A new floor installation

Hardwood is our choice.

The price is comparable, but nothing else. With a hardwood floor, you have real value in your house.

Regular thickness (3/4 inch) can be sanded 10 times. After any sanding, you can play with the color, and the floor looks like new. Every sanding can last 5-10 years, plus, you can refresh (buffing and coating) every year. That means you can have a nice hardwood floor for 100 years. -LIVE LONG.

The laminate doesn’t contain any wood. It is plastic. You cannot sand laminate, so any scratch or damage will stay there forever. And laminate doesn’t count towards your home improvement value.

What is stronger, oak or maple, or?

With red oak as a standard, pine is 30-50% softer. Bamboo is the same hardness; maple is 10% harder; hickory is 40% harder, and Brazilian cherry and mahogany are 70-80% harder.

More durable: applying three coats of poly or coating with one coat sealer and two coats of poly.

Three coats of poly will protect floors better. With the first coat of lacquer sealer, the floor looks lighter and smoother, but we believe that without sealer, poly will penetrate deeply into the wood, which makes the finish long-lasting.

What is a better choice, water-based or oil-based finish?

Years ago, oil-based was stronger, but lately, very strong water-based finishes have been developed. (Street shoe, mega…). A water-based finish makes the floor lighter than oil. It dries in one hour and there is no strong smell. Oil-based makes your floor more smooth and more shiny. Also, the grain shows a little better.

What is the difference between red and white oak?

Red oak is not red, and white oak is not white. Red oak has a warm, reddish tone and the grain shows very well, especially with stain. White oak is light brown in color and has fewer grain shows. It is a little denser, and it withstands more humidity.

Floor care

Preventative maintenance is the key to enjoying the natural beauty of your hardwood floor.

Prevention starts outside of the home. Have a good mat and wipe your shoes well with sand and grit (salt in wintertime). Most damage occurs a few feet away from the entryway or the first few steps of stairs.

Install felt pads under furniture (a small area rug in the dining room will help). Food spills should be cleaned with a well-wrung-out cloth or, if necessary, with a mild dish wash soap. Never wet hardwood floors. Do not wax (waxing will prevent us from re-coating your floor).

Humidity and hardwood floor

All organic materials, including wood, leather, and cotton, will dry out or absorb the moisture in the air. In New England the long winters and cold air dries the air in houses, summer humidity does the opposite. Dry air causes wood to shrink and moisture absorption causes wood to swell. Wood changes 0.1% along the grain and 2-8% across the grain. The use of a humidifier in winter or a dehumidifier in summer is highly recommended. Air conditioning helps as well.