Selecting Hardwood Floors: Think Price, Width, Color, Character
Feeling stuck when choosing hardwood? Follow Ken’s decision tree. Price, the width of the wood, the color, and the character. If you follow these steps, you're sure to find a product that will make you happy. Watch the video above to learn more.
At Island Carpet, every home is different and every floor is custom. We offer the largest selection of wood floors on Aquidneck Island and our installers are trusted craftsmen who we've worked with for decades. We are proud to serve the areas of Middletown, RI, Newport, RI, Portsmouth, RI, Jamestown, RI, Tiverton, RI, Little Compton, RI, and Bristol, RI, as well as everywhere in southeastern New England. Visit our Middletown showroom to learn more and see our huge selection in person.
Hardwood flooring installation in Brisol, RI. Hardwood by Provenza; dog by owner.
Here’s the truth. 98% of the world agrees that engineered wood is the best performing wood product. The other 2% live in New England.
Remember, engineered wood IS real wood. Why do I prefer engineered wood? It’s simple—because of the way engineered wood in constructed, it performs better than any other wood. It has a dimensionally stable core-board that inhibits movement. Movement is what causes all the problems with a wood floor.
When it comes to cleaning wood floors, less is more. Forget the bucket, forget the soapy cleaner, and forget the vinegar. Stick to a microfiber mop with the cleaner that the manufacturer specifies.
Previously, matching old and new hardwood floors was a real mess. Thankfully, we now have a more elegant solution by offering a huge variety of pre-finished hardwoods that match old-fashioned oak strip floors.
The next time you want to add on a room to match an old 2 1/4" or 3 1/4" wood floor, we’ll find you a product that comes in a number of different pre-finished stain colors. If we find something that's a match it will save you a lot of mess and fuss.
If you're concerned by little scuffs and scratches on your floor, go with LVT. If you don't care about those little marks, feel free to choose hardwood.
LVT wood-look floors have made tremendous progress. They're waterproof, they don't show wear and tear as much, and they're great for an active household with kids and pets. Think hard about what your expectations are for your floor, and we'll help you make the right decision.
Your floor doesn't have to be level. As far as I'm concerned, your room could be built on a hill and have a slope to it. But there are two conditions that are absolutely critical for the installation of any hard surface rigid product. First, the floor has to be flat. Second, the floor has to be firm.
Remember: firm and flat. Just like you want to be when you leave the gym!
If you've got some minor irregularities, your floor contractor can probably come and patch the floor in order to give you a flat surface. But we have to look at it first and see whether or not the floor is going to sustain an installation of these products.
Next, you have to pre-deliver the wood at least 24-48 hours before the installation. That way, the wood acclimates to the temperature and humidity of the home.
Finally, if your home has wild humidity and temperature fluctuations, hardwood may not be for you.
No wood is safe. If you want to reduce the amount of color change, staining the wood will help. However, color change in wood is a fact of life, so plan accordingly.
This happens because of the way wood reacts to light and to the atmosphere. When we install a hardwood floor for you and you put your furniture down, you may find that when you move the furniture years down the road that you now have two shades of hardwood.
All wood scratches, scuffs, gouges, and dents. Period. I don’t care what the finish is—that’s just what happens. Run the other way when people come at you with 99-year guarantees.
Generally, what is not covered by warranties? Splits, cracks, grain raising, checking, buckling, cupping, crowning, edge fracturing, splintering, or chipping that occurs during or after the floor has been installed and is a result of abuse, misuse, improper maintenance, or improper care.
What else do you have to keep in mind? Exposure to excessive moisture, or improper environmental conditions, that is either low or high humidity, are not covered by these warranties. The use of a humidifier or dehumidifier may be necessary to maintain the proper humidity level of between 35% and 55%. In other words, hardwood warranties are not worth the paper they’re written on.
Hardwood is a beautiful flooring choice, but if there's too much foot traffic, especially in a commercial situation, it can get scratched, scuffed, damaged and discolored. Sure, you can have the floor refinished. But here's the problem: The same thing is going to happen again.
In some situations, it might make sense to go with a vinyl plank or laminate product. These floors are easier to maintain and will show less wear and tear.
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