Wood Flooring
Sanding Wood Parquet Flooring
Sanding wood parquet flooring is more difficult than it may seem at first. Think about it… When sanding conventional solid wood flooring, you need to be aware of the direction of the grain of the wood. But because parquet wood flooring has wood grain going in all sorts of different directions, the concept of sanding... »
Wood Parquet Tile Flooring
Wood parquet tile flooring is a sort of like a combination between hardwood flooring and vinyl tile squares; in a way, it is the best of both worlds. So it is kind of interesting that wood parquet tile flooring is not more popular, but there are some design issue involved here mentioned at the... »
Red Rosin Paper for Installing Floors
After you’ve got a good, smooth, stable subfloor and underlayment, the last step before installing the finish flooring–red rosin paper. This stuff mystified me the first time I saw it installed. I thought: Isn’t there anything better to lay down as a moisture barrier? Well, for one thing, you don’t want an absolutely impermeable moisture... »
Wood Flooring Moisture
It doesn’t matter if you’re installing your wood flooring yourself or hiring someone–wood flooring moisture is something you need to think about. Every guide you read, every set of product instructions will say, “Let the wood floor acclimate in the house for 3 days” or whatever time length they specify (1 day? 5 days?). ... »
What is Overwood?
Q: I’ve heard the term “overwood” in the context of wood flooring installation and wonder what the heck it is? So…? A: Overwood refers to the difference in thickness between two adjoining butted pieces of wood floorboards. Now, keep in mind that we’re not talking about huge differences in thickness; just a few millimeters. But... »
Ready for Wide Plank Flooring?
So, is wide plank flooring in or not? Fashions in wood flooring come and go, and one of the biggest stars in recent years has been wide plank flooring. Imagine flooring that come in widths between 3.5 inches and 8 inches (or even up to 10 inches and sometimes even wider), and you’ve got a... »
Can You Install Solid Wood Flooring on Concrete Slab?
Concrete is an entirely appropriate base for solid wood (and engineered wood) flooring, provided you have a separating layer between the finish flooring and the concrete. If you have any kind of known “issues” with the concrete slab (moisture, out of level, etc.), you’ll probably want to install a system of sleepers that separate... »
Wood Flooring Terms: Nested, Random, and Specified-Length Bundles
Wood flooring has its own terminology, but a couple of terms you really need to pay attention to or else you may end up buying the wrong stuff. And the last I heard, wood flooring is a difficult and expensive thing to return. Random Bundles or Average Length Bundles We’re talking about solid wood or engineered... »
Quarter-Sawn Wood Flooring
Q: I have been looking at quarter-sawn wood flooring vs. plain sawn wood flooring. The quarter-sawn is more expensive, but I’ve heard it’s better. Should I buy it? A: Yes, if your budget allows for it. Quarter-sawn wood flooring is considered a big deal (vs. plain-sawn wood). Quarter-sawn wood flooring is... »
Wood Flooring Materials – Hardwoods and Softwoods
Whether you’re dealing with solid hardwood or engineered wood flooring, there are a few common basics that all wood floors share. Solid hardwood is just that–solid from top to bottom. Engineered wood is a thin layer (a veneer) of hardwood laid atop a sandwich of other, lesser types of woods. So, when comparing... »