn't done their homework, this looks like a great deal.
The reasons for this hardwood flooring being this cheap are simple:
1) It is being milled in countries where the labor rates are dirt cheap. The people working at these factories are working for very little money.
2) The amount of finish that is being applied is minimal. Usually the better brands use 7 to 10 coats of finish on the prefinished flooring. The cheaper imported flooring may only 3 to 5 coats of finish.
3) They don't use any aluminum oxide! For those of you that are not sure what this is, it is an ingredient that is mixed with the floor finish when being applied to the raw boards. It keeps the floor finish from wearing and makes it last for years to come. The cheaper floors don't have the aluminum oxide on them so you can expect the finish to wear much faster.
4) Milling of the product may not be consistant. Some of the mills that are producing the flooring aren't using the latest equipment or up to date equipment. The result of this will be a higher waste factor, meaning boards that you can't use or have to cut to eliminate the bad part. This along with the time that the flooring installer will need to sort through the boxes for the good boards may cost you more eliminating any money that you thought was being saved.
If your looking for good prefinished hardwood flooring that you can install with minimal waste with a finish that will last many years, choose quality brands such as Diamante, Mirage, Bruce,Somerset etc. These brands have been proven over time and will provide you with a quality wood floor at a reasonable price!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Bostitch MIII Stapler & N62 Finish Nailer Combo Deal
For all the wood flooring installers out there we, we have a deal on the Bostitch hardwood flooring staplers.
We brought in combo kits that include the Bostitch MIII stapler and the Bostitch N62 finish nailer. Both of these are in the combo kit and we are selling them for $549.00 while supplies last.
What is great about this kit is that along with the Bostitch MIII stapler you get the plate for installing prefinished wood flooring along with the new graphite mallet and of course the N62 finish nailer along with a case all for $549.00.
We brought in combo kits that include the Bostitch MIII stapler and the Bostitch N62 finish nailer. Both of these are in the combo kit and we are selling them for $549.00 while supplies last.
What is great about this kit is that along with the Bostitch MIII stapler you get the plate for installing prefinished wood flooring along with the new graphite mallet and of course the N62 finish nailer along with a case all for $549.00.
Can't go wrong on this deal! Visit our website at Walk On Wood if your interested in the specifications
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Year 2008 Predictions for the Hardwood Flooring Business
We believe that 2008 will be a slower year for new construction overall.
With fuel prices rising along with people strapped with credit card bills and not being able to tap the equity in their homes, it will result in more remodeling. We believe people will opt to stay in their existing homes and spruce them up.
This would be great for us in the hardwood flooring business! We anticipate a great year and we are working to to streamline are product lines of wood flooring at all our locations. We are updating our showroom samples as well as choosing the products that people need at the prices that will keep money in their pockets.
We have deals on some engineered wood flooring that we purchased from Columbia Flooring. These won't last as they are as low as $2.00 per sf. We also have some great exotics such as tigerwood, brazilian cherry, brazilian teak. All these species of wood flooring have become very popular selections by the consumers.
If you are located in Upstate New York, we encourage you to stop into one of our showrooms and talk to one of our sales people about your needs or any of your flooring questions. For contact information to a location nearest you click here.
With fuel prices rising along with people strapped with credit card bills and not being able to tap the equity in their homes, it will result in more remodeling. We believe people will opt to stay in their existing homes and spruce them up.
This would be great for us in the hardwood flooring business! We anticipate a great year and we are working to to streamline are product lines of wood flooring at all our locations. We are updating our showroom samples as well as choosing the products that people need at the prices that will keep money in their pockets.
We have deals on some engineered wood flooring that we purchased from Columbia Flooring. These won't last as they are as low as $2.00 per sf. We also have some great exotics such as tigerwood, brazilian cherry, brazilian teak. All these species of wood flooring have become very popular selections by the consumers.
If you are located in Upstate New York, we encourage you to stop into one of our showrooms and talk to one of our sales people about your needs or any of your flooring questions. For contact information to a location nearest you click here.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Welcome to our hardwood flooring blog
Here we will talk about hardwood flooring information for both the retail customer as well as the professional wood flooring installer.
For the retail customers we will go over the types of hardwood flooring that are available, the differences between engineered wood flooring and 3/4" solid wood flooring, species, and keep them up to date on the new technologies that are coming in the hardwood flooring industry.
For the wood flooring installers, we will talk about industry news concerning manufacturers of hardwood flooring, polyurethane floor finishes and floor sanding equipment. We will also make announcements on specials deals and manufacturer promotions.
If your looking to purchase hardwood flooring or wood floor sanding equipment and supplies you can visit our website at Walk On Wood.
For the retail customers we will go over the types of hardwood flooring that are available, the differences between engineered wood flooring and 3/4" solid wood flooring, species, and keep them up to date on the new technologies that are coming in the hardwood flooring industry.
For the wood flooring installers, we will talk about industry news concerning manufacturers of hardwood flooring, polyurethane floor finishes and floor sanding equipment. We will also make announcements on specials deals and manufacturer promotions.
If your looking to purchase hardwood flooring or wood floor sanding equipment and supplies you can visit our website at Walk On Wood.
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