If you've ever seen a solid hardwood floor that's gotten wet, you probably already know what a disastrous effect water can have on wood floors.
Wood by its very nature absorbs water.
If you lay hardwoods on a concrete slab or in a basement, the moisture in the air will be enough to do bad things to the floors.
Not only is the finish ruined, but as moisture dries, you see gaps between the boards when the floor contracts in winter.
Dampness in the summer months may cause floors to buckle or cup.
Okay, you've already learned two things about hardwood floors.
You know they should never be laid in damp places, and they need room to expand and contract.
There's a lot more you need to know before you'll be able to make educated decisions about using solid hardwood floors in your own home.
For starters, the woods used in most hardwood floors are maple, red oak, ash, or white oak because of their durable qualities.
You'll find that hardwood flooring falls into three distinct groups.
Here's what you'll see when you go to the store: * Strip flooring - This flooring is 5/16" to 3/4" thick and comes in widths of 1 1/2", 2" and 2 1/4".
* Plank flooring - Planks are available in two thicknesses and in varying widths between three and eight inches.
* Parquet floors - Different than the other two types, parquet floors are made of pieces of wood slats which are laid to form patterns.
You'll find that a hand-scraped hardwood floor may or may not have been crafted by hand.
The authentic floors are beautiful and extremely rich and unique-looking.
They are also very expensive.
They are ideal when used in such decors as modern world or in a situation where you'd want to use old, reclaimed wood.
If you go to purchase hand-scraped floors, make sure you get what you paid for.
The authentic flooring is hand-crafted, but engineered versions have also appeared on the market.
Because solid hardwood hand-scraped floors are so costly, manufacturing companies have come out with their own versions which are known as distressed floors.
Although an attempt has been made to make these floors duplicate the unique markings of the originals, they have fallen short in that area.
However, if you don't want to pay the price of real hand-scraped floors, distressed floors make an excellent substitute.
Taking Care of Solid Hardwood Floors To clean your solid hardwood floors you need to only use the cleaning products recommended by the manufacturer.
Wood floors can be vacuumed, too, which will remove any dirt, mud, sand, or small stones which may have gotten tracked in.
To keep that at a minimum, install good doormats at each door for people to wipe their feet on before coming in.
Be careful of the furniture pieces you buy, too, because some furniture has legs that will scratch the floors.
Furniture coasters or other protectors need to be used under furniture legs to keep them from damaging your solid hardwood floor.
You will also need wide rubber cups that are made for large, heavy piece of furniture, such as pianos.
Never use paste wax on hardwood, because it will cause more damage.
And if you spill something onto the floor, wipe it up with a soft cloth immediately.
You'll find that solid hardwood floors take a bit of TLC to keep them looking nice, but think how great they'll look in your house.
Wood by its very nature absorbs water.
If you lay hardwoods on a concrete slab or in a basement, the moisture in the air will be enough to do bad things to the floors.
Not only is the finish ruined, but as moisture dries, you see gaps between the boards when the floor contracts in winter.
Dampness in the summer months may cause floors to buckle or cup.
Okay, you've already learned two things about hardwood floors.
You know they should never be laid in damp places, and they need room to expand and contract.
There's a lot more you need to know before you'll be able to make educated decisions about using solid hardwood floors in your own home.
For starters, the woods used in most hardwood floors are maple, red oak, ash, or white oak because of their durable qualities.
You'll find that hardwood flooring falls into three distinct groups.
Here's what you'll see when you go to the store: * Strip flooring - This flooring is 5/16" to 3/4" thick and comes in widths of 1 1/2", 2" and 2 1/4".
* Plank flooring - Planks are available in two thicknesses and in varying widths between three and eight inches.
* Parquet floors - Different than the other two types, parquet floors are made of pieces of wood slats which are laid to form patterns.
You'll find that a hand-scraped hardwood floor may or may not have been crafted by hand.
The authentic floors are beautiful and extremely rich and unique-looking.
They are also very expensive.
They are ideal when used in such decors as modern world or in a situation where you'd want to use old, reclaimed wood.
If you go to purchase hand-scraped floors, make sure you get what you paid for.
The authentic flooring is hand-crafted, but engineered versions have also appeared on the market.
Because solid hardwood hand-scraped floors are so costly, manufacturing companies have come out with their own versions which are known as distressed floors.
Although an attempt has been made to make these floors duplicate the unique markings of the originals, they have fallen short in that area.
However, if you don't want to pay the price of real hand-scraped floors, distressed floors make an excellent substitute.
Taking Care of Solid Hardwood Floors To clean your solid hardwood floors you need to only use the cleaning products recommended by the manufacturer.
Wood floors can be vacuumed, too, which will remove any dirt, mud, sand, or small stones which may have gotten tracked in.
To keep that at a minimum, install good doormats at each door for people to wipe their feet on before coming in.
Be careful of the furniture pieces you buy, too, because some furniture has legs that will scratch the floors.
Furniture coasters or other protectors need to be used under furniture legs to keep them from damaging your solid hardwood floor.
You will also need wide rubber cups that are made for large, heavy piece of furniture, such as pianos.
Never use paste wax on hardwood, because it will cause more damage.
And if you spill something onto the floor, wipe it up with a soft cloth immediately.
You'll find that solid hardwood floors take a bit of TLC to keep them looking nice, but think how great they'll look in your house.
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