| Q. | Will wood floors increase the value of my home? |
| A. | A quality hardwood floor will offer a lifetime of beauty and service and is an investment that will add considerable value to your home whether for your own enjoyment or for resale value. |
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| Q. | Do I only have white oak and red oak to choose from? |
| A. | While White Oak and Red Oak in 2¼" width are still very popular, we have hundreds of exciting, beautiful wood species such as Cork, Bamboo and Exotics from forests all over the world and are offered in wider widths of 3", 4", 5". The choice is yours. |
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| Q. | Do all hardwood species and wood floors have the same hardness factor? |
| A. | No. The wood industries Janka Hardness Rating represents the resistance of wood to denting, marring, and wear. The higher the number, the harder the species, the more resistant it is. However, all hardwood floors will dent, mar and wear under various conditions. Red Oak is 1290, Brazilian Cherry is 2890, and Brazilian Walnut is 3680, just to name a few. |
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| Q. | Are engineered floors "real wood" floors? |
| A. | Engineered floors have a real hardwood veneer wear layer with a multi-layer cross grain construction, perfect for at-grade or below-grade cement installations. |
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| Q. | Are hardwood floors are indestructible? |
| A. | Despite today's advanced technology, water, spills, dirt and other abrasive substances can damage a wood floor's finish. Location, traffic patterns, how often the floor is vacuumed and cleaned, children and/or pets are factor that influence wear. |
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| Q. | Do hardwood floors scratch or dent? |
| A. | Yes. Although Hardwood floors of all species are durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of daily life, the finishes and wood can scratch or dent, given enough applied pressure or resistance. Higher gloss will show more imperfections. |
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| Q. | Can tables, chairs, and furniture scratch or dent my wood floor? |
| A. | Wood is a natural material and can dent or scratch. Place adhesive felt furniture pads on the legs of chairs and all furniture to prevent damage to the floor's surface. |
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| Q. | Can my roller chairs damage my wood flooring? |
| A. | Roller chair wheels can damage a wood floor if they are equipped with hard plastic or metal rollers. The wood industry recommends barrel-type rollers made of non-marring rubber. |
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| Q. | Can high heel shoes damage a wood floor? |
| A. | High heels or spiked heels are damaging to hardwood flooring. They strike the floor with more force per inch than an elephant's foot. High or spiked heels in disrepair are especially harmful, as the heel's nail head acts like a tiny hammer pounding the floor with as much as 10,000 pounds per inch force! |
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| Q. | Will pet urine damage my wood floor? |
| A. | Pet urine is a caustic and will harm your floors. |
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| Q. | Should wood floors be used for kitchens? |
| A. | YES! Kitchens are one of the most popular rooms in the house for hardwood floors. Built to withstand heavy traffic and give long lasting beauty with minimal maintenance, hardwood floors are a perfect choice. |
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| Q. | Can wood floors be installed in a basement on a concrete floor? |
| A. | YES! We offer many fine quality engineered wood floors that feature cross-grain construction. These floors are very stable and resist expansion and contraction due to climate. Be sure to test your concrete floor for excessive levels of moisture over 5%. We recommend the use of Bostik's best urethane adhesive. Their MVP moisture barrier is a great investment and insurance for a perfect, trouble free floor. |
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| Q. | Are bathrooms and laundry rooms fine for wood floor installation? |
| A. | Floors in these areas will more sensitive to moisture because of their location. |
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| Q. | Can my wood flooring can be delivered and installed the same day? |
| A. | The industry and most wood manufacturers recommend that solid wood flooring be delivered to the job site at least 3-5 days before the installation. This properly acclimates the wood to 'normal living conditions'. That is, a temperature of 65F to 75F, a relative humidity of 35% to 50% with the HVAC fan left in the "on" position to provide a continuous flow of air across the floor. Most engineered wood floors require three days or less for acclimation. |
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| Q. | When my wood is delivered, can I store it in the garage, out of the weather? |
| A. | No. Wood flooring should never be stored in a garage or a basement on a concrete floor. No exposure to moisture of any type should be permitted. A high relative humidity or moisture vapors being emitted from a concrete slab will penetrate into the wood flooring - causing it to swell/cup at the tongue and groove and be difficult to fit together and install. |
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| Q. | Are wood floors that are sanded and finished at the job-site more durable than a factory manufactured finished floor? |
| A. | A pre-finished floor gives you the added benefit of a perfect finish applied under dust-free, ideal conditions at the factory. Ours includes from five to eight coats with aluminum oxide suspended in the finish. The only thing harder is diamonds! This finish is much harder than any product bought at a home center or flooring supplier. |
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| Q. | Are repairs easier to make on a sanded and finished floor than a pre-finished floor? |
| A. | Pre-finished boards can be replaced one at a time. Job site finished boards require four or five days of sanding, staining, finishing and then waiting for the finish to dry. After that, it may still not match the rest of the floor. |
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| Q. | Is your Aluminum Oxide floor finish harmful? |
| A. | There are no issues with Aluminum Oxide floor finish. These microscopic Aluminum Oxide crystals are added into the finishes, once cured, it is completely safe for our children and pets. It is recommended however to do all board cuttings outside in order to protect against breathing even normal wood dust. It is in this dust state that Aluminum Oxide and wood fibers can have a respiratory effect on people. |
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| Q. | Can I expect my floor to have a "table top finish". |
| A. | Wood floors are not tabletop material. Hardwood floors that are pre-finished are milled to exacting specifications. However, you may feel a slight variation from plank to plank, when walking across the floor in your bare feet. |
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| Q. | Can I expect to get a wood floor with the wood all the same color, like the store sample? |
| A. | Wood is a natural product with patterns and color variations created in a living tree, like all of nature -- never to be repeated. A small swatch containing only a few grain patterns and shades of a species could never completely represent a fully installed floor with hundreds of pieces. |
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| Q. | If my floor has more different colors and grain variations than the store sample, did I receive something different from what I ordered? |
| A. | Wood floors are like a snowflake. No two trees are alike, no two boards will be alike, even if taken from the same tree, let alone from the same species growing different part of the world. Furniture, cabinetry, doors, etc., are fabricated in a factory under ideal conditions and contain 1-10 different pieces of wood. Your floor is fabricated in your own home, and is made up of 300 to over 1,000 different pieces of wood. Your custom floor will never be duplicated! |
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| Q. | Why are there defects in wood like wormholes, mineral streaks, and knots? |
| A. | Because wood is a product of nature, most character marks such as pinholes, mineral streaks, and knots are allowed in most grades. If a board is undesirable to you, tell your installer not to install it. All wood manufacturers state that the responsibility for final inspection and approval is that of the installer and consumer. Once the board has been installed, it is deemed to have been accepted by the installer and homeowner. No claim for an installed board that is visibly defective will be honored. |
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| Q. | When wood floors warp or cup, is it because the wood flooring is defective? |
| A. | No. Warping or cupping results from either added job-site moisture or over drying. Improper water maintenance, a plumbing leak, or moisture from the crawl space, basement, concrete slab or high/low-relative humidity are the usual culprits. |
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| Q. | If my wood floor changes colors or fades, is it because the finish and wood are defective? |
| A. | No. All floors experience a color shade with change overtime, due to natural characteristics. American cherry and many exotic species like Brazilian Cherry, Tiger wood, are photosensitive and will gain a richer, darker patina. Area rugs and large furniture that cover the floor should be moved periodically to allow exposure to UV light and air on the area. Eventually, the entire floor will reach the same even shading. |
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| Q. | If my wood floor shows gaps between boards in the winter months, is it defective? |
| A. | Nearly every wood floor endures some separation between boards. In winter, when homes are heated and the air is dry, wood flooring gives up some of its moisture and therefore shrinks. When that happens, cracks appear between the boards. In the spring, when the heat is off and the indoor environment regains moisture, most of the gaps should close. (To get the best from your floor, maintain humidity levels of 30-55%) |
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| Q. | Do wood floors require a lot of time and effort to maintain? |
| A. | Unlike other types of floor coverings, hardwood floors can be kept looking like new with a minimum amount of effort. Never damp mop your floor. Use only products designed for wood floors. Just spray and dry mop across the floor. |
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| Q. | Is it always best to use my vacuum with a rotating brush to remove grit and debris from my wood floor? |
| A. | While weekly vacuuming is important for removing dirt and grit, a special hard surface brush tool should be used. A beater bar with a hard bristle brush can scratch your hardwood. |
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| Q. | Are oil-soaps the best way to clean my wood floor? |
| A. | Soaps will leave a harmful yellow film causing the finish to alligator and crack. |
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| Q. | Are kitchen floor cleaner with vinegar, ammonia, or abrasive cleaners okay to use when cleaning my floor? |
| A. | NO! Never use these kinds of cleaners, as they can dull and damage your hardwood floors and void warranties. Use products safe for urethane finishes. |
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| Q. | Is damp mopping is the best way to clean a wood floor? |
| A. | No. To the contrary, water and wood do not mix. Throw away that bucket and mop! Water causes deterioration of the wood itself, as well as the finish. Use maintenance products and procedures that will not harm your urethane finish. |
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| Q. | The area is prone to moisture and/or high humidity, can I still have a wood floor? |
| A. | Yes. Engineered is the floor of choice. |
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| Q. | Is it best to keep the relative humidity low or dry in my home? |
| A. | The wood flooring industry recommends that you keep the environment at "normal living conditions". That is, a temperature from 65F to 75F, and a relative humidity at least 35%, but preferably 45% to 50%, with a continuous flow of air across the floor. |
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| Q. | My basement, crawl space, or concrete slab looks dry, so will I have any problems with a new wood floor? |
| A. | Your installer should always check the sub floor for and protect against moisture before installing a wood floor. |
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| Q. | I have radiant heat, so can I install a new wood floor? |
| A. | Some hardwood floors work well over radiant heat such as Floating and Engineered. For solid wood always shop for stability. Ask your sales person about this. Be sure to follow the radiant heat manufacturers guidelines. |
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| Q. | Shouldn't I be able to use every piece of wood I purchase? |
| A. | Although the wood manufacturer controls every aspect of production, wood, a product of nature, is not perfect. The industry allows a tolerance not to exceed 5% for defective boards (natural or manufacturer related) based on the total purchase.(8-10% for the exotics). |
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| Q. | If I find a defective board after the floor is installed, will the manufacturer replace or repair it? |
| A. | No. It is the responsibility of the installer/customer to inspect the floor to be installed and be selective in choosing each board in quality, grading, and natural color variation before installing it. Once installed, the floorboard is deemed to be acceptable to both the installer and the end-user. |
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| Q. | What if I get down on my hands and knees and I can see all kinds of small defects? |
| A. | Product claims are from a standing position. |
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| Q. | Do I have any way to get my technical installation questions answered? |
| A. | Yes, you do. Just call 818-784-2311 and ask to speak to Scott our installation specialist or leave a message. |
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