A hardwood floor is classy, fashionable, desirable and just plain beautiful – when it is brand new. To keep that new floor shimmer, be prepared to battle against scrapes, scratches and a dulled finish.

The Enemy is Dirt

A hardwood floor’s wood may be hard, but the all-important finish is a bit softer. Dirt that’s tracked in from outside can cause scratching on your hardwood floor’s finish and scratches not only look bad but can allow dampness to reach the wood. Brooms and dust mops are great for daily dirt removal but to make sure that all dirt is picked up and out of the room, use a vacuum for a hardwood floor regularly.

The best vacuum for a hardwood floor needs a canister, preferably with special hardwood attachments. An upright vacuum, though marketed as more powerful can dent your floors finish.

Dust treatments may seem as efficient as a vacuum for a hardwood floor, but the wrong treatment can make the finish dull and even cause problems when refinishing. Know what kind of finish your floor has and find out from the manufacturer what types of treatments are recommended.

This goes for damp-mopping as well as a damp mop can pick up and remove dirt as well as a vacuum for a hardwood floor can, but water cannot be allowed to pool or remain on the floor and any cleaning solution has to be appropriate for the finish. A polyurethane finish needs a vinegar-based cleaning solution while a wax finish can be stripped by vinegar.

Deeper Cleaning

Once dirt and dust is removed, you may find that the floor has some scuff marks or shallow scratches. You can remove scuff marks from a waxed floor by spraying a vinegar-based cleaner and letting it soak into the scuffed area. A light wiping with extra fine steel wool (0000-grade) will remove the scuffed surface of the finish.

Sometimes just a coat of paste wax is enough for the waxed floor. Polyurethane finished floors might be cleaned with an ordinary pencil eraser and there are touchup sticks available in colors that match your floor to cover up slight scratching.

Sometimes just an area of the floor has to be refinished. You don’t have to do the entire floor if the area is small. Use the right product to remove the finish and be sure to protect the surrounding area. Then just make your repairs and reapply your finish.

Regular use of a broom, dust mop, damp mop and a vacuum for a hardwood floor will enhance its beauty and leave you to enjoy your floor for years.

After deciding to install hardwood floors in your home, one of the most important and crucial decisions is that of deciding whether to go with finished or unfinished hardwood floor. This decision can depend greatly on the type of project you will be doing, where it will be completed, as well as your skill ability and personal preference.

Most of these decisions still remain even if you decide to hire a professional, and you must remember to take the time to carefully consider the options before making any final decisions.

Advantages and Disadvantages

While pre-finished wood flooring continues to grow in popularity, unfinished hardwood floor still remains as the most common and trusted choice by far, a factor that is not likely to change anytime soon. One of the biggest advantages of unfinished hardwood floor is that it does not depend on a precisely level sub floor the way a pre-finished floor does, because the wood can be sanded down.

The biggest disadvantage to unfinished hardwood floor is that on a pre-finished floor, the sheer strength of the finish far surpasses that of an unfinished hardwood floor, even after its final finish, and especially from the contractor’s point of view this can be a great advantage because more jobs can be done in a given amount of time.

While pre-finished hardwoods are primarily sold in big boxes at flooring specialty stores, most unfinished floors are sold to dealers and contractors in the building market. Also, because pre-finished hardwoods are preferred in the replacement market, it is expected that they should see big growth in the future with buying groups such as Flooring America, Abbey, CarpetsPlus and Carpet One.

Another disadvantage to unfinished hardwood flooring is that of the variety that pre-finished hardwood has over it. In addition to offering a wider range of colors and styles, pre-finished producers are also offering new custom coloring. Further, more manufacturers now are offering pre-finished borders, accents and medallions for a more custom look.

Basically, when deciding on whether to go with unfinished or pre-finished hardwood flooring, the final decision depends on you. However, there are several specific issues which should be carefully considered before reaching for your check book. This is the only way to ensure not only that the wood will complement your décor, stay strong and reliable, and add to the value of your home, but that you will be pleased with the end result as well.

Hardwood floors are not only environmentally friendly and add value to any home; they are also incredibly beautiful and timeless. There are many different types of hardwood floor to choose from, and selecting the right type of hardwood floor for a particular project can seem a bit arduous at times with the multitude of choices available.

Hardwood floors are a wonderful addition to any home, providing a look of warmth and comfort, and providing an appeal of anything from cozy country charm to fine elegance.

From One Type of Hardwood Floor to Another

There are a number of different types and styles of hardwood floors to choose from, which can present a rather arduous and often annoying task to some when opting for this type of flooring. Wide pine boards are the most popular type of hardwood floor today, primarily due to the variety of colors available.

If you are hoping for a rustic and rugged look, pine is a good type of hardwood floor for you. While oak is chosen for its durability, strength, and classic look, it is also the most expensive type of hardwood floor, and therefore you must first consider whether or not it is in your price range.

There are also parquet floors, which are different from the typical hardwood flooring options in that they are a set of small squares which are made of strips of wood in varying colors. The squares are then laid in a criss-cross type pattern, which gives the hardwood floor a checkered look for less formal settings.

There are four basic different types of hardwood flooring: engineered, solid, floating, and acrylic impregnated. Engineered consists of layers of wood pressed together and glued, with the grains running in different directions for added stability. Engineered hardwood flooring can be used in the areas of the house that solid wood flooring installation is not suitable.

In regards to solid hardwood flooring, this option gives you the ability to have a custom, one of a kind hardwood floor in any room in the house and it has many types of stains and finishes available to choose from.

Floating floors are either an engineered or a laminate floor which is not affixed to the sub floor. There is a thin, soft pad involved here, which protects against such things as moisture, and noise.

Acrylic impregnated is another form whose process is where acrylics are injected into the wood itself, creating an extremely hard and durable floor.