Category Archives: Floors

Unfinished Wood Floors Sanding – An Overview

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There will most likely come a time when refinishing the surface of the wooden floors in your home becomes necessary. In this article, you will learn more about the significance of each of the processes involved when it comes to the unfinished wood floors sanding. This is important because a better understanding of the processes can spell the difference between the success and the failure of the sanding for the surface of your floor.

If you are prepared to make the wooden flooring in your home look as good as new, you may ask the contractors to perform the following set of procedures: (1) staining; (2) sanding; and (3) applying finishing touches to the surface of the floor. The contractors should be ready to move out all of the pieces of furniture in the room where they will perform the unfinished wood floors sanding. After this, the contractors will need to remove the top layer of the flooring that previously sealed the surface from environmental elements. This phase may take up to around eight hours to finish.

If you want to retain the shade of the flooring, the contractors may be forced to perform additional sanding and finishing for the wooden surface. This especially holds true if the surface of the floor has been previously bombarded with lots of scratches and gouges that peek on the surface. For this task, the contractors will use numerous types of sandpaper with different degrees of roughness.

Once the surface of the floor has been stripped of chemicals and other coatings, the contractors may then apply the new shade for your floor. Ideally, you should have discussed this matter with the team even before you appointed them to visit your home for the renovation. Stains are the tinting substances of choice for the contractors. Compared to the sanding phase, the contractors can finish this job more easily. However, the drying process may take up most of the time for the flooring surface.

If you think the surface of the floor will only require minor changes, you may ask your contractors to perform screening and finishing for the surface. However, you should take note that the procedures will not readily strip off the top coat of the flooring once the procedures have been performed on the surface. This may also include the blotches and other forms of stains that may be present on the surface. As soon as the contractors have finished their screening tasks, you may then behold the appearance of the newly sanded flooring.

These are just some of the things that you should definitely keep in mind when it comes to unfinished wood floors sanding, as far as the steps in the entire task are concerned. You are not encouraged to perform by yourself any of the procedures mentioned above because these typically require the proper knowledge and skills that will ensure the procedures are executed properly and efficiently. Also, the procedures will require the contractors to make use of specialized equipment.

Floor Cleaning – The Right Way

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A clean floor in the home reflects the heart of those who live in it. Each individual who takes care of this aspect tries to keep the floor clean, so as to look tidy. Some think and feel that it is very difficult to thoroughly clean the largest surface within a home, which of course is the floor. If you have children at home, this task can be overwhelming because little do kids care about our concern, when it comes to floor cleaning. Your house’s floor is an investment which we cannot be easily replaced, in case something goes wrong and it’s damaged. We all know that even the tiniest flaw can look as sore as a thumb. Due to this, people have been trying to find effective cleansing ideas. Here are common floor cleaning methods, so you will know how to keep your homes floor clean and welcoming.

Vinegar is one household item that can work like magic on your floor. Of course you want to come home to a home that is shining clean and this is a great way to get this done. All you need to do is mop the floor with 3 cups of vinegar solution, mixed with half a gallon of warm water. Many have tried and found that it effectively removes stain as the various shelf products available. Make sure you let the floor dry up and afterwards, you will notice that your floor looks much more attractive.

In everyday life, the chance of things spilling on the floor and getting dried up are extremely high. Maybe you have had cases where you had your hair spray get on the floor, etc. In such cases, you need to make sure that it’s immediately wiped clean; but do not rub the floor with sharp objects. The latter is a pretty bad way of treating such stains on the floor and should never be done. Using ammonia also helps in removing hard to get stains, but before you use it; make sure that all the windows of the rooms are open. On this note, keep in mind that using ammonia will work on most hard-surfaced floors except marble floors.

Waxing your floor is also another way to make it shinier and look brand new. You can use wax paper for this and after wiping an ample amount on the floor, just mop it dry. You would need many wax papers depending on how big the floor area of your home is. Using this floor cleaning method will definitely make your floor look glossy and neat. Some of you may have other issues, when it comes to the maintenance of your floor. Make sure the grout is well kept, as grouts can get very dirty, especially when deposits accumulate. You may want to use sealants for such cases because it can be reapplied if needed.

Everyday floor cleaning is a great way to keep it looking fresh and new. Even mere dusting of the floor will help you maintain it and avoid scratches, as well as cuts on costly tiles, etc. If you take time to thoroughly and properly clean your homes floor often, this will definitely keep it looking beautiful and inviting. Your guests and visitors will surely compliment you for the splendid job done.

Hardwood Floor Installation Facts You Should Know

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Whether you are using hardwood flooring, laminate flooring or engineered flooring, there are some basic hardwood floor installation facts that you should be aware of. Hardwood floors are one of the most desirable forms of flooring that you will see in homes today. With the advances in the different types of flooring, it is hard to imagine an area of the home that you will not be able to use them.

If you are going to use standard hardwood flooring, you are first going to have to put down a sub-floor to secure the hardwood flooring to. This will allow you to have hardwood floor installation over things like hard floors (meaning concrete slabs) or over pre-existing floors and also provide a layer of insulation against moisture. If you want to avoid some of that work, you can choose an alternate style of flooring that will allow you to lay the floor down directly on those substances.

When you are trying hardwood floor installation in an area that has a lot of moisture, you should really avoid solid hardwood flooring and use one of the alternatives. If the area is not going to have a lot of moisture, you can still install wood floors, but you will want to use an engineered floor instead of a solid floor. This can hold up to relatively low levels of moisture without being damaged.

If your hardwood floor installation is going to be in an area like the bathroom or kitchen that is prone to a lot of spills, even the engineered floor may not be a good idea. If you are putting flooring down in this area, you may want to consider using something that can handle getting wet on a regular basis. Your option for this would be laminate hardwood flooring. While it is not really a wooden floor, it will give you the appearance and durability that you need.

In regards to installing hardwood floors, if you are going to do it yourself, there are a few more things that you will need to make sure you are prepared to handle. The first is the actual detailed work that is involved after you finish putting the floor down. It all starts with sanding down the floor to lose the rough spots from the wood filler that may be used to cover the nails and to also smooth out the entire floor.

From there you are going to have to possibly stain and finish the floor. This can be a very tedious task, but is also a time that the floor itself is unusable. If you have children or pets, you may want to get them out of the house until the finish dries to ensure that they do not mess it up.

Hardwood floor installation is a project that you can do yourself if you have some DIY skills, but may be something that you want to consider contracting out. If you are going to take on the task yourself, make sure you are educated on the installation process and that you can handle all of the tasks at hand to make sure you don’t ruin pieces as you are installing and add to the overall cost of the project…