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Website:
http://www.homerwood.com/
Red Oak is not the only choice
- If you want your home to look like everyone else's, this is a great
choice. If you want your home to be unique try hickory, cherry, walnut,
white oak, maple or many others. Go to flooring retailers or search the
Internet and see what is available. If you really want red oak try using
wider widths or character grade for variety and uniqueness.
2 ¼ inch is not the only size available
- If all you ask your builder for is a hardwood floor – you are going
to get a 2 ¼ inch red oak floor. Why? It is the most common, most produced,
most stocked, cheapest option available. You can buy sizes in 3" through
12". You can put down a single width for a uniform look or multiple widths
for a more random look. Typical random flooring patterns are 3"-4"-5", 3"-5",
4"-5"-6". Have fun! Make your home unique! The wider the floor the more
seasonal separations between the flooring planks can occur.
Import Species don't support jobs in the United
States
- While there are vast amounts of imported species available, there are
fantastic, interesting species of flooring available right here in the United
States. Not all countries have managed forests and renewable resources.
This is an important time to support our own economy.
All flooring is not select (clear) grade
- The most common floors are select grade. These floors contain none of
woods naturally occurring character marks. Look around your flooring showroom,
almost every display is showing clear flooring. There are warm and inviting
options. Look at a character grade or other grades. Make sure to see a photo
of what the floor looks like, not just one piece. Prefinished flooring is
convenient
- Have you ever been forced to leave your home for three days while the
flooring contractor sands, stains and recoats your floor? If not ask a friend
who has had it done. A professional flooring contractor will leave your
home spotless, others can leave dust on all your furniture. Today's factory
finished flooring can be installed today and entertained on tonight with
very little mess. With prefinished flooring each plank is allowed to move
independently with humidity changes in your home. This makes those seasonal
separations (cracks) in your floor less noticeable.
Colors can be cool – but mother nature is hard
to beat
- Some species of flooring are so beautiful in their natural color, they
do not require any added color. Look up hickory, cherry or walnut flooring
on the Internet and you will see what I mean. Prefinish warranties are a
gimmick
- 50 year warranty – WOW! Lifetime warranty – fantastic! Oh really? These
are wear-through warranties only. Your floor will loose its "sheen" or luster
and require refinishing long before you ever wear through the finish. The
best way to make a floor last is to vacuum it often to keep away abrasive
material that might scratch your floor. Remember a lower sheen floor shows
less wear.
Not all flooring is smooth – texture is popular
- Hardwood flooring does not have to be smooth. Many companies are offering
hand scraped, distressed and reclaimed flooring. These floors have a classic
look and add great value to upscale homes. They do not show much wear or
scratches since they have a great deal of character interest to draw attention
to different parts of the floor. These floors will be a guaranteed conversation
piece with your friends and neighbors and are often the focal point at luxury
home tours.
In a basement use engineered flooring
- Most people use engineered flooring to glue down to concrete or in higher
moisture areas. This flooring has a thin layer of hardwood with a cross
banded plywood base. This makes the flooring more stable and does not require
nailing like a solid hardwood floor.
Laminate flooring is not Hardwood flooring
- A great steak does not taste the same as a picture of a great steak.
If you want the beauty and warmth of hardwood flooring in your home – buy
the real thing, not a cheap imitation.
© HomerWood™ Hardwood Floors
Note: This article was submitted by a second party and the contents are subject to
our disclaimer.
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