Wooden Flooring Info

If you are looking for new flooring, consider wooden flooring. Despite the popular belief that using lumber for flooring and building is deteriorating the forests, that is not all true. Reputable companies use the cycle of “take a tree, plant a tree” and are in fact becoming more environmentally responsible. Proper management of this issue allows for the treatment of forests to be viewed as valuable and precious. In this process, every tree that is used for wooden flooring or for building is replaced by one or more trees.

Of course, choosing your wooden flooring provider is not a light task. This commitment can be very challenging to keep and you should only make it after you have explored the diverse types of woods, colors, textures and the price range you can afford along with taking as much consideration as possible. Try to visualize what you want your floor to look like, the style, design, or pattern. Ponder on the reasons and what you what to achieve from your new wooden flooring. If you have inside animals like cats or dogs, consider the abuse your floor might take.

If you are still interested in having a wooden floor, you might want to start brainstorming ideas of what you want your floor to look like. Colors, types of wood, and price ranges all all important factors in this equation. Also, don’t set the bar too high. If you have an idea of what you want, chances are you can get it, but not always for a reasonable price. After you have thought of some designs or patterns you like, try finding samples of them in a hardware store or specialty store. Also try drawing out the pattern you thought of on some paper or on the computer. You can show this to an associate so they can help you find what you are looking for.

After the installation of your new wooden flooring has been completed, remember to take good care of it. By waxing and keeping scuff marks and scratches of your new floor, you new floor will keep looking new for years to come. There are a lot of products out there used for keeping your floor looking shine and new, all the while protecting it. Try buying a few decorative rugs for your pets to rest on instead of the hardwood. There are many beautiful and exotic rugs you can find if you just look around. But most of all, just enjoy your new wooden flooring design!

 August 11th, 2009  admin   No comments

Reclaimed wooden floors, as well as other products from reclaimed lumber have increased in popularity in recent years, with demand for plenty of reclaimed wood species throughout the United States. Harvested from various structures that are no longer useful, such as factories or barns, or even from the bottoms of rivers, reclaimed wood is well adapted to its surroundings. Like all building materials, wood suffers from general usage and the passage of time. However, when using reclaimed wooden flooring, suddenly the effects of age are a pro instead of a con!

Reclaimed lumber is popular for lots of reasons. These reasons include uniqueness and appearance in general, as well as the strength and stability that comes with any wooden flooring. Often there’s even a story associated with the wood, and for the wood to have survived long enough to become reclaimed, it must be of the highest quality.

When renovating an older home, reclaimed wooden flooring offers a unique chance to match existing materials, making repairs transparent, especially when antique wooden flooring is a requirement in your project. Reclaimed wood is even useful in new structures, either commercial or residential, as it creates a sense of stability and permanence, opening up new design possibilities such as hand crafted items.

As customers look for ways to differentiate their home, the uniqueness factor of antique wooden flooring seems to be one of the biggest selling points.

Reclaimed wooden flooring is also exceptionally environmentally friendly. With the advent of the LEED rating system for environmentally friendly flooring and new construction, reclaimed wood is suddenly very much in demand. Using reclaimed lumber will boost your LEED ratings, not to metion ultimately providing for ongoing energy-saving tax credits for a one time cost.

Reclaimed wood from old buildings is generally better quality than any new materials. Slow-growing, first-growth timber is far denser and more stable than the newer, faster growing second-growth or plantation grown timber, and these superior materials are generally found in older buildings. Although reclaimed lumber is not actually specified as a component in framing, no one can deny its use as a sustainable wooden paneling.

Reclaimed wood is also great for the environment. Not only do no new trees have to be killed to produce it, but by using reclaimed wood in your wooden flooring, you’re also helping avoid energy expenditure that would be required at a landfill should this great building material have ended up there.

As with many things, especially things of real value and beauty, reclaimed lumber does come with a price. While it does support a sustainable building approach to life by re-using materials that would’ve otherwise gone to waste, the costs to retrieve and prepare the reclaimed lumber for use are not always cheap to the suppliers, which trickles down to the cost of your wooden flooring. When harvested from old homes or other buildings, the buildings must be de-constructred carefully to preserve the integrity of the reclaimed wood and protect it from careless handling. Once these old structures are taken down, the reclaimed wood begins to be transformed, eventually ending up in your home as reclaimed wooden flooring. This transformation involves multiple steps.

Rocks, nails, and other embedded materials such as textile travelers must be carefully removed in the initials steps taken in order to prevent damaged saws and manufacturing equipment that are used to bring this vintage reclaimed wood back to life. This tedious process addresses some of the character marks that many appreciate in wooden flooring as they represent a certain sense of timelessness that can only be had with hardwood. And although these worm-scars, dents, dings, and nail-holes are accepted, and sometimes sought after when purchasing reclaimed lumber for wooden flooring, they are graded according to the requirements of the customer, and there may be a restriction on just how much character the reclaimed wood should have. Often there is a higher focus on species and grain quality, which requires meticulous handling and years of experience to obtain the highest yield. It’s not uncommon for over 50% of reclaimed wood to go to waste in the production of high quality, useable reclaimed wood products. Though this may seem like a lot, the number will go down as technology increases, and 50% of something is still a lot more than nothing.

We’re constantly surround by wood. Not only is it all throughout our forests and parks, but it holds our books, our computers, and even our butts in our sofas and chairs. However, our world economy is based on mass production and high speed delivery, which ultimately dictates the price of all things. Reclaimed wooden flooring and other products made from recycled antique wood are really no different than organically grown food and other sustainable lifestyle items. They are somewhat more pricy than their cheaper, mass produced cousins. However, in the case of reclaimed wooden flooring, you’re gaining not only a gratifying wooden floor, but one made of a more enduring material. Reclaimed wooden flooring is certainly not for everyone. But if you intend to make an environmentally friendly home, it would be worth your while to see what’s out there.