Sunday, April 18, 2010

Kitchen floors

This article talks about the importance of flooring in the kitchen. It provides useful tips on the correct procedures to be followed while laying a new floor.

The flooring of the kitchen makes a huge difference in the overall look of the kitchen. Even if your kitchen counter is looking messy, if you have a beautiful floor, the visitor to your kitchen will not notice the mess on your kitchen counter. In other words, the flooring can significantly alter the look of the kitchen. So, it becomes important to have sophisticated flooring in your kitchen rather than old linoleum or hardwood flooring that has patches all over it.

Placing brand-new vinyl flooring above the old flooring is not a good solution because the old flooring will soon start showing through the vinyl flooring. What you can do is to have a sub-floor

that is new and place this on the old floor. This will give the impression that the old floor has been removed. However, the problem is that wood flooring can mould itself according to the flaws of the previous flooring.

It would be a good idea to empty the kitchen of all the items that are not fixed to the floor while changing the floor of the kitchen. Many a times, ovens are fixed to the kitchen floor to avoid tipping. When the kitchen floors are being renovated, an empty kitchen will speed up the process and make the task much easier.

If you have older vinyl flooring that needs to be removed, there is no need to worry as advanced machines are available to do the job for you. However, despite this you will still need to make sure that there are no spots on the floor. If there are any spots, you will have to take them off manually. This is necessary because for new flooring to be fixed properly, the base has to be completely smooth. After the floor has been cleared of old vinyl and glue, laying the sub-floor will be relatively easy. Another thing you need to keep in mind before you cut the wood around the walls and cabinets is to see to it that the size of the cutting fits properly.

Floating floors

Wooden floating floors can be a great addition to any home and with the right care they can continue to look great for a very long time.

Have you recently just fitted wooden floating floors into some or all of the rooms around your home? It could be that you are considering buying floating wooden floors and you are just wondering about the wood furniture care techniques that need to be applied in order to keep it looking good for as long as possible? Wood furniture care for floating floors is the same as anything really and if you do not look after it then obviously you risk compromising the look of it and you can risk causing un-repairable damage to it too.

So why do people choose to buy floating wooden floors in the first place? Well there are some great benefits to having floating wooden floors and one of them is the fact that they are easy to install. Also the lifespan of them is great, especially if looked after properly and they could even last up to a century with the right care.

With all of the great benefits probably the most appealing one has to be the look of the flooring and it truly is something great to look at. It is great flooring which is pleasing to the eye and it is not hard to see why it makes a good addition to any home.

Applying Wood Furniture Care for Your Wooden Floating Floors

Have you just been and bought some floating wooden floors for your rooms in the house and you would like to keep them looking good? It is quite easy to maintain the look of the floors and all it takes is a little time and effort on your part.

Solid wood flooring

Today wood flooring is making a great comeback for many years people have been replacing or covering there wood floors with carpet. Today’s choices in wood flooring have never been greater we will examine several differences between a solid wood flooring that was the staple for many years compared with the advantages and disadvantages of a laminate wood flooring.

Solid wood flooring has a few advantages over laminate. The first advantage is that it can be refinished over and over But has a floor becomes worn scratched or damage they can be sanded out stained and you have a new floor. A solid wood floor will truly last for a lifetime. A laminate floor which is constructed not of solid wood but has a fiberboard type base and a laminate

covering that mimics real wood. A laminate floor will resist scratching but cannot be refinished. Although laminate flooring will last many years if it is damaged it will need to be replaced.

As a rule solid wood flooring is much more expensive than laminate flooring it is also much more expensive to install because it requires much more labor. The solid wood flooring usually comes in strips approximately 2in. wide each strip has to be laid down individually and nailed in place with a special pneumatic flooring nailer. The whereas laminate flooring can be put down in larger sections the section simply snap together and can be put down rather quickly the typical homeowner can easily lay laminate flooring down in a weekend with only basic tools.

Hard wood flooring

You may have a couple of woodworking projects in mind, such a building a hutch, perhaps laying flooring in your home. The first question that comes to mind is what is the right kind of wood for the particular job? This question becomes easier to answer once you understand a bit about the unique characteristics and qualities of each hardwood.

Hardwood is lumber that comes from hardwood trees, which are those that have a broad leaf, or produce nuts. In North American, the most popular hardwoods are cherry, maple, walnut, oak and hickory. The climate in North America is conducive for the production of these strong wood trees. The entire group of these trees, taken as a whole, are called "hardwood" trees.

Even though all hardwood is not the same, the lumber industry has taken steps to standardize wood by designating different strengths and grades so that the consumer can know which is the best hardwood for the woodworking project he is contemplating.

Depending upon the temperature and moisture content of its surroundings, hardwood expands and contracts as an adaptation to its environment. To keep this change in texture to a minimum, hardwoods are dried in a kiln oven to remove a great deal of its moisture content. This will stabilize the amount of expansion and contraction so that it retains its original shape as closely as possible.


Wood floor installation

Wood floor installation is not half as complex as it sounds. Provided you have the patience to read the directions and take the proper measurements, you will get your new floor installed faster than you thought possible. Install flooring can be compared to assembling an oversized jigsaw puzzle but much, much easier. When installing a wood floor, the key to to get started at one corner of the room in question and go on placing tiles as you work towards completing the whole puzzle.

Basic Flooring Installation

You should know about the tools that are essential for a floor install. First you will require a hammer, a wedge, a tape measure, a carpenter’s square and pencil, a utility knife and a circular saw. You will also need a vacuum, a fan, eye protection, ear protection, a pry bar and a block of wood.

Now, it's finally time for the flooring of your choice. If you have chosen a lock together type of flooring made of laminate, using glue is completely unnecessary. You should keep in mind a flooring that needs to be glued down requires more work.

Simple Tips for Installation of Wood Floors

Here are a few tips that are sure to make it uncomplicated for you to install floors:

1. Ensure you level the floor prior to commencing. A rough base will eventually become a shaky flooring. A slope that is gentle isn’t much of a problem, but the floor is likely to warp in case of too many ups and downs.

2. You will first need to cut the flooring at the ends of several rows. Cuts will also have to be made at door frames. Ensure that your saw blade is sharpened so as to prevent the flooring from chipping.

Hard wood floor

There are many reasons to choose hardwood floor as your floor covering.

· Wood doesn’t trap fumes or dust like carpet.

· Mold and staining are not problems for wood, like tile grout.

· You can easily and cost-efficiently change the entire look of a wood floor from time to time with stains, paints and inlays.

· There is no depreciation on a wood floor. In fact, it usually increases the resale value of a home.

· Wood flooring is the best choice for the environment. Production is cleaner than alternatives.

· Wood is more energy efficient. The cellular structure of wood traps air, giving it superior insulating properties. It takes 15 inches of concrete to equal the insulation qualities of just one inch of wood.

Once you’ve made the wise choice to add wood flooring to your home, you will want to care for it to keep it as beautiful as the day it was laid. Cleaning can be a daily chore because you’ll notice dirt and dust is more visible than it was with carpet or tile. Without an inch of fiber and grout depressions, soil has no place to go.

Cleaning hard wood floors requires very few tools or chemicals. Sweeping or vacuuming the entire surface every day is a great place to start. Dirt and dust act like sandpaper on your floor, creating scratches and nicks that can eventually require a professional to fix.

Wooden floors

Wooden floors look great in any room in the house, but to keep them looking good for many years, it’s important to know how to look after them properly.

• Try to put very hardwood floors where children and pets are likely to be, as these are extremely durable and will be able to withstand wear and tear better

• Remove spills promptly using a soft cloth and recommended cleaning products

• Keep pets’ nails trimmed, and paws clean and free of dirt, gravel, grease, oil, and stains

• Sweep or vacuum regularly, since built-up grit can damage the surface of the wood. The vacuum head must be a brush or felt type and make sure that the wheels of the vacuum are clean and do not damage the finish

• Furniture can dent and mark wooden floors, so place protective pads beneath furniture legs and feet to reduce scratches

• Remove shoes with spiked or damaged heels before walking on the wood floor

• Exposure to the sun and its UV rays accelerates the oxidation and aging of wood and fabrics. This causes the wood to change colour. Therefore, it's a good idea to rearrange rugs and furniture periodically so that the floor ages evenly

• Use rugs in high traffic areas and pivot points, for example, stair landings and room entries, especially if you have a large family or indoor pets