To Look Clean, When it is Not Clean...

On My last post, Cheryl made this comment that I wanted to comment on:

I love the dark and have considered it myself until a friend mentioned the constant detailing it needs with small children in the house. It shows everything. This stopped me in my tracks.

Cheryl, dark colors low in variation and high in sheen will "show everything" the most. 

This floor above is perfect for those of you who have a cleaning person come in daily. It's shiny, it's dark, there's not a lot of variation.  It's stunning, when it's clean.

Shiny light colors low in variation will show "dirtiness" the most.  The photo below is light, low in variation, but not too shiny.  Can you see how there are "degrees" of all of these scenerios?If finding a floor that will look clean when it is not clean is the object, don't go too light, have a lot of variation in color, go with as matte a finish as you can, and go distressed.  Keep in mind that some homes simply wouldn't look right with distressed floors, and for different design reasons, consessions will have to be made.  If this is more important than any "design reason," I'd say, build your whole look around this kind of floor.  It looks ridiculous when the only thing in your home that is distressed is your flooring.  I'm not saying that everything has to be distressed either...  Also know, that if it is not going in a kitchen, none of this will be as much of an issue.  Got it, darker color, high color variation, matte, distressed finish.  The more it looks like the wood on the wall at Freebird World Burrito, the better.  ;-)

Now I think I'm hungry just thinking about it...

I'm not done yet- we need to talk finishes.

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts that go over the different options in hardwood floors. The idea is that you can get educated by someone who knows what they are talking about but is not trying to sell you anything. :)

The finishes available on hardwood floors might be the clicher that helps you make your decision. I will go over them one by one for you.

1. Acrylic Impregnated – I thought I would start with my personal favorite. I put acrylic impregnated floors in my last house and was EXTREMELY happy with them. If my budget would have permitted- I would have them again. So- what is it? "Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood." I posted last time about the hardness of the different species. For instance- maple has a rating of approximately 1800 PSI's- with this finish, the acrylic (and the stain) is "forced through the wood"- it "impregnates" the wood. If the wood has a dark finish, you can see (from the side of a sample) that the stain goes deep into the wood, not just on the surface. This has several advantages. #1- scratches would be less noticeable becasue the color is not just surface deep. #2- more importantly-the acrylic has hardening agents in it, making a maple floor with 1800 PSI's naturally- even harder. This type of flooring is used frequently on a commercial level. The floor that I had is from Hartco- from a series called "Pattern Plus 5000" This same type of floor is in most "Gap" stores that I have been to- as well as a number of other retail establishements. It can also be installed in a number of different patterns- which is cool. You can get it with an aluminum oxide finish on top of it (they call it the Permion finish) , (I did- and for residnetial use I would recommend it) or not- commercially- it would not have the aluminium oxide, becasue they like to buff it. This is the floor that is used in some of the "Sports Authority" showrooms where shoppers try out their Rollerblades. It is a great finish! This is the flooring in the photo.

2. Aluminum Oxide – particles added to the polyurethane finish to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer. This has become extremely popular on the better grades of hardwood floors. I am not a big "Pergo" or laminate floor fan. However- it was the best thing that ever happened to the finishes on hardwood floors. The laminates came onto the market with their "aluminum oxide finish"- which was far superior in durabliity to the urethane that was found on most hardwoods at the time. It wasn't long before the hardwood floor folks figured out how to put this finish on their floors as well. Aluminum oxide is extremely tough. It is used to polish diamonds- it is fabulous!
4. Ceramic – Advanced finish technology that allows the use of space-age ceramics to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer. Comparable to Aluminum Oxide- our thanks to NASA- this is up there with velcro and ice cream dots as good stuff!
5. Polyurethane – A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wear layer. The nice thing about a floor with a polyurethane finish- is this: When the floor gets wear and scratches- you can have a "screen and re-coat." Here- professionals would come into your home and first rough up your floor with a buffer that has a "screen" on it- (it looks like a window screen)- this does not actually penetrate the stain. Then a new layer of polyurethane is applied. Unlike sanding an engineered floor- this can be done many many times since it does not actually go into the wood at all. Some of the new floor finishes are actually too hard to screen effectively. (There are other types of urethane finishes- water based- moisture cured- oil modified- these are some different options for a custom finish- but I will have to admit- I am not an expert on them- sorry- ask your floor guy)
6. UV-cured – these floors are finished at the factory and the polyurethane finish is cured with ultraviolet lights instead of using heat. When everyone was changing their finishes to aluminium oxide- my favorite longstrip company- Kahrs- looked into it as well. They determined that their finish that they were already using was better. They use the UV cured finish. Is it better? I don't know- but it is VERY good. I would definitely recommend it.

7. Wax. Like you may remember- wax was the thing in the 70's- but - like everything good- it came back. What's good about wax you ask? Well- for one- the look. A waxed floor gives you a beautiful matte finish. Martha Stewart is a big fan of wax finishes- or so I've heard. What else? You can fix it yourself. For a screen and re-coat of a urethane floor- you need a professional. But- If you have a wax floor- just rent a buffer and take a Saturday- you can take care of it yourself. I recently purcahsed a kitchen table with a beautiful distressed finish- it is a wax finish. It is great- I love it for these reasons.

Sliced or Rotary Cut?

This post continues my series on selecting a hardwood floor. Another consideration is whether the wood is sliced or rotary cut. Some wood veneers (the top layer in an engineered floor) are sliced, and some are rotary cut.

SLICED

• Sliced veneers are cut, like the word says. They are sliced. It would be like taking a baguette and cutting it the long way, into long pieces.
• This shows a more distinct, truer, more natural grain- which is more of an issue in species that have more grain. It really is a nicer look, and if budget allows, it is a choice that I would make.
• This is a more expensive process, as it has more waste, as you might imagine, with the scraps from slicing the baguette, where only the center pieces are wide enough for use.

ROTARY CUT

• Rotary cut veneers are more like a cinnamon roll. The blade cuts the wood in such a way that it peels away at the log in a circular motion.
• The result is a "fuzzier" grain. It is less distinct, like you would see in a piece of plywood.
• This reduces waste, thereby reducing the cost.
• This does not affect the durability of the wood- just the look. Some buyers are not so particular as to even notice. The more particular buyers will see the difference, and generally prefer the sliced look.

Ok- but what species should I get?

When I first started out in the design industry- it seemed like the only choices were oak, maple or cherry. Maple was harder than oak, but because of the grain, oak will disguise the inevitable future scratches easier. Oak tended to be less expensive. Maple has a more contemporary feel- oak and cherry more traditional. Cherry is VERY soft, and more expensive, so it didn't make a lot of sense in most cases... And that was it- explain that to the client, and they could choose- oak, cherry or maple.

Today- that is absolutely NOT the case. There are TONS of species to choose from, as you can see from the hardness chart above. So- how do you decide?

1. Hardness. Like I said, cherry is very soft. You would never want a bar stool on a cherry floor. Even oak is not that that hard to dent. I have a friend who, shortly after the installation of her new lovely oak floors, had a party. One lady in attendance was a little heavy, and in spiked high healed shoes. Everywhere she walked little "pock" marks were left on the floor. A good finish makes a difference here- (which I will discuss in another post)- but the hardness factor of the floor is an even bigger determining factor. Brazilian Cherry is one of my favorite species for this reason. It is not so exotic that it is out of control expensive, and it is about 3x as hard as your average oak floor. So- what is your traffic level in your home? Any Rollerblades, or do you have quiet serenity and slippers?
2. Color- If you have wood kitchen cabinets, and are including the kitchen in your flooring installation, this area really needs to be a good blend. This is another reason I like Brazialin Cherry- it tends to have colors of red, almost like a mahogony, or cherry, as well as golden oak colors. It is a great floor to blend a lot of different woods that you might have in your cabinetry and furniture. A little trick of mine? If you have wood cabinets, and a wood floor, paint your toe kick. Make it the same color as your baseboards, or a different coordinating color for your home- black or white perhaps. What this does, is it separated the two large areas of wood in such a way that your mind doesn't try to see if they "match". I think it looks a lot nicer in most cases- especially when it doesn't match perfectly. So- which species have a good color for you home? I suggest the old standby- don't make your decision before taking a number of samples to your home and looking at them in different areas, and different lighting- next to your cabinets, furniture, and paint colors.
3. Grain. Some woods will have a very noticeable grain- others are smooth- the higher levels of grain will tend to disguise small scratches better than smoother, clearer woods like maple.
4. Style. Certain species will add to your feeling that you are going after. For instance- if you have a provincial decor- a knotty pine will make more of a provincial statement than a simple oak. If your interior is modern- a clean look of a maple will add to the feel, whereas a busy oak could perhaps distract from it. Or- a dramatic bamboo or zebrawood could be a fun addition to a modern home. A rich elegnat traditional interior might benefit most from a glossy cherry, or rich walnut.
5. Earth Friendly. The number one growing area of interior design is being "green." With this as a concern, bamboo makes a good solution. It grows very fast, making it an easily renewable resource. The fast growth also makes it affordable.

Crazy about Glue- Down

This post is a continuation of a little series on hardwood floors that I started last week- I am discussing all of the little details to help you make the best decision for your home. This post is contrasting glue-down floors with floating or longstrip floors- (see the previous post for longstrip info)

Glue-down engineered floors. These are hardwood floors that have different layers of wood for greater moisture stability (less expanding and contracting), and they are individual planks, glued down directly to your slab. (Raised foundations would use a nail-down floor- some wood floors can be both nailed down or glued down- which is a good choice if you want a glue down on you main floor slab, and the same piece upstairs.)

So- here we go- glue-down

• PROS

1. These floors are quieter, and have a more solid sound to them.


2. You can see each individual plank. I like this look - as it sets it aside from the laminates.
3. 
   
4. This type of flooring is used in most herringbones or other patterned floors.


5. It is possible to have a beveled or eased edge. (I only recommend a beveled edge for buyers that like to vacuum on a daily basis. )

• A word about beveled edges. Why have them? With a square edge glue-down floor, there is always "overwood"- this is referring to the little difference in height between the different pieces of wood, due not to imperfect milling, but rather to the imperfections in your concrete slab. A beveled, or eased edge, makes this unnoticeable.


• They also have a different feel and look about them- more clearly drawing attention to the individual planks of flooring.


• This is always the look in a distressed hardwood floor.
• 
  
• They are higher maintenance - requiring more vacuuming to keep them clean.
• 
  
• There are different depths to a beveled floor- as you can see in the pictures above.

CONS

1. The over-wood spoken of before- this bothers very particular people, but not most people.
2. This type of floor is most susceptible to moisture problems in a slab with high moisture content. (Underylaying with an inexpensive sheet vinyl takes care of that in most cases.)