Installers and Designers: How to See Eye-to-Eye

In the construction business — especially in residential new home construction and remodeling — it’s well-known that there’s a tension between the designers who create the vision for a home or room and the contractors whose job it is to make that vision a reality. The hardwood flooring business is no exception to this rule.

Whether you’re an installer or the homeowner caught in the middle, it’s helpful to understand some of the most common ways in which communication between designers and hardwood flooring contractors can break down. Here are a few tips for working with designers.

Learn the vocabulary.
Designers tend to discuss things in terms that sound vague to folks with a construction background — “classical,” “modern,” “busy.” Spend some time with some design magazines to learn how these terms have specific meanings in the design vocabulary. When a term doesn’t mean much to you, ask! Most designers are happy to bend your ear about their trade.

Be clear and firm.
It’s a designer’s job to dream up things that no one’s seen before. It’s not necessarily their job to know whether such things can be built within the budget — or even if they exist! If you’re the wholesale hardwood flooring supplier, don’t be shy about appointing yourself as project expert: “This is what’s available, this is what can be done — and this is what can’t.”

Go with the flow—up to a point.
Hardwood flooring contractors need to understand that interior designers aren’t architects; they work in a more seat-of-the-pants fashion, building their vision as they go. The hardwood flooring people should be prepared to execute a vision that continues to develop as the project unfolds — but one that changes completely every few days may be the sign of an inexperienced designer, and could be one of those rare projects it’s best to walk away from.

If you are a hardwood flooring contractor and are having communication problems with another member of a construction project, contact WoodMonsters today to speak with your representative about the best way to work with designers so everyone ends up satisfied.

Hardwood Flooring and Radiant Heat Systems: Which Material Is Best?

When it comes to efficiency and effectiveness, radiant heat systems are great. But when it comes to hardwood flooring, they can do some pretty serious damage. Hardwood flooring is more likely to dry out faster when installed over a radiant heat system, and overly dry flooring is just as prone to damage as flooring that has too much moisture. There are, however, certain types of hardwood flooring materials that work better with radiant heat systems and are less likely to experience the same kind of damage. Here are the best hardwood flooring materials to install over radiant heat systems.

Narrow Boards
Narrow boards are generally more dimensionally stable than wider boards, meaning they will bend, buckle, and warp less when installed over a radiant heat system. As a general rule of thumb, using any width under 3” works well. The preferred width is 2 1/4”, especially in solid flooring.

Quartersawn Flooring
Again, the important factor with this type of flooring is dimensional stability. Quartersawn floors and rift-sawn floors are more stable than their plain sawn counterparts.

Engineered Flooring
There are many reasons engineered hardwood flooring is preferred over solid hardwood flooring: it's versatile, it's relatively easy to install, and it can be installed in almost any room in the house. Engineered flooring is also the preferred choice when it comes to radiant heat systems. The dimensional stability of engineered flooring makes it a perfect pairing with radiant heat.

Engineered hardwood flooring is a great material to use over a radiant heat system.

For more information on installing hardwood flooring over radiant heat systems, contact Wood Monsters today!

Hardwood Flooring and Bathrooms: Which Species is Best?

The beauty and durability of hardwood flooring has made it an enduring favorite of builders and homeowners for just about as long as there have been floors. But there’s one room where, historically, hardwood has been afraid to go. We’re talking, of course, about the bathroom.

Mention your dream of having hardwood flooring in your bathroom and the old-timers will give you a skeptical look: moisture and wood don’t mix! You’re asking for trouble.

It’s true that damp conditions can be bad for an inferior, poorly-sealed hardwood flooring installation. However, a properly-installed hardwood floor can work just fine in the bathroom, particularly if you use the right kind of wood. Enter cumaru hardwood flooring. This exotic South American hardwood has an exceptionally dense cell structure that helps it resist moisture and the bacteria that can break down more porous woods over time.

Initially popular in the US for use in outdoor decks, cumaru hardwood flooring is now finding a receptive audience among folks who’ve longed for the warmth and good looks of hardwood in the bathroom, but thought it couldn’t be done.

Now, though, it can! Contact your Wood Monsters rep to learn more about how cumaru hardwood flooring can put the crowning touch on your home’s baths.

Hardwood Floors and Flooding: 5 Tips for Minimizing Damage

A flood is one of the most traumatic experiences a homeowner can experience. Flood water can damage many important parts of a home, and hardwood flooring is no exception. Water damage can cause staining, cupping, buckling, and other flooring problems. There are, however, a few things you can do after a flood to help speed the drying process and save as much of your hardwood flooring as possible. They are:

1. Increase the airflow.
Opening all the windows and doors will increase the airflow in your house and help speed the drying process. Make sure to do this only after the flooding has stopped - you don't want to make matters worse by letting more water in.

2. Clean the floor.
Get rid of any remaining dirt, mud, water, or debris that may have come in during the flood. Letting this dirt and debris sit on your floor will encourage staining and mold growth, so get rid of it as soon as you can. Make sure to wear protective gear, like heavy gloves and boots; you never know what might have floated in during the flood.

3. Clean the floor some more.
After you've cleaned up the mud and debris, it's time to get into the nooks and crannies. Using a non-abrasive brush and a non-sudsing detergent, clean the floors' cracks, grain, and any other surface area that still has dirt and debris in it. This will help reduce staining and mold growth. Use clean, clear water to rinse the floor once you're done.

4. Safely dry the floor.
Wait for the power company or governmental officials to give you the "OK" to turn your power back on. When it's safe to do so, turn on your furnace and space heaters to get the house temperature between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Heating from the basement up is the preferred method, especially if you have hardwood flooring on multiple floors of your home. If you're working with a professional flood restoration company, they should provide special fans, heaters, and dehumidifiers to help speed this process.

5. Assess the damage.
Don't kid yourself - there will most likely be damage to your floor. The best you can hope for is that the damage is minimal enough that you can refinish the floor boards and not have to replace the whole floor. The most important things to look for are cupping, crowning, warping, buckling, finish damage, and mold growth. If you notice any of these - and again, you probably will - it's best to call a hardwood flooring professional. They will be able to determine the exact extent of the damage and handle the refinishing or repairs.

Unfortunately, the drying and repair project can take weeks or months to finish. No repairs should be attempted until your floors have reached normal moisture levels. A hardwood flooring professional will be able to tell you when your flooring is reading for repairs. To learn more, visit Flooding and Hardwood Flooring on the Wood Monsters website.

Wood Monsters Featured Item: Hand Scraped Pacific Walnut

It’s time once again for our regular series on the Wood Monsters blog, Wood Monsters Featured Items. You may recall our last installment was about Engineered Brazilian Cherry. Today we’ll be talking about another engineered flooring product: Hand Scraped Pacific Walnut.

Like all handscraped hardwood flooring, Wood Monsters’ Pacific Walnut hardwood flooring is sculpted by hand to give the look of a reclaimed, vintage hardwood floor. But since it’s an engineered product, it’s more resistant to humidity and easier to install on any floor of the house.

As you’ll recall from our recent rundown on engineered flooring in general, just because the product is engineered doesn’t mean it’s not real wood! Engineered flooring is formed in layers, and the top layer that you see and walk on is real Pacific Walnut, with that hardwood’s characteristic coarse grain and straight or wavy tree markings on the individual boards.

Because it’s hand scraped hardwood flooring, it has the dimensional stability and sculptured quality you’d associate with a lovingly maintained, century-old house. And because it’s Pacific Walnut hardwood flooring from Wood Monsters, you know it’s backed by our top-notch expertise and customer service.

Don’t confuse this handscraped product with distressed products, which get their worn look from an automated wire brush. Because these boards are finished by hand, they have a warmth and character all their own. Visit our site to learn more about our wide selection of hand scraped Pacific Walnut hardwood flooring.

DIY Hardwood Flooring Installation: 5 Helpful Tips

It's difficult to properly install hardwood flooring without professional assistance - but not impossible. It is certainly not a project for beginners, but if you have experience with other DIY home improvement projects, you might be up to the task. We strongly recommend you follow the National Wood Flooring Association Installation Guidelines for hardwood flooring, and don't hesitate to call a professional if you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with any part of the installation process.

That being said, we have five helpful tips you should definitely know before beginning any hardwood flooring installation project. This is by no means a complete installation plan, but a few things to keep in mind during the process. Enjoy, and good luck!

1. Adjust your home's humidity.
Hardwood flooring reacts negatively to poorly regulated indoor climates. This is especially true for solid hardwood flooring materials. It's important to make sure the humidity levels in your home are at an appropriate level and are regulated year round. Drastic changes in temperature and humidity can cause your wood floors to bend, buckle, and warp.

2. Acclimate, acclimate, acclimate!
Properly acclimating your hardwood flooring materials to their environment is one of the most important parts of the installation process. You should use moisture testing equipment to determine when your boards have reached acceptable ranges of moisture content. These levels vary depending on your geographical region and your subflooring. Acclimation times vary, but plan on waiting 2 - 3 weeks before you can start installation.

3. Inspect your subfloor.
Installing hardwood over shoddy subfloor can ruin your floors almost immediately. Make sure your floor is flat, smooth, structurally sound, and has the right moisture levels. Not sure how to determine this? Call a professional.

4. Inspect your wood.
Many manufacturers have very strict parameters when it comes to warranty claims. The best way to save yourself the headache of having to make a claim is to inspect every board before installing it. Returning a product because you don't like the look or because it has some sort of manufacturer defect is a lot easier if the material has not been installed yet.

5. Be gentle!
Many homeowners equate DIY projects with brute strength, when in reality this is rarely true. When it comes to installing hardwood floors, it's better to have a softer touch. You don't want to force planks together or pound a board with a hammer -- this type of behavior can lead to dents, scrapes, and otherwise damaged boards.

Remember, DIY hardwood flooring installation isn't for everyone. To learn more, talk with one of our hardwood flooring specialists.

Engineered Flooring: The Pros and Cons

Despite being around for a long time now, engineered hardwood flooring is still quite misunderstood. Some people think it is the same as solid hardwood flooring, while others liken it to laminate flooring. In fact, the truth is somewhere between the two comparisons. Engineered flooring is made up entirely of wood - there are no synthetic elements to the material. However, engineered flooring is made up of many layers of different types of wood. The top layer gives the specific variety its namesake - for instance, African Walnut engineered flooring may have layers of different wood throughout the board, but the top layer is solid African Walnut.

So how do you know if engineered flooring is right for your specific flooring needs? The best way to decide is to compare the material's pros and cons. The following are a few of the best and worst features of engineered hardwood flooring:

Pros

Greater Resistance to Environmental Conditions
Because engineered flooring is made of many layers and not one solid board, it is more resistant to weather and environmental conditions. It is specifically designed to reduce moisture problems common with solid hardwood flooring. This design reduces bending, buckling, warping, and other moisture-related problems.

Greater Installation Versatility
Unlike solid hardwood, engineered flooring can be installed in nearly any room or floor of your house. It is appropriate for first floor, second floor, or even basement applications. It also is easier to install than solid hardwood. Many varieties don't require stapling - you can either glue the boards down or lock them into place and float the floor over an existing one.

Less Expensive than Solid Hardwood
As you might imagine, engineered hardwood flooring is less expensive than many varieties of solid hardwood. This allows homeowners to get the look and feel of traditional solid wood floors at a fraction of the cost.

Cons

Difficult to Refinish
When you scratch or dent a solid hardwood board, in most cases it is relatively easy to sand out the blemish and refinish the board. This isn't true with engineered flooring. Because the top layer is only so thick, if you sand it away you will be left with the exposed layers beneath it. Most bad dents or scrapes require the board to be replaced. This isn't always a difficult project, but it can take longer and cost more money than refinishing.

Inferior Products Do Exist!
The benefits of engineered flooring really only apply to high-quality products. Like any manufactured product, if the product is shoddily made it won't last long. Some inferior engineered flooring products have very poor veneers or finishes that can contribute to the boards' warping or fading. Likewise, if the interior layer isn't made of high-quality wood the boards can lose dimensional stability.

If you choose engineered hardwood flooring made with high-quality materials, the pros will far outweigh the cons. Visit the Wood Monsters website to learn more about engineered flooring and view our selection of products.

Wood Monsters Featured Item: Engineered Brazilian Cherry

Welcome back to our new blog series, Wood Monsters Featured Items! As we're sure you well remember, the last installment of the series took a look at solid prefinished African Walnut. This week we're going in a complete different direction and shining our spotlight on Brazil: Smooth Engineered Brazilian Cherry, that is!

The Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring from Wood Monsters has a nearly uniform reddish color, a medium to coarse texture, and subtle tree growth markings nicely blended into the wood. Also known as Jatoba, Brazilian Cherry is one of the most popular hardwood flooring materials imported into the US every year. The light black striping and subtle tonal differences give Brazilian Cherry flooring a lot of depth and contrast. Our Brazilian Cherry has a classic, sophisticated look perfect for dining rooms, entrance ways, and any other room you'd like to make an impression.

In addition to its beauty, Brazilian Cherry is a very durable hardwood. Like most exotic hardwood flooring materials, Brazilian Cherry has high Janka hardness and density ratings. Its density and hardness make it a great choice for high-traffic areas of your home or office. It is also naturally resistant to wood rot and boring insects. If you're looking for an attractive, versatile building material that will last for generations, look no further than Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring.

Wood Monsters has an assortment of different sizes of Brazilian Cherry flooring. Chat with our live flooring specialist to learn more about the features and price of this great exotic flooring species.

Hardwood Flooring: A Healthy Flooring Option

Of all the flooring materials on the market, hardwood is widely acknowledged as the healthiest option for you and your family. Carpet can trap allergens and parasites, vinyl can attract mold, and tile can encourage water pooling. Hardwood flooring, on the other hand, is naturally resistant to mold and decay and has no fibers to trap dirt and common allergens. The following are the four main reasons why hardwood flooring is a healthier choice for your home flooring needs.

Hypoallergenic
Carpets and rugs are made of thousands of individual fibers that can attract and trap dust mites, dirt, and dander. If you suffer from allergies you may notice your symptoms worsen after installing carpet. You can lessen this by steam cleaning and vacuuming, of course, but many allergy-stricken homeowners simply don't have the time or energy to perform the carpet maintenance necessary to keep an allergy-free home. Hardwood flooring is a simple, beautiful solution to common household allergy problems. Dirt and dander is actually visible, meaning you know exactly what may be causing your allergy attacks and what you need to do to alleviate them.

Less Chemical Build-Up
We all know the dangers of chemicals and toxins in our air, water, and food supplies, but how many of us think about all the toxic materials we track into our homes everyday? Oil, animal waste, garbage - these are just a few of the nasty things that can get on our shoes and brought into our homes. Carpet flooring can trap and soak up these toxins and, over time, become a serious health risk to you and your family. Hardwood flooring doesn't do this.

Fewer Parasites and Insects
Carpet fibers can also be home to fleas, ticks, bed bugs, mites, and other parasites and insects. These pests aren't only a nuisance to your pets - they can also bite you, your family members, and your house guests. Once you get an infestation of carpet parasites, getting rid of them can be a major hassle and can sometimes require calling a professional exterminator. Hardwood flooring gives parasites and pests no place to hide or thrive.

Less Mold
Unlike vinyl, dense hardwood flooring is naturally resistant to mold and other water-related decay. Certain types of synthetic flooring material can be very susceptible to mold growth. Exposure to mold can cause many health problems, including asthma, eye or skin irritation, and even lung infections. Hardwood flooring carries very low risk of mold growth and is a much healthier floor covering option.

To learn more about hardwood flooring and its health benefits, visit www.WoodMonsters.com and chat with one of our online flooring professionals.

Wood Monsters Featured Item: Solid Prefinished African Walnut

Wood Monsters is proud to feature dozens of high-quality hardwood flooring products, but with so many options, picking the right species and style for your flooring project can be overwhelming. That's why we've started this blog series - to showcase some of the most popular and highest-quality hardwood flooring products we carry and offer enough information to allow you to make an informed decision. This week we're featuring one of our most popular exotic hardwood flooring lines: solid prefinished African Walnut. Enjoy!

Wood Monsters carries the Elegance line of solid prefinished African Walnut hardwood flooring. This narrow, solid smooth flooring line has a distinguished look perfect for dining rooms, living rooms, libraries, halls, and studies. The wood's color is a dark brown and it is nearly uniform in texture, which adds to its versatility. The dark tones, high luster, and uniform look make it compatible with nearly any design scheme.

African Walnut is not just a pretty face - it's also one of the most durable species of hardwood flooring you can find. It is naturally resistant to decay, has high hardness and density ratings, and has good dimensional stability. If you're looking for an attractive hardwood flooring option that will last for decades, look no further than solid prefinished African Walnut.

Questions about this species? Contact Wood Monsters today to find out more about solid prefinished African Walnut hardwood flooring.

Hardwood Flooring Mechanical Properties - What Do They Mean?

There are a number of mechanical properties industry insiders use to describe and qualify different species of hardwood flooring. This vocabulary is used to talk about a wood's strength, density, its tendency to shrink or swell, and other hardwood features. But if you are just starting your search for new hardwood floors you probably aren't familiar with these terms, and you probably don't know why they're so important. The following are the six most commonly used hardwood flooring properties, what they refer to, and why knowing what they mean can help you pick the perfect flooring material for your home or office.

Hardness
Officially called Janka hardness, this property measures how resistant a specific species is to indentation. It is determined by measuring the pounds of force required to embed a small ball (about .444" in diameter) into the wood a distance of half its diameter (.222"). The larger the number, the harder the wood. Most exotic hardwoods have higher Janka hardness ratings and are very great for high-traffic areas or in rooms that hold heavy furnishings, such as pianos and entertainment centers.

Modulus of Rupture (MOR)
Also called strength, a wood's MOR refers to the wood's load-bearing capacity - or, the amount of force that is required to break the wood. It is measured in pounds-per-square-inch (psi), and, like Janka hardness, the higher the number the stronger the wood. It is another property that is important to know if you plan on using the flooring in a high-traffic area or a room with heavy furnishings.

Modulus of Expansion (MOE)
MOE is also called stiffness and is a measurement of the wood's resistance to bending. It is measured in pounds-per-square-inch and is expressed in exponential terms - for instance, the MOE of Douglas Fir is 1,950,000 psi, or, 1,950 1000 psi. This property is a good indicator of how likely your floors will be to buckle. The higher the MOE, the less likely they'll warp or buckle.

Density
Density is measured in KG per cubic meter (KG/m3) and essentially is the measurement of you much wood is actually packed into a cubic meter. Hardwood species with higher densities are heavier and harder, which can be great for high traffic areas or exterior projects. Hardwood flooring with high density is also more resistant to water and boring insects, making it a great choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and other high moisture rooms of the house.

Tangential Shrinkage
This mechanical property measures how likely the species will be to shrink during the drying process. It applies to the width of the board and is expressed as a percentage. The lower the percentage, the less likely the wood will shrink, reducing the amount of warping and buckling you'll experience.

Radial Shrinkage
Like tangential shrinkage, radial shrinkage measures how likely the wood will shrink though the thickness of the board. It is also expressed as a percentage and, when considered with the wood's tangential shrinkage, tells you how dimensionally stable a floor will be. If the two numbers are close together, the wood is more stable and is less likely to warp or buckle.

The hardwood flooring professionals at Wood Monsters are experts in hardwood flooring mechanical properties. Contact us today to learn more.

The mechanical properties of hardwood flooring are important to know before buying.

Hardwood Flooring: 5 Important Considerations Before You Buy

Hardwood flooring has been the most popular floor covering material in American homes for hundreds of years, and for good reasons. It is durable, versatile, attractive, and a renewable resource. But there are a few important things you should consider before buying hardwood flooring: your budget, your style, the room use, and the importance of proper installation. The following is more detailed information about each of these four considerations. Enjoy!

Budget
In today's down economy, people are more focused on their budget than ever before. We all want to get the best quality products for the best prices. We also want to have a number of choices to choose from. Luckily, hardwood flooring comes in a number of different price ranges. There are certainly specific species of wood that tend to be more expensive, but hardwood flooring prices can also vary between different retail stores based on selection and availability.

Style
Hardwood flooring is one of the most versatile home decorating materials you can buy. Its main features - color, texture, shape, grain pattern, and stain - can be combined into hundreds of different styles that fit almost any home decor imaginable. It's important to pick a style of hardwood flooring that matches your current design scheme, but also one versatile enough to fit a different decor should you remodel in the future.

Room Use
It's very important to consider the use of the room in which you'll be installing hardwood flooring. Rooms that are below ground level are only suitable for floating or engineered hardwood flooring products due to the increased risk of moisture issues. This is the same for bathrooms and laundry rooms. For high-traffic rooms such as hallways or rec rooms, it's a good idea to use a species with a neutral color - a lot of use can show in the finish of darker or lighter colors.

Installation Standards
Without proper acclimation and installation, even the highest quality hardwood flooring products can warp, bend, and buckle over time. The National Wood Flooring Association's Installation Guidelines are the standards for hardwood flooring installation in the U.S. Make sure you choose an installer that closely adheres to these guidelines.