Advice from a hardwood rep for those shopping
boxers
18 years ago
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russmahogany
17 years agofloorguy
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Dark hardwood vs lighter hardwood floors
Comments (61)When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time....See MoreAdvice from hardwood professionals
Comments (13)If you considered the Lauzon, would you consider Mirage? I believe they have a nice engineered Walnut in various stain colors with a matte urethane finish. It's pricey but I assume Lauzon isn't cheap. I would generally prefer site-finished solid floor if you have a wood subfloor. If you have an effective whole house humidifier, dimensional stability of any wood floor should be less of an issue. Even engineered flooring can be damaged if the environment is too dry. Using a 3" wide solid plank helps with issues caused by humidity changes since it's not too wide. I like the Rubio and also WOCA oil. The Rubio does have a nice selection of colors and is fairly predictable to use but the longer term maintenance is a little more confusing and the products are quite expensive. The WOCA requires more coats but has an easier maintenance regimen (plus I can buy their products locally so that sways my opinion). The WOCA takes more work and coats to get a nice buildup. I'm getting ready to use Rubio White oil in my own house, as a test....See MoreUrine soaked hardwoods under hardwoods
Comments (5)If the smell is unbearable after pulling one plank then I will hazard a guess the stain is either rather NEW or it has obtained LONG TERM multiple soaks. Either way, the former homeowner KNOWINGLY covered it up. Here's my issue. The homeowner knew of the damage and, depending on how long ago your purchased the home, could be legally and financially responsible for the 'fix'. I don't know your state nor how long ago you purchased....but talking with your Realtor will help you understand what type of recourse you have. The 'fix' = rip out all the current hardwood to expose the layer underneath. Then you will need to investigate (ie. rip out a few planks in the worst places) to see how much the subfloor is damaged. The possibility of ripping out the old hardwood AND the subfloor is high. And that gets expensive. That's why you want to find out what your recourse is with the purchase and who is responsible for paying for the damage....See MoreWhat hardwood or engineered hardwood product best for concrete slab?
Comments (21)Leather is the most 'recognizable' pattern for cork (other than the ground up cork board look). When it is laid it looks like hardwood flooring using 'shorts'. It has a bit of a brick look to it. Ignore the 'pink' in the samples. The pink is the very first colour to fade away. It takes a few months for the pink to disappear but once it is gone the cork (Leather and Logan) will look more like oak in tone (yellowish with some hints of green and some gray). It is a 'directional pattern' which means it has a 'linear' sense to it. The Logan is the most expensive cork pattern you can get. The slices of pattern are random. They are hand cut and hand laid. It takes *roughly an hour for 1 person to arrange 10sf of the pattern. It is STUNNING. It looks more like stone. It is random...did I mention the pattern is random? Leather and Logan can have the extra 2 coats of the Loba 2K Supra AT = super tough. The Latte is a FANTASTICLY tough finish. It has the polypropylene finish on it. This is the 'non-vinyl' product Cancork sells. It is tough....right after that it is SUPER TOUGH. And then for good measure, it is TOUGH!!! For a Rental property, the Latte is a product I would recommend. It does NOT need the Loba product. That means you save $1.50/sf RIGHT AWAY. It can handle 3mm or 6mm cork underlay. If you are looking for temperature control, then I like the 6mm underneath...but CHECK your door heights, etc. All you need to do is take your floor sample and the underlay sample they sent you (their supposed to do that...sigh) and see if it 'slips' underneath the doors in your home. It is that simple. I hope that helps... As for the Tacoma...I'm guessing you are looking at KILOGRAMS (700 kg) as your weight limit = 1540 lbs. The weight of a standard skid of cork flooring = 1000sf (ish...depends on the product) = *roughly 2000 lbs. And the skid sizes are PERFECT to fit between the wheel wells of a truck bed. I've watched this stuff get loaded into pick-up trucks for 6+ years. A forklift operator can drop that baby into your truck (so long as you do NOT have a 'cap-it') and off you go. If you only have a short way to go, the 2000 lbs won't be much of a problem...I just wouldn't do a trip to Bella Coola with it. ;-)...See Moregrannabelle
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