Parlor at Jefferson's Monticello

A wood floor will last for centuries; consider Monticello, President Jefferson’s home from the 1890’s with its magnificent parquet floors. Wood has always been considered one of the floors of choice. According to a  “A Brief History of Wood Floors,” as late as 1625 most European houses still featured beaten-earth floors as opposed to wood or other surfaces. Even when wood flooring made its debut, it was mostly rough and coarsely finished.  Finely finished, elegant wood flooring did not make its true debut until the Baroque era (1625-1714), when sanding, staining and design truly came to the forefront.

The popularity of wooden floors was boosted by the abundance of wood in the American colonies (1607-1780). Many homes featured boards of random widths nailed to floor joists in any configuration possible.

Wooden flooring was first mass-manufactured late in the American Victorian era, 1840-1910, and an E. L. Roberts mail-order catalog from 1903 features “wood carpeting” made of 1 1/2″ by 5/16″ wood strips glued to a 3-foot roll of heavy cotton canvas, made to be installed by tacking down the “carpet” with brads every foot or so. This was the grandfather of the modern prefinished floor.
Choices of wood flooring today include the usual American hardwoods such as maple, oak,

Mannington Chesapeake Hickory Plank

hickory or even pine, but exotic species and reclaimed woods are also popular.

Mannington Chesapeake Hickory Plan (close up)

Wood can be made to look distressed or antiqued.  It can be very contemporary with a piano finish.  It can be wildly colored like Tiger wood; there is no end to the choices.  There are no limits to the ways to express your personal decorating tastes.

Not only are there numerous choices of wood, but also manufacturers have dramatically improved the finishes they apply at the factory. Years ago the only way to care for your wood floors was to wax them, often times by hand. The new protective coatings, such as urethane embedded with aluminum oxide particles, dramatically increases the scratch resistance of wood flooring. Because of the natural softness of wood, however, it should be noted that wood can be scratched and dented. This should be considered part of the beauty and character of the floor, as well as the inherent nature of wood.

Shaw's Scuff-Resist Finish

Today’s new finishes are easy to take care for.  Sweeping or vacuuming on a regular basis keeps gritty particles from scratching the floor.  Using one of the handy spray cleaners and drying the floor as you go makes upkeep easy.  A walk off mat in front of the doors will keep sand and gritty particles from being tracked in from the outside.

Wood floors add beauty and comfort to any home.  Enjoy!

This article is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.

Do you enjoy working with your hands?  Do you like providing a finished product that requires skill and knowledge?  Do you like working with people?  Flooring installation is a rewarding career for individuals that answered “yes!” to these questions.   It involves physical activity, creativity, attention to detail, and mathematics.  The rewards can be substantial for well-trained, ambitious individuals as well as the satisfaction of a job well done.  As with many trades, the flooring industry is always looking for qualified people.

Today’s consumers want someone who is prepared to provide exceptional craftsmanship for products that they have carefully selected and anticipate enjoying for many years.  Carpet Network promotes engaging the services of certified floor covering installers.  “The only way floor covering dealers can grow,” says Lenny Rankin, CEO of Carpet Network, with more than 20 years experience in the shop-at-home home flooring industry, “is to upgrade the installation process. Despite the fact that most of the installers are independent business owners, they are still the most important part of our team. By recognizing them, we are able to show them how important they are to the success of our business and their importance to our customers.   We can do this by supporting their efforts and recognizing their talents.”

There is a real need for men and women who qualify.   This trade provides an avenue for young people searching for a rewarding occupation and those who are changing careers.  The future of the business they create is unlimited.

If you or someone you know would like to investigate what programs are available in your area, contact the Certified FloorCovering Installers.

This article is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.

Natural Birch

We are just at the beginning of heating season and in many areas of the country, that can coincide with reduced humidity levels indoors.  Just like people, wood floors need normal living conditions to function properly.  Typical recommendations are between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity and a temperature between 60 to 80 degrees.

In climates where low relative humidity coincides with the heating season (in the Northeast and Midwest for example), a whole house humidification system that turns on with the heat can really help.  Whole house humidification systems that aren’t dependent on heat are available for arid climates such as the Southwest (at minimum, small portable humidifiers can also be used).  Keeping humidity levels constant – even if they are on the low or the high side – is better than a roller coaster of relative humidity levels.

Lack of moisture can cause a host of problems for wood floors.  Once issue is the appearance of seasonal gaps between boards.  In some areas of the west where relative humidity levels can be as low as 4.5%, floors experience “dry cupping” which happens when the top of the boards is drier than the bottom of the board.  Typically the cause of the imbalance is excess moisture from the subfloor but it can also happen because of excessive drying on the top of the board.

In conclusion, maintaining the relative indoor humidity in your home can have an added benefit, as you make the wood floors, wood furniture and cabinetry in your home more comfortable, you will be more comfortable too!

This blog is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.

Raw Materials:

Consider categories of flooring that begin as a natural product such as WOOL, WOOD and CORK; or are made from RECYCLED MATERIALS.

• Soda bottles can be melted down and recycled into carpet fiber.
• Some carpet manufacturers have the ability to take post consumer carpet and break it down to its original raw material.  The new material can be manufactured back into carpet without any degradation of quality to performance or styling.
• How products are harvested is critical – legal logging and chain of custody certification for example.  Sustainably harvested products should always be selected.
• Salvaged products are a great choice.  Many hardwood flooring manufacturers are reclaiming raw materials from riverbeds and dilapidated buildings.
• Choose products that are certified as environmentally friendly.  There are a number of third-party organizations that provide certification.  These would include the Scientific Certification Systems, Forest Stewardship Council, GreenGuard Environmental Institute, Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

In winter when the air in your home is dry due to round the clock heating, you will notice that the wood in your home contracts – the structural wood, the moldings, the furniture, the cabinetry and yes, your hardwood floors as well. You will observe hairline cracks, slight height variations or both. A whole house humidifier will help minimize shrinkage and keep movement to a minimum.

Gaps and cracks are much less noticeable on darker colored wood floors than lighter ones. Narrower width boards generally perform better too, since wider planks are more prone to moisture and heat fluctuation. Another note, hardwood does not expand or contract equally in all directions.

Engineered wood floors, rather than solid floors, are your best bet for a dimensionally stable floor since they are made with a cross-ply construction.

In the warmer months, when humidity levels rise, wood floors will expand. Gaps will tend to diminish. The use of air conditioning will help keep your home at an ideal comfort level of 35% to 55% relative humidity – good for people! Good for floors!