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Pros and Cons of using Hardwood Flooring

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Everyone wants a welcoming and relaxing home. In redecorating your house, make sure that all of the areas are mixed all together to achieve your personalized design. From the kitchen sinks, bathroom tiles, bedroom carpets, and kind of flooring, your choices will give life to your house. In choosing your flooring, there are many varieties. For a safer and general theme, hardwood flooring could be best for you. It could be classy for an office party, relaxed for a family reunion, and homey for close friends and visitors.

Regarding style, choosing hardwood flooring can produce a significant change in your home space. It provides the house with a unique sense of hospitality and relaxation. Although hardwood flooring is perfect for the living room, it is not advisable to use in bathrooms and basements. When exposed to extremes of wetness and dryness, areas like these could create moisture leading damages, crack and discoloration which could eventually lead to rotting of wood.

Hardwood flooring presents a timeless and old-fashioned look to a house. This may benefit country lovers who favor the smell of wood, but for contemporary people, this may not be your style. Although there are many variations of native wood used
in hardwood flooring, most of its shade is earthy colors. This may not be the approach someone with love for colors would appreciate. Hardwood flooring gives a bigger look to the room or space. However, in order to achieve this, one should buy the thicker plank. The width of solid wood transforms and increases when temperature and humidity changes. Plus, the wider the
plank, the larger the room could look. So, in order to achieve this, one must choose a wider, thicker, and longer plank. It is more expensive, but much more attractive.

Maintenance of hardwood flooring is easy. It can be taken care of by daily sweeping and mopping. Installing hardwood flooring into your house could be done by gluing, stapling, or by nailing. One of the disadvantages of hardwood flooring however, is the preparation of the floors. If you installed the wood wrong, there will be squeaking and other noises. Plus, hardwood flooring provides stability to the frame of the house which could last for many years.

Unlike hardwood flooring, soft wood flooring attracts more dents and don’t survive heavy traffic of families. This is the main reason most people who prefer hardwood flooring refurnish and re-sands. However, refinishing of hardwood floors is only limited to once or twice because additional sanding could expose the plywood to substrate. Because of hardwood flooring
lifetime appeal, even with scratches, dents, and discoloration, people prefer the antiquity of the hardwood flooring which reflects years of its character. Of course, the older the wood, the price of hardwood flooring multiplies.

Other major flooring could become worn and needs to be replaced. In hardwood flooring, shining it up a little would add more years and value to your floor. However, due to recent inventions, laminate flooring with wood surface looks and feels like hardwood flooring was invented. Of course this is not genuine hardwood flooring, with its durability and low maintenance; it
has become a competition to the real thing.

Based on surveys and real estate agents, most houses with hardwood flooring are best sold because people prefer its unique character which brings the house to life. With its authenticity, beauty, and solid look, hardwood flooring has been a top home improvement measure for decades and it will remain that way for more years to come.

Buying wood flooring online

Online wouldn’t be the first place most people would go to look for wood flooring, but now it’s essential to look online. Why? Simply because online prices are so competitive.

Think about it. An online store doesn’t need to position itself where it attracts local traffic, so it can house itself and store it’s products in low cost locations, thereby keeping costs down. That’s why online stores are so competitive. But make sure you look for a large reputable store.

LumberLiquidators.com is the biggest online flooring store. If you’re looking online for flooring you’ve got to check them out!

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Cleaning and Care of Pergo Flooring

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

How do I clean my Pergo floor?
Dirt and dust do not adhere to the flooring easily because the surface layer is hard and compact. Sweeping or light vacuuming with the hard floor attachments or mopping with a damp mop is all you need to do to keep this type of floor clean. Be wary of soap and detergents because they leave a residue making the floor look dull. Acetone or nail polish remover can be used to remove spots like cigarette burns, nail polish, markers, and tar. Pergo floors never need to be sanded or refinished, waxed or polished.

Cheap solution to replace those expensive
PERGO flooring cleaners

1/3 part white vinegar
1/3 part rubbing alcohol
1/3 part water
3 drops diswashing liquid

Mix this into an old, clean spray bottle and you have a very similar substitute of the Pergo floor cleaner.
Just spray and mop; also great for deodorizing a room and for a fast cleanup and on tile floors with great results. Pergo is best when water doesn’t puddle on it too long, the alcohol makes it dry faster.

How can I remove glue haze from my Pergo floor?

Remove glue haze using a warm damp cloth as soon as possible . Any residual haze or traces of glue missed by the initial cleaning after the floor sets for at least 12 hours can be removed by using Pergo’s special cleaner (Pergo After Installation Cleaner). Another options is to use 1/2 cup ammonia to 1 gallon of water with a damp cloth.

Does Pergo scratch?

Pergo is not “scratch-proof”. Minimize scratching by placing felt floor protectors under furniture (chairs, tables, etc.) and replace them if they wear out. Make sure to lift rather than slide heavy objects across the floor. Use welcome mats inside any doorways to catch gravel and dirt that can be brought into the house on shoe bottoms. Some vacuums can scratch the floor as well. Spot test in areas and be sure to use only the hard floor attachments.

How can I fix chips and dents on the floor?
There is a putty that Pergo sells that is used to repair small chips and dents that have chipped through the laminate layer of your floor. It is essential to use the Pergo brand because the provided color coordinated putty to match your style of floor. You should probably replace the plank if the area to be repaired is larger than a 1/4 of an inch. Individual planks can be replaced if necessary, and you will always be able to match the floor color with another Pergo specific plank. We also recommend locating a flooring professional who has experience and the proper tools and training for plank replacements. Normally your dealer will have a recommendation.