What’s the difference between Solid Wood and Engineered Wood?
A very common question we hear is “What if I need to refinish my floor? Won’t a solid wood allow me to do this?”
First, solid wood, is exactly that. A solid piece of wood that is milled to the size, and it’s the thickest wood. However, because it isn’t as “forgiving” as engineered wood, it either needs to be installed directly over a wood subfloor, because it needs to be nailed down, or if you have a concrete slab, you need to nail down a wood subfloor so you can nail down the solid wood! Not only is this a more expensive way to go, but it can raise your floor level to where you might have issues with your doorways and existing base. And yes, solid wood can be sanded several times, but only to the level where the nails are holding it down.
Engineered wood is actually a stronger type of wood when it comes to expending and contracting, because the layers that make up the engineered wood, are going in several directions. Engineered wood can be sanded, and most likely gently sanded a second time, but most people never need to sand their floor ever.
And the new finishes applied to today’s floors make them very durable.
I should mention that when you buy very inexpensive flooring, you sometimes aren’t getting the same finish you would be if you buy better flooring. Just be careful if you’re “pricing shopping”.
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How should I care for my Hardwood Floor?
Vacuum, dry mop or sweep your floors regularly to remove any loose dirt that can be ground in. We recommend Bona Kemi hard surface floor cleaner since it dissipates quickly, and there is a complete floor cleaning kit available which makes the job easy. Never use wet rags or water on your hardwood flooring.
Laminate Flooring….has come a long way. It’s a great alternative to wood flooring, especially if you have children and pets. You get the wood look but with a lot less worry about denting and scratching.
Laminate flooring is easy to clean, and now comes in styles that resemble the popular hand scraped hardwood look so they look more like real wood.
Laminate flooring is not a lot less expensive than real wood as people thought it would be, and it’s still not highly recommended in bathrooms where water can get under it.
The largest draw-back to laminate is the hollow sound it makes when you walk on it. You can definitely tell it’s not real wood, and that’s mostly because it’s not glued down like wood is, but instead is a “floating floor”.
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What if my laminate floor gets a major dent or scratch. Can it be refinished?
No. Laminate floors don’t get refinished, because the wear layer is not thick enough. When laminate gets damaged, (which is rarely) then the actual board is cut out and replaced, as you could do with hardwood.
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What’s the best way to clean laminate floors?
Regardless of the manufacturer, we recommend using Bona brand products. They make a hard surface floor cleaner called Bona Kemi, that can be used on both hardwood and laminate. It sprays on, and quickly dissipates, but not until you can use cleaning pad.
Porcelain & CeramicTile….are sometimes lumped together to indicate a type of flooring. And for a long time, most people had ceramic because porcelain was just too expensive. Now though, you can find Porcelain in all price ranges, and it’s amazing how it can simulate real stone.
What’s the difference? Basically, Porcelain is fired at a higher temperature and this makes it a harder more durable tile.
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How do I know if I can use the same tile for my floor as my walls?
When you look at the back of a sample board, it will tell you the approved applications. Some time can only be used on walls, and yet all floor tiles can be used on floors or walls.
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What about using glass tiles? Can I use them on floors and walls?
Most glass tiles are meant to be used only on walls or backsplashes. And that’s because they are made of real glass. When you look at the back of a glass tile sample board, it will tell you where the manufacturer recommends using it.
DuraCeramic…is a product that should really be considered vinyl or resilient, because it’s in the same category. But because not many people install vinyl flooring today, I didn’t want it to be more confusing than it is.
DuraCeramic is a warmer, more comfortable way to have the look of ceramic tile. It’s quieter, and less likely to break dishes and glasses if you drop them. It can be installed without grout, although with grout, it’s really difficult to tell it’s not the real thing.
And what’s truly great about it, is that it can be installed over existing ceramic tile, hardwood, or vinyl which eliminates the need to remove your old flooring (in most cases). It runs about the same as installing ceramic tile, so it’s not a “less expensive” way to go, but it offers new opportunities for those who want the look of ceramic, but not having ceramic.
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