Learn everything you need to know about having a hardwood floor installed in your home. Discover how a wood flooring contractor preps and installs correctly.
Let's explore the key benefits of wood floor refinishing services and why they remain a popular choice for homeowners looking to refresh their interiors.
This blog post explores top trends shared by leading hardwood flooring companies, providing insight into their offerings and innovations.
Solid Hardwood What is solid hardwood? Solid hardwood flooring is simple enough to understand: each strip or plank is cut from one solid piece of wood without any visible layers. It can vary in thickness from 3/4-in. to 5/16"-in., but 3/4-in. is the most common option.
It was actually exciting to see so many cool flooring products. Jared was enamored with the sanding and finishing equipment as well as the demonstrations for products like Rubio Monocoat. You'd have thought he was going to have to write a 1500 word essay later from all the questions he asked. He reminded me of...me, as an overachieving student (K-College.) I have to say I was pretty proud! Also, what is it about human beings that makes us unnaturally excited about free t-shirts? It was like we'd never seen one before when we got ours to put in our bags. Free food samples seem to have the same effect on people. Just go to Costco on a Saturday to see what I mean. I go during the week to beat the crowds. ;) But I digress...
Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Hardwood Flooring
Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Hardwood floors are easy to maintain, but if neglected they can become pretty grimy and gross. The above photo is all the proof you need. Say it with me now: Ew. Flooring Don'ts: The Worst Products for Your Hardwood Floors Mistake Numero Uno is using Murphy Oil Soap. This is far and away the most common mistake homeowners make when cleaning their hardwood floors. The bottle shows a pretty picture of a sqeaky clean hardwood floor and it "contains 98% naturally derived ingredients," which we all know can mean just about anything. But if you read the fine print you'll see that this is Pure Vegetable Oil Soap. Basically, when you use this you're just pouring vegetable oil on your floor. It doesn't clean a thing; it just creates a waxy buildup that dulls your floor's finish and makes it even harder to restore if and when you need to. Unless you're cool with ruining floors that are generally worth thousands of dollars, stay far away from Murphy Oil Soap. Orange Glo is another homeowner favorite that's just as bad as Murphy Oil Soap, for the same reason. Imagine using hair gel every day without ever washing it out. Eventually, you'd have some pretty bad buildup, right? You'd probably have to use a lot more shampoo and rinse several times before removing it all. Think of Orange Glo as hair gel for your floor. When your floors become dull, though, it costs a wee bit more than a $3 bottle of shampoo to restore. I blame Pinterest for this next flooring DON'T. Believe me, I understand the desire to DIY everything. I've made my own shampoo, lotion, laundry and dishwasher detergent, and made a disastrous attempt at making my own deodorant that resulted in a not so pleasant smelling couple of days before I finally gave that one up. Please, for the love of your floors do NOT make your own DIY floor cleaner. All the ones I've seen use vinegar or lemon juice, mixed with water. No and no! Vinegar will dull the finish and can even eat away at it (hello...it's acidic.) The vast majority of hardwood flooring has a urethane finish, so the vinegar does not clean the wood. It simply ruins its protective layer. For those floors with a hard wax oil finish, the same rule applies. Don't use vinegar! Steam cleaning is great for clothes, horrible for hardwood floors. Of course steam mop commercials do all they can to convince customers that their products are safe for wood flooring. They're not. Not only do steam mops use water, which is the biggest culprit when it comes to damaged wood flooring, they use heat as well! Heat and water are a deadly combination when applied to wood, so as tempting as it is, do not use a steam mop to clean your hardwood floor.
Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Clip your pets' nails or take them to the salon to get acrylic ones. Ok, so the last part of this tip could be a little confusing. If you can't clip your pet's nails, like we suggest in this blog post on pet-friendly flooring , there is an alternative. A company called Soft Paws makes nail caps for cats and dogs that protect doors, walls, furniture, and hardwood flooring. They're safe, humane, and painless; despite all this, your cat will probably still hate you for making them wear acrylic nails. But if you can't dress up your pets in ridiculous outfits and outlandishly colored nails, what are they there for? Also, we have no connection with Soft Paws. I'm sure there are plenty of other products that promise to protect hardwood floors from pets. But do they come in colors called Pink Passion and Hot Topic? That is the question.
In addition to the dizzying array of options they carry, from more affordable brands to high-end lose-your-breath-they're-so-pretty floors, John, our account manager, does everything possible to give us (and therefore our clients) the best possible pricing available. We've already had several customers visit and buy flooring from ProSource and everyone's had nothing but good things to say. Let's hear a big yay for great customer service!
1) It's a zero-VOC Finish. Ya heard me right. Zero VOCs. Rubio Monocoat is a mixture of linseed oil and natural waxes . It even smells like cooking oil. There are absolutely no smelly fumes, which is the first clue that this product is different from polyurethanes, the most common type of flooring finish. What are VOCs and why do they matter? VOCS are volatile organic compounds, which, simply put, increase indoor air pollution and can be quite toxic. As the wife of a man who puts down flooring finishes for a living, I love Rubio Monocoat because it reduces his long-term exposure to carcinogens and other nasties. You don't really care about the health of the guy installing your floor? I get that. He has an awesome beard, but you're not exactly in love with him the way I am. That's cool. I won't take it personally. So why should you care about VOCs as a customer? Because VOCs can off-gas for weeks after a finish is put down, contaminating your home and exposing you to those same toxins I don't like Jared to breathe in when he's on a job site. Rubio Monocoat is a fantastic option for health and environmentally conscious consumers who can't book a 3-week vacation while toxic fumes evaporate from their home. Some of our customers choose Rubio Monocoat for the same reason zero-VOC and low-VOC paints have become so popular: we'd like to not get cancer. 2) Floors finished with Rubio Monocoat are easy to touch up and repair. With oil or waterborne urethane finishes there's really not much to be done about scratches, scuffs, pet stains, and other wear unless you're prepared to do it to the entire floor. That means either replacing the floor altogether, screening and recoating, or sanding and refinishing. Rubio Monocoat, on the other hand, allows customers to take care of scratches as they appear and apply touch ups as needed. Rubio Monocoat bonds only to exposed wood, so when it's wiped on a scratch, the excess doesn't stain the adjacent area darker or affect it in any way. You don't have to move furniture, kick your kids out of the house, or do anything else drastic to keep your floors lookin' good. 3) There are more than 40 colors to choose from. What's more, is that these colors can be blended together to create a seemingly endless number of shades. As someone who has worked with CHALK PAINT® decorative paint by Annie Sloan quite a bit, this is one of the reasons Rubio Monocat reminds me so much of that product. European zero-VOC product whose shades can be mixed together as much as you want? I knew I liked Rubio Monocoat the moment we met.
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Learn everything you need to know about having a hardwood floor installed in your home. Discover how a wood flooring contractor preps and installs correctly.
Let's explore the key benefits of wood floor refinishing services and why they remain a popular choice for homeowners looking to refresh their interiors.
This blog post explores top trends shared by leading hardwood flooring companies, providing insight into their offerings and innovations.
Solid Hardwood What is solid hardwood? Solid hardwood flooring is simple enough to understand: each strip or plank is cut from one solid piece of wood without any visible layers. It can vary in thickness from 3/4-in. to 5/16"-in., but 3/4-in. is the most common option.
It was actually exciting to see so many cool flooring products. Jared was enamored with the sanding and finishing equipment as well as the demonstrations for products like Rubio Monocoat. You'd have thought he was going to have to write a 1500 word essay later from all the questions he asked. He reminded me of...me, as an overachieving student (K-College.) I have to say I was pretty proud! Also, what is it about human beings that makes us unnaturally excited about free t-shirts? It was like we'd never seen one before when we got ours to put in our bags. Free food samples seem to have the same effect on people. Just go to Costco on a Saturday to see what I mean. I go during the week to beat the crowds. ;) But I digress...
Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Hardwood Flooring
Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Hardwood floors are easy to maintain, but if neglected they can become pretty grimy and gross. The above photo is all the proof you need. Say it with me now: Ew. Flooring Don'ts: The Worst Products for Your Hardwood Floors Mistake Numero Uno is using Murphy Oil Soap. This is far and away the most common mistake homeowners make when cleaning their hardwood floors. The bottle shows a pretty picture of a sqeaky clean hardwood floor and it "contains 98% naturally derived ingredients," which we all know can mean just about anything. But if you read the fine print you'll see that this is Pure Vegetable Oil Soap. Basically, when you use this you're just pouring vegetable oil on your floor. It doesn't clean a thing; it just creates a waxy buildup that dulls your floor's finish and makes it even harder to restore if and when you need to. Unless you're cool with ruining floors that are generally worth thousands of dollars, stay far away from Murphy Oil Soap. Orange Glo is another homeowner favorite that's just as bad as Murphy Oil Soap, for the same reason. Imagine using hair gel every day without ever washing it out. Eventually, you'd have some pretty bad buildup, right? You'd probably have to use a lot more shampoo and rinse several times before removing it all. Think of Orange Glo as hair gel for your floor. When your floors become dull, though, it costs a wee bit more than a $3 bottle of shampoo to restore. I blame Pinterest for this next flooring DON'T. Believe me, I understand the desire to DIY everything. I've made my own shampoo, lotion, laundry and dishwasher detergent, and made a disastrous attempt at making my own deodorant that resulted in a not so pleasant smelling couple of days before I finally gave that one up. Please, for the love of your floors do NOT make your own DIY floor cleaner. All the ones I've seen use vinegar or lemon juice, mixed with water. No and no! Vinegar will dull the finish and can even eat away at it (hello...it's acidic.) The vast majority of hardwood flooring has a urethane finish, so the vinegar does not clean the wood. It simply ruins its protective layer. For those floors with a hard wax oil finish, the same rule applies. Don't use vinegar! Steam cleaning is great for clothes, horrible for hardwood floors. Of course steam mop commercials do all they can to convince customers that their products are safe for wood flooring. They're not. Not only do steam mops use water, which is the biggest culprit when it comes to damaged wood flooring, they use heat as well! Heat and water are a deadly combination when applied to wood, so as tempting as it is, do not use a steam mop to clean your hardwood floor.
Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Clip your pets' nails or take them to the salon to get acrylic ones. Ok, so the last part of this tip could be a little confusing. If you can't clip your pet's nails, like we suggest in this blog post on pet-friendly flooring , there is an alternative. A company called Soft Paws makes nail caps for cats and dogs that protect doors, walls, furniture, and hardwood flooring. They're safe, humane, and painless; despite all this, your cat will probably still hate you for making them wear acrylic nails. But if you can't dress up your pets in ridiculous outfits and outlandishly colored nails, what are they there for? Also, we have no connection with Soft Paws. I'm sure there are plenty of other products that promise to protect hardwood floors from pets. But do they come in colors called Pink Passion and Hot Topic? That is the question.
In addition to the dizzying array of options they carry, from more affordable brands to high-end lose-your-breath-they're-so-pretty floors, John, our account manager, does everything possible to give us (and therefore our clients) the best possible pricing available. We've already had several customers visit and buy flooring from ProSource and everyone's had nothing but good things to say. Let's hear a big yay for great customer service!
1) It's a zero-VOC Finish. Ya heard me right. Zero VOCs. Rubio Monocoat is a mixture of linseed oil and natural waxes . It even smells like cooking oil. There are absolutely no smelly fumes, which is the first clue that this product is different from polyurethanes, the most common type of flooring finish. What are VOCs and why do they matter? VOCS are volatile organic compounds, which, simply put, increase indoor air pollution and can be quite toxic. As the wife of a man who puts down flooring finishes for a living, I love Rubio Monocoat because it reduces his long-term exposure to carcinogens and other nasties. You don't really care about the health of the guy installing your floor? I get that. He has an awesome beard, but you're not exactly in love with him the way I am. That's cool. I won't take it personally. So why should you care about VOCs as a customer? Because VOCs can off-gas for weeks after a finish is put down, contaminating your home and exposing you to those same toxins I don't like Jared to breathe in when he's on a job site. Rubio Monocoat is a fantastic option for health and environmentally conscious consumers who can't book a 3-week vacation while toxic fumes evaporate from their home. Some of our customers choose Rubio Monocoat for the same reason zero-VOC and low-VOC paints have become so popular: we'd like to not get cancer. 2) Floors finished with Rubio Monocoat are easy to touch up and repair. With oil or waterborne urethane finishes there's really not much to be done about scratches, scuffs, pet stains, and other wear unless you're prepared to do it to the entire floor. That means either replacing the floor altogether, screening and recoating, or sanding and refinishing. Rubio Monocoat, on the other hand, allows customers to take care of scratches as they appear and apply touch ups as needed. Rubio Monocoat bonds only to exposed wood, so when it's wiped on a scratch, the excess doesn't stain the adjacent area darker or affect it in any way. You don't have to move furniture, kick your kids out of the house, or do anything else drastic to keep your floors lookin' good. 3) There are more than 40 colors to choose from. What's more, is that these colors can be blended together to create a seemingly endless number of shades. As someone who has worked with CHALK PAINT® decorative paint by Annie Sloan quite a bit, this is one of the reasons Rubio Monocat reminds me so much of that product. European zero-VOC product whose shades can be mixed together as much as you want? I knew I liked Rubio Monocoat the moment we met.
