Prefinished Flooring

Engineered Hardwood Floors Overview

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:28:14 +0000

Engineered hardwood floors can prove to be the perfect choice for your home or office. Due to the high tech way these flooring types are produced the results are flooring that’s more stable than traditional hardwood flooring. The instability of solid hardwood floors is chiefly caused by water and heat. These factors can cause the wood to warp and even split apart. But engineered hardwood flooring has been created to deal with these concerns. Engineered flooring is produced by 3 to 10 different layers of plywood, high density fiberboard, or hardwood that are glued together in a cross-plying construction. This provides the flooring with added durability and because of the layers it’ll resist warping better than solid hardwood flooring. Naturally, the more layers it has the more sturdier (and expensive) it will become. While, engineered hardwood floors is more resistant to heat and moisture you should still do your best to protect your flooring from it. For instance, it’s imperative to clean up any spills because excess water can cause damage to any flooring.

There are two different procedures that engineered hardwood is made. The first one is when the wear layer or top layer is cut by a saw. This is a little more expensive because the sawing action leaves more detail and grain visible in the planks. The other procedure is rotary cut where the wear layer is cut by a peeling method making the grain and detail of the wood a lot wider.

Where to find outstanding prefinished flooring

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:27:55 +0000

There are plenty of advantages that go along with prefinished flooring that we’ve touched on in this blog. For one, it saves you the trouble of having to completely finish the floors on site. This means the flooring will be available to be walked on sooner after its installed and that there will be much less clean up involved. Prefinished flooring is also more of a DIY undertaking while installing unfinished flooring really should only be taken on by a professional. Both flooring types are good but it all depends on your preference. In this post, I’m going to go over two manufacturers that produce outstanding prefinished hardwood floors.

Appalachian Flooring

These guys (and gals) make some of the highest quality prefinished hardwood flooring on the market. They got their start in 2001 when they opened their flooring plant in Cowansville, Quebec. They produce their lines of solid and engineered flooring in a wide selection of domestic and exotic species, colors and grades.

Johnson Hardwood Flooring

This is by far one of the most respected and revered names in hardwood flooring. Johnson utilizes species from all over the world and they produce high quality, precision milled prefinished flooring. And since 1999 they’ve produced a huge catalog of flooring options, including their fantastic ForeverTuff engineered flooring.

These are only two of many quality manufacturers of prefinished hardwood flooring that you can find at FloorMall.

Finding Prefinished Flooring with the Floor Navigator

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:14:28 +0000

Landmax Hardwood Floors is a flooring company headquartered in Taiwan. It was founded in 1990 with the goal of producing flooring that brought people more enjoyable lives. Landmax concentrates on carefully sorting, kiln drying and manufacturing their products so they’re able to produce the most stable products on the market. They do this to create the largest possible investment return for their customers and the utmost in satisfaction. Landmax has set out to introduce products that makes the best use of a natural, finite resource.

If you’re interested in looking through Landmax’s high quality selection of products then there’s no better place than FloorMall, thanks to the Floor Navigator. Now, whenever you search for flooring on FloorMall.com you can tailor your search to display only the results which are most important to you. This will help save a lot of time and can prevent you from being overloaded by the sheer amount of products available. First you select what type of flooring you’d like to browse through, whether its laminate, hardwood or otherwise. And then you’ll be given two drop down menus to make selections with. In the first drop down menu you can filter the results by brand and then in the second menu you can select Landmax Hardwood Floors. From there you can distinguish the results by color, construction and installation methods. It has as many options as you need to make the right selection.

Build The Perfect Deck With Simple Patios and FloorMall

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:00:09 +0000

Have you been dreaming of the perfect backyard patio or deck? Somewhere you can entertain family and friends or just relax alone everyone once and a while to bask in the sun (Don’t forget the sunscreen). Well now is the time to stop dreaming about your perfect patio and start making it a reality. And with Simple Patios this task is easier than ever. FloorMall started the Simple Patios outdoor furniture line to appeal to a wide spectrum of customers because of the value it offers. For one, the Simple Patios furniture has been priced very low and when combined with the fact they ship for free, they’re the lowest priced patio furniture on the web. And to add to that value, the entire line is backed by a 50 year warranty.

A great example of the value persistent throughout the Simple Patios Product Line is their selection of premium wood deck tiles. They’re available in an assortment of different styles, so you’re sure to find one perfect for your dream patio. These deck tiles are great against harsh sun, moisture, and the inevitable foot traffic of any well-used outdoor living area. Wood slats also allow water to easily flow through, so designing a functional poolside paradise in your back yard is made easy with Simple Patios!

Visit the Outdoor Furniture section on FloorMall.com to browse through their new and great collection of luxury patio furnishings.

Great Deals On Bamboo Floors

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:28:36 +0000

Spring is finally here and we know that for many of you that means spring cleaning. But why stop there? Go all the way with spring remodeling with help from FloorMall. Nothing can give an ailing room a fresh start like high quality flooring. In this post we’ll go over a good choice for spring: Bamboo.

Bamboo isn’t a just a type of flooring that’s well suited for spring but will serve your home well all year long. It’s a durable and luscious floor covering that with proper maintenance will last many spring times to come. But bamboo isn’t just good for your home but it’s great for the environment as well. As one of the fastest growing woody plants, bamboo is a sustainable resource and reaches maturity between 3-7 years. Bamboo has become very popular as a result of the green movement and due to more homeowners looking for environmentally friendly options in their homes.

You can purchase a great set of bamboo flooring without breaking the bank thanks to FloorMall’s selection of Blowout Bamboo flooring. The Blowout section on FloorMall is the best place on the web to find beautiful flooring products without sacrificing quality or craftsmanship. From the Blowout section I’d like to mention Natural Floors engineered bamboo offering. It features a rich chestnut color and interlocking flooring panels for easy installation. You can purchase this set of bamboo flooring for only $2.37 per square-foot.

Hawa’s Exotic Prefinished Engineered Flooring

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:28:18 +0000

Engineered flooring has recently become a very popular flooring option for thousands of homeowners. The main reason behind this popularity hike is the fact that engineered flooring combines the prestige of natural hardwood flooring with the durability of laminate flooring. Laminate flooring has made valiant strides as of late and there are even brands which supply each plank with a high definition, photo-realistic photo of the wood it is attempting to mimic. But despite how real the laminate flooring looks it is unfortunately not real and some people really want authenticity. The downside of a lot of hardwood floors is that they’re not resilient enough to last in a household that sees a lot of foot traffic. Engineered flooring has solved both of these concerns to a degree.

Engineered flooring’s’ top layer consists of a veneer made from a genuine, authentic piece of wood. This can make a big different in your home for several reasons. One is that you get all of the benefits of a great looking floor without having to be worried about whether or not it’ll be durable. The reason for this durability is due to the way the floor is made. Several layers of composite wood are pressed together under extreme pressure. Naturally, the more layers that are used the more resistant the flooring will be to damage and warping. Hawa’s Exotic Prefinished Engineered Flooring is a great example of lavish and durable flooring.

First and foremost, the species of wood they’ve selected are some of the most beautiful and colorful of any on the market. And because they’re engineered flooring they’re more suited for longer use and are less expensive. Their floors are coated with high wear UV cured Acrylic Urethanane aluminum oxide base coats. These base coats do a few things. First they protect your flooring from harmful UV rays. No matter what you do, the sun will precipitate a change of color in your flooring. But the change is usually gradual and leads to the floor becoming richer in color. But too much sunlight can actually damage and warp your flooring and these base coats help prevent that. They also make the flooring more durable. Aluminide oxide is a substance readily used as a less expensive substitute to industrial diamond so you can be sure that it’s tough. In addition to the base-coats the flooring is given several top coats of polyurethane, which just helps add to its durability. You can take a look at the Hawa Exotic Prefinished Engineered flooring line here.

Hardwood flooring price comparison

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:54:37 +0000

Hardwood flooring isn’t the most inexpensive option in regards to flooring. And in this day and age finding ways to reduce costs and save money is paramount. There are a few things people can do to cut costs. Homeowners can install hardwood flooring themselves which helps cut down on installation costs. There are more installation methods available for different types of hardwood flooring than ever before. Another way to cut down on costs is by shopping around and finding great deals on the type of flooring you want.

That’s what I had in mind when I visited FloorMall.com. I know the site to have really good and competitive prices. I wanted to see how good of a deal I could get on a piece of engineered hardwood flooring, since engineered flooring is usually less expensive than solid hardwood flooring but still very durable.

FloorMall.com was selling their American Cherry engineered flooring at $4.08 per square foot which was well below the price this identical product was going for at Riverwoodsflooring.com and FastFloors.com. And I’m sure if I went through more flooring sites that I would find that FloorMall.com offered better deals on the same brands and products than the majority of the flooring sites on the web.

You can see the flooring product I did my price comparison on here. The flooring brand I choose was br-111 which is one of the most expensive and premium flooring options on the market. I choose this brand in order to show that you don’t have to sacrifice quality in order to get a deal and sometimes all it takes is just a little research.

Does a prefinished floor need special maintenance?

admin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:38:30 +0000

When examining the characteristics between pre-finished hardwood floors and site-finished hardwood floors there are a few notable differences. One difference is the fact that the finish is applied within the confines of a factory. These factories provide dust free environments and enable the urethane to dry clearly and smoothly. The wood is coated anywhere from seven to twelve times, depending on the type/desired finish, making this wood extremely damage resistant. Other types of installations such as site-finished hardwood floors can prove to be difficult due to the level of precision involved with the actual installation.

It is possible to enhance the resilience of the pre-finished hardwood flooring by adding either ceramic or aluminum oxide particles to the urethane. Generally speaking the addition of aluminum oxide is favored due its natural resistance to abrasive materials. Even actual installation can be seen as quicker due to the fact that pre-finished hard wood floors are ready to be walked upon immediately after installation is complete. Site-finished wood needs to be finished, allowed time to dry, and can end up taking several days before the floors are actually able to be used without risk of damaging the floor.

Approaching the maintenance of your pre-finished hard wood floors can be deemed an easy approach. Pre-finished hardwood is by nature a low maintenance material. One of the most effective ways to keep the floors looking good is to vacuum them weekly. By utilizing a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush and rubber coated wheels you will be able to clean the floor effectively while maintaining the integrity of the wood. Once the floor is vacuumed, a quick shine – using the recommended solutions- can help keep your hardwood floors looking shiny and clean. It’s not hard to see exactly why pre-finished hardwood floors are a solid investment.

Is Prefinished hardwood flooring dangerous in terms of Indoor Air Quality?

admin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:32:07 +0000

When dealing with the installation of hardwood floors we can automatically see a slight increase when discussing the quality of air indoors. Whether or not you have pre-finished or site-finished hardwood floors, the fact still remains that hardwood is much easier to keep clean from intruders such as dust and other bacteria. The reason for this is simply due to the fact that these particles will actually settle on top of the floor rather than settling in, as would be the case with carpeting.

When discussing pre-finished flooring specifically we can see a few different characteristics. For starters, pre-finished flooring is a much easier installation, as it comes pre cut and finished, allowing it to be used immediately after installation. Also, depending on what type of wood you specifically order, pre-finished flooring can also be eco-friendly. Species such as cork and bamboo are available and can be seen as environmentally friendly options. Depending on what type of finish you choose when ordering your pre-finished hardwood, certain options possess traits such as the ability to handle humidity better, slightly increasing the quality of the air.

With such a wide variety of options in regards to species of wood, colorings, and actual finishes it’s no wonder pre-finished wood is becoming more and more popular. Combined with the fact that this wood can be easily installed in a do-it-yourself project, it is not hard to see this is as a sensible investment. Same stylish appearance of hardwood floors without the dust, noise, vapors, and overall inconvenience of site-finished hardwood floor installation.

Is prefinished wood flooring easier to install?

admin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:23:31 +0000

When dealing with hardwood floors, there are two broad categories regarding the types of wood used. These categories can be broken down into newer, factory or pre finished wood, and the older, more traditional style, which is finished on-site. Both of these styles have pro’s and con’s, depending on what exactly you are looking for in a hardwood floor. Over all appearance, texture, and installation difficulty are just a few of the notable differences found between the two.

When specifically examining the installation process of the two different types, pre-finished flooring can be seen as much quicker and less hassling. When dealing with site-finished wood the process can be described as extremely inconvenient for the household in which the installation is taking place. Arriving at your home as bare lumber, once the installation is complete, the floor is sanded in place, leveling and smoothing the wood in order to prepare it for the actual finish. Site-finished flooring when correctly placed is flat and smooth with no signs of board grooves. Unfortunately, one must suffer the inconvenience of the process, including, dust, noise, and the incapacitation of your house.

On the other end of the spectrum we have pre-finished, or factory finished wood. These boards come ready to install, already sanded and protected to be level upon installation. Unlike site-finished wood, factory finished wood is a perfect do it yourself project. You don’t have to know how to sand or finish, as it is not required to complete the installation. Generally speaking, all pre-finished wood comes with a warranty, and is physically tougher than most hardwood floors. By allowing you to take your time and complete the installation with a little research and less professional help, installing pre-finished flooring can be seen as the easier, less stressful means of installation.

And if you want to find a floor installer, there are resources for that as well!