Greg is looking at changing the look of his home from the current glazed tile and carpet that he has through-out his home to a more inviting and homeowner friendly one. He is talking with David Holt, owner of Holt Maintenance Co. which has been in business since 1976.

 

Q- David, what types of floors have you found that are long lasting and are good for the home?

 

For the kitchen, glazed tile is one of the longest lasting floors and the easiest to maintain. Splashes and spills are a lot easier to wipe up and the surface lasts a lot longer than finished wood, depending on the quality of the tile.

There are many grades of glazing and that definitely affects the longevity. The more layers of glaze or thicker the glaze, the more wear you’ll get from the floor. I have seen cheap glazed tiles have the glaze wear off in much too short a time, so that they become difficult if not impossible to maintain. Since the tile is non-porous, wax and other finishes won’t stick to it, so layers of protection above the glaze can’t be added. The only solution then is to replace the flooring.

Thinner grout lines, well sealed, are also easier to keep clean. Fine (sand) grout leaves few if any crevices for dirty water to get stuck in.

Mats can be placed near the sink and a rug under any breakfast table, to soften the surface for standing on.

The above also applies to bathroom floors.

 

Q- David, which floor do you think would be better hardwood or tile, as far as maintenance?

 

For the remainder of the house, hardwood floors can be easily maintained and of course do not hold dust and dirt like carpet does. The trick here is to have and maintain a good finish on the surface of the wood. Prefinished floors with, generally, an aluminum oxide coating, seem to last well. Oak floors, well coated with polyurethane, also last very well with the proper care, and seem to last longer than maple floors do. It could be that newer finishes compatible with maple are harder and longer lasting than they used to be but oak can accept very hard finishes. Remember, it is the finish that takes the wear, not the wood underneath, when the floor is maintained properly.

Dustmopping and cleaning with a Bona Kemi or Woodwise type hardwood floor cleaning system are very good and fast ways to care for wood floors with a polyurethane finish on them.

The floor should be recoated every eight years or so of “average” usage, thus it is always the finish being worn by traffic and not the wood.

Rugs and runners can be used to lessen the impact of walking on these floors.

In every case, chairs and other furniture sitting on hard floors (tile, hardwood, whatever) should have felt pads on the leg ends to keep from scratching or wearing away the floor.

 

Q-  What would you suggest would be the best flooring for kids?

 

For the little ones, carpets or rugs should be the most comfortable to crawl on. But, hard floors are easier to keep clean/sanitized.

 

              Tony at Glen Pacific Carpet and Floor has been in business for 27 years and is a good friend of Holt Maintenance Co. Greg is now talking with Tony.

              Greg is leaning toward a maple wood floor. From the information above, he wants a hard coating on it.

 

Q- What would you recommend?

 

Maple flooring is a terrific choice, especially since it is even harder than oak. Maple has a truly rich appearance with a "smoother" look when compared with oak

 

Q- What are the options on wood floors?

 

Where to start?  Everything from natural (meaning not stained) to stain colors which span the rainbow Species of wood from oak to exotics like Koubari from Africa. High gloss and low gloss finishes, aluminum oxide coatings or full oil base coatings for wear resistance. Differences in gauge and widths abound. Quite literally, the options are endless.

 

Q- What are the costs involved?

 

Again, hundreds of options means hundreds of prices to fit any budget. Hardwood material can range from a low of about $2.00 per square foot on up into the stratosphere plus labor and any "extras." That's the beauty of using a real pro who really knows the product, and what it takes to install it right the first time.

 

 

Thank you very much David and Tony!

 

Tony’s contact info: http://www.glenpacific.com

David’s contact info: mailto:david@holtfloorcare.com

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'Vinyl composition tile (VCT) is a finished flooring material used primarily in commercial and institutional applications. [1] Vinyl tiles are composed of colored vinyl chips formed into solid sheets of varying thicknesses (1/8” is most common) by heat and pressure and cut into 12” squares. Tiles are applied to a smooth, leveled sub-floor using a specially formulated vinyl adhesive that remains tacky but does not completely dry. Tiles are typically waxed and buffed using special materials and equipment.

Vinyl tile is favored over other kinds of flooring materials in high-traffic areas because of its low cost, durability, and ease of maintenance. Vinyl tiles have high resilience to abrasion and impact damage and can be repeatedly refinished with chemical strippers and mechanical buffing equipment. If properly installed, tiles can be easily removed and replaced when damaged. Tiles are available in a variety of colors from several major flooring manufacturers. Some manufacturers have created vinyl tiles that very closely resemble wood, stone, terrazzo, and concrete. Tiles can easily be cut and assembled into colorful and decorative patterns.

Vinyl composition tiles took the place of asbestos tiles, which were widely used in schools, hospitals, offices, and public buildings up until the 1980s. Use of tiles and adhesives containing asbestos were discontinued when asbestos materials were determined to be hazardous. Tiles free of asbestos are easily distinguished by their size – asbestos tiles were commonly manufactured in 9-inch squares. However, not all 9-inch square vinyl tiles manufactured before 1980 contain asbestos. Mastics and adhesives containing low concentrations of asbestos were used into the 1970s and are generally considered non-hazardous because the asbestos is not considered friable.

Non-ACM (asbestos containing materials) floor tiles are not identifiable by their size. ACM flooring (tiles, sheets, panels, etc.) may come in any color or size and the use of asbestos in flooring and mastics has not been eliminated.

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This is an article from Wikipedia about hardwood floors.  A general knowledge of the subject can be very helpful when a homeowner is working on his own or working with contractors. 

An example of solid wood flooring, site finished with urethane

Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring, either structural or aesthetic. Bamboo flooring is often considered a wood floor, although it is not manufactured from timber, but a grass.

 Types

 Solid

Solid hardwood floors come in a wide range of dimensions and styles, with each plank made of solid wood and milled from a single piece of timber. Solid hardwood floors were originally used for structural purposes, being installed perpendicular to the wooden support beams of a building. Modern construction techniques now rarely use wood building frames and solid hardwood floors are used almost exclusively for their appearance.

For flooring, solid wood has many limitations due to the natural characteristics of wood. Expansion and contraction of wood from moisture and temperature fluctuation puts many dimensional restrictions on solid wood floors. Typically, 5" wide and 3/4" thick boards are the largest that can be manufactured from solid wood without compromising the structure of the flooring (some manufacturers produce wider boards using proprietary milling techniques). There is, however, no standard size which will perform well in every environment. For contemporary construction techniques, the most significant characteristic of solid wood floors is that they are not recommended to be installed directly over concrete.

 Engineered

Wood flooring is a popular feature in many houses.

Engineered wood flooring is composed of two or more layers of wood in the form of a plank. The top layer (lamella) is the wood that is visible when the flooring is installed, and is adhered to the core (or substrate) which provides the stability.

Laminate, vinyl and veneer floors are often confused with engineered wood floors - laminate uses an image of wood on its surface, vinyl is plastic formed to look like wood, and veneer uses a thin layer of wood with a core that could be one of a number of different composite wood products (most commonly, high density fibreboard).

Engineered wood is the most common type of wood flooring used globally. North America is the only continent that has a larger solid wood market than engineered, although engineered wood is quickly catching up in market share.

 Comparison of Solid Wood and Engineered Wood

It is very difficult to compare a solid wood floor to engineered wood floors, as there is a wide range of engineered wood floor qualities. There are several limitations on solid hardwood that give it a more limited scope of use: solid wood should not be installed directly over concrete, should not be installed below grade (basements) and it should not be used with radiant floor heating. Solid hardwood is also typically limited in plank width and is more prone to gapping and cupping with increased plank size. Solid wood products, on average, have a thicker 'sandable area' (the wood that is above the tongue), and can be installed using nails. Lastly, solid wood tends to be less expensive than engineered wood, but this, as with the 'sandable area,' depends on the quality of the engineered wood (most inexpensive engineered wood products are 'veneer' wood floors, and not 'engineered').

Engineered wood flooring has several benefits over solid wood, beyond dimensional stability and universal use. Patented installation systems (such as "click" or "G6") allows for faster installation, and easy replacement of boards. Engineered wood can use 'floating' installations, further increasing ease of repair and reducing installation times.

 Solid Wood Manufacturing

Solid wood can be cut in three styles: flat-sawn, quarter-sawn, and rift-sawn. However, because only one side of the wood is visible on flooring, "quarter-sawn" and "rift-sawn" will have the same appearance.

Many solid woods come with "absorption strips" - grooves cut into the back of the wood that run the length of each plank. They are used to reduce cupping.

Solid wood floors are mostly manufactured with a tongue-and-groove for installation.

 Engineered Wood Manufacturing

 Lamella

The lamella is the face layer of the wood that is visible when installed. Typically it is a sawn piece of timber.

The timber can be cut in three different styles: flat-sawn, quarter-sawn, and rift-sawn. However, because only one side of the wood is visible on flooring, "quarter-sawn" and "rift-sawn" will have the same appearance.

 The Core / Substrate

1) Wood ply construction ("sandwich core"): Uses multiple thin plies of wood adhered together. The wood grain of each ply runs perpendicular to the ply below it. Stability is attained from using thin layers of wood that have little to no reaction to climatic change. The wood is further stabilized due to equal pressure being exerted lengthwise and widthwise from the plies running perpendicular to each other.

2) Finger core construction: Finger core engineered wood floors are made of small pieces of milled timber that run perpendicular to the top layer (lamella) of wood. They can be 2-ply or 3-ply, depending on their intended use. If it is three ply, the third ply is often plywood that runs parallel to the lamella. Stability is gained through the grains running perpendicular to each other, and the expansion and contraction of wood is reduced and relegated to the middle ply, stopping the floor from gapping or cupping.

3) Fibreboard: The core is made up of medium or high density fibreboard. Fibreboard has minimal expansion and contraction so the core is very stable. Fibreboard is also denser and harder than most wood and is less prone to denting. Floors with a fibreboard core are hydrophobic and must never be exposed to large amounts of water or very high humidity - the expansion caused from absorbing water combined with the density of the fibreboard, will cause it to lose it's form. Fibreboard is less expensive than timber but is not VOC free and is not environmentally friendly.

 Installation Systems

Wood can be manufactured with a variety of different installation systems:

1) Tongue-and-groove: One side and one end of the plank has a groove, the other side and end has a tongue. The tongue and groove fit snugly together to form the floor. Floors with a tongue-and-groove can be installed by glue-down (both engineered and solid), floating (engineered only), or nail-down (not recommended for engineered).

2) "Click" systems: there are a number of patented "click" systems that now exist. A "click" floor is similar to tongue-and-groove, but instead of fitting directly into the groove, the board must be angled in to make the curved tongue fit into the groove. This system only exists for engineered wood floor and is designed to be used for floating installations. It is designed for the Do-It-Yourself market.

3) Floor connection system: There are a wide range of connection systems, as most of them are mill-specific manufacturing techniques. The general principle is to have grooves on all four sides of the plank with a separate, unconnected, piece that is inserted into the grooves of two planks to join them. The piece used for the connection can be made from wood, rubber, or plastic. This installation system allows for different materials (ie. wood and metal) to be installed together if they have the same connection system.

 Other wood manufacturing styles

 Rotary-peel

This process involves treating the wood by boiling the log in water at a certain temperature for an allotted amount of time. Then after preparation the wood is peeled by a blade from the outside of the log, and it works its way around the log toward the center, creating a wood veneer. This veneer is then pressed flat with high pressure to make the veneer flat. This style of manufacturing tends to have problems with the wood cupping or curling back to its original shape. This problem is commonly known as "face checking" and is a manufacturing defect. Rotary-peeled engineered hardwoods tend to have a plywood appearance in the grain.

 Sliced-peel

This process involves the same treatment process that the rotary peel uses. However instead of being sliced in a rotary fashion, this style of wood is sliced from the end of a log. From there it goes through the same manufacturing process as a rotary peeled product. However this style of engineered hardwood tends to have less problems with "face checking" and also does not have the same plywood appearance in the grain. However, this product can tend to have edge splintering and cracking due to the fact it has been submersed in water and then pressed flat.

 Dry solid-sawn

Instead of boiling the hardwood logs, in this process they are kept at a low humidity level and dried slowly to keep moisture from inside of the wood cells. The manufacturing process to get this top veneer layer is similar to how a solid hardwood is manufactured. This style of engineered hardwood has the same look as solid hardwood, and does not have any of the potential problems of "face checking" that rotary- and slice-peel products have, because the product is not being exposed to added moisture.

 Floor Finishing, Refinishing, and Sanding

Sanding provides a method for smoothing an installed floor, compensating for unevenness of the subfloor. Additionally, sanding is used to renew the appearance of older floors.Sanding using successively finer grades of sandpaper is required to ensure even stain penetration when stains are used, as well as to eliminate visible scratches from coarser sandpaper grades used initially. Prior to modern polyurethanes, oils and waxes were used in addition to stains to provide finishes. Beeswax and linseed oil, for example, are both natural crosslinking polymers are hardened over time. Modern polyurethanes, and polyester resins, used occasionally, are superior in toughness and durability.

 Care of Wood Floors

Proper use of vacuuming, sweeping, and damp mopping is usually all that is required to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of a wood floor. Oil soaps should not be used to clean the floors. The best suggestion is to use the manufacturers recommended cleaning products. Like tile floors, excessive grit and foot traffic will affect appearance. Unlike carpet or rugs, a properly finished wood floor, like tile, does not accumulate hidden soil or odorous compounds.

 See also

• Reclaimed lumber
• Parquetry

 External links

• National Wood Flooring Association (consumer site)
• Reclaimed Wood Flooring

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