Category Archives: Articles

Expert Floor Tips – Scratches

SCRATCHES OH’ NO…

We get so many phone calls from customers who scratched their floors from moving a couch, piece of furniture or an appliance. Save yourself a call to us by always protecting your floors. It’s more expensive than you think!

KITCHEN…If you are having a kitchen appliance repaired in your home it is best to ensure your hardwood floors are properly protected before any appliances are moved. Whether it is you or a service company moving, always put a protective barrier on the floor & underneath where the refrigerator or dishwasher will get dragged out. This will ensure minimal floor damage.

Here is a photo example of a NJ homeowner who called Ron The Floor Guy to get a scratch repaired. Their refrigerator was dragged across the hardwood floor without protection. These type of scratches are costly to repair because they are deep and need to be completely re-sanded vs. a quick buff & coat service. Try to save money, time and the hassle of having to have an entire room re-sanded by protecting your hardwood floors whenever you have an appliance issue in your home.

 

 

 

 

 

FURNITURE…Thinking of redecorating or need to clean behind your couch? To ensure that you do not scratch your floors our best advice is as follows:

  1. Never drag your furniture when moving it
  2. Alway lift it up
  3. Place protective barrier under the legs if furniture is going to be dragged.
  4. Felt pads should be placed under all the legs of furniture including kitchen tables for future protection.

If you didn’t get a chance to read this article in time and need a scratch repaired, click here for a complimentary estimate.

Why choose hardwood flooring?

Why Wood Floors? 

  • Durable
  • Beautiful
  • Affordable
  • Easy Maintenance
  • Increase Value of your home
  • Ecological (renewable and recyclable)
  • Healthy Home, no allergens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are as many types of wood as there are types of trees, each with characteristic grain, hardness and color. Here’s a short list of the most common types of wood used for floors or furniture.

Red Oak
By far, red oak is the most popular flooring option, with warm pink tones and a rich, grainy appearance which works well with most stains.
White Oak
White oak is harder than red oak, is naturally a wheat-like yellow color, and has a lovely grain of warm medullar rays.
Pine
A traditional flooring wood famous for its traditional and cozy warmth, pine flooring is found in numerous historical homes. Pine is a soft wood, and given to showing ‘dent’ marks after prolonged use under heavy furniture. For this reason, pine floors are a popular choice with new home builders who want a floor with hand-distressed, or ‘rustic’ details.
Maple
A clean-looking hardwood, less textured than oak, offering a uniform appearance with exceedingly fine graining. Maple is an extremely popular wood for home flooring.
Cherry
A beautiful pink-toned wood which takes on a deep warm hue when finished with urethane. Cherry wood is softer than oak, and more expensive.
Hickory
An extremely hard wood, very durable, which comes in both white and red varietals.
Basswood
Also called linden wood, basswood is a common soft wood with indistinct grains and a creamy base color.
Bamboo
Newly popular, this Asian grass is gaining popularity as a flooring. It comes in various shades of tan, shows distinctive grain from the stalks. While bamboo takes stains well, it usually comes factory-finished.
Pecan
A durable and hard wood with a fine, distinctive grain.
Birch
One of the softer hardwoods, with close grains and varieties of tone from whiteish-yellow to a light brown. Birch is often mistaken for maple.
Walnut
Like Cherry, Walnut is extremely durable and dent-resistant, with a medium color and a whorled grain pattern. Walnut is one of the more expensive hardwoods.
Teak
An extremely durable and warm imported wood, Teak is usually used for out of doors applications because of its innate oiliness.

From top to bottom, this list rates the hardest to the softest wood types from 1- 21, with 21 being the hardest and most durable wood, and 1 being the softest.

Brazilian Cherry 21
Mesquite 20
Santos Mahogany 19
Merbau 18
Jarrah 17
Purpleheart 16
Hickory/Pecan 15
African Pecan 14
Wenge 13
Bamboo 12
Hard Maple 12
Australian Cypress 11
White Oak 10
Ash 9
American Beach 8
Red Oak (Northern) 7
Yellow Birch 6
Heart Pine 5
Black Walnut 4
Teak 3
Black Cherry 2
Douglas Fir 1

#1 Question to ask when buying hardwood flooring

Are you a homeowner excited to purchase a new wood floor but feel a little overwhelmed by all the choices these days? With HGTV and Houzz being at our fingertips, the options seem endless. Although a hardwood floor may look beautiful, we tend to overlook one key factor that will keep its’ beauty long-lasting!
  
We believe the most important question you should ask your supplier or contractor BEFORE purchasing is “How many times can this floor be refinished?”
 
There are 2 types of wood to choose from:
Solid hardwood flooring: a board that is made from 100% hardwood and each board is a single solid piece.
Engineered hardwood flooring:a man-made floor board that is made up of multiple layers. Both of these are available in various thicknesses or wear layers, so how do we determine what type of thickness is best for our home? The goal is the product’s lifespan, you want the long term value of selecting a wood flooring with thicker wear layer. Don’t go for the quick fix!
 
Why a thicker wear layer? This will allow you to sand the floor again in the future. After years of wear and tear, it’s nice to do a buff and coat or refinish the floors with a new fresh color. If you choose a floor with a thinner wear layer, in the future your wood floor can not be sanded again. This is a common oversight for homeowners, especially when choosing a 3/8″ pre-finished engineered floors. Key question to ask your supplier: “How many times can this type of floor can be refinished.?” In the long run, your best value is a floor that has a thicker wear layer. You should get around 10 yrs before you need to refinish (depending on the amount of abuse your floor gets).
  
Our recommendations for durability and reliability:
  • Pre-Finished solid hardwood
  • Unfinished solid hardwood
  • 3/4″ Engineered hardwood (not as common but growing in popularity for these reasons).

Contact us anytime for questions HERE

 

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