Humidity Meter: Hardwood

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2012年9月13日星期四

Hardwood Floors on Underfloor Heating?

It is feasible to install engineered flooring onto a conventional hot water or electric heating systems. However, if it is not controlled properly, it can cause problems.

The majority of manufacturers who make wood flooring deemed suitable for underfloor heating, do so on the proviso that the sub-floor surface temperature must not exceed 27 degrees C. Exceeding this temperature rises the risk of excessive shrinkage, opening linear splits and cracks, and possible de-lamination of the hardwood wear layer.

Another equally important factor is the relative humidity (R.H.) of the room. A healthy room temperature of 18-20 degrees C should always accompanied by a by a relative humidity of 50-65%. There are many methods of maintaining correct humidity levels, the most accurate being electric humidifiers.

These are about the size of a shoebox, are re-filled with tap water, and release moisture into the atmosphere automatically until the correct pre-set humidity level is reached.

However sometimes just ventilating or keeping plants in the room will have the desired effect. In extreme cases where the R.H. of the room drops below 40%, a bucket of water in a corner of the room will absorb into the air within seven days or so.

Always remember that it is humidity that carries the heat in a room. If you have a really dry room, it will need a higher floor temperature to maintain a 20 degrees C air temperature than if you have correct R.H. It therefore follows that keeping a correct R.H. enables your heating system more economical to run.

Another potential problem is the volume of air within the room that your system is trying to heat.

A room of approximately 20 sq meters with reasonable standards of insulation, and a 2.5 meter ceiling height can be safely heated to up to 22 degrees C with your underfloor heating running at 27 degrees C

The same room with a 3.6m height would require a far higher below floor temperature to achieve the same room temperature. As we now know, this is not possible below wood flooring, so therefore an ancillary heating will also be needed. The same also applies to rooms with inadequate insulation and high heat loss.

Choosing The Flooring

The initial moisture content of the wood floor is an important factor in minimizing movement. For always on heated flooring, wood moisture content of between 6-8 degrees C is recommended. However bear in mind that if the heating is not being used in the warmer more humid months of summer, there will be far greater movement (expansion) of the flooring.

If hardwood with higher moisture content is to be used- say 9-10%, then it is advisable to maintain the humidity at between 55-65%

The width of the boards is relative to its stability. The narrower the board in relation to it's thickness, the more stable it will be, making it more resilient to movement with changes in humidity.

The make up of the board is also an important factor. A 20mm thickness flooring comprising of 14mm of plywood with a 6mm hardwood wear layer is extremely popular today as once installed it is indistinguishable from solid wood planks.

My personal opinion though is that there are two potential problems using this type of flooring.

Firstly a 20mm thickness flooring makes an extremely good insulator, preventing a proportion of the heat transfer, which in turn means that there is a tendency to increase the below floor temperature to compensate for this. Secondly, plywood is an extremely stable base layer. The expansion and contraction of plywood is minimal and is far less than the hardwood wear layer that it is bonded to. Therefore movement in the hardwood layer caused by moisture loss is resisted by the stability of the plywood.

However, this only works up to a point. I have seen cases where the strength of movement in the veneer can make it peel from the edges, or in extreme cases delaminate from the base.

My view is that a 10mm or 14mm thickness engineered floor is far better suited to efficient lower temperature underfloor heating. The makeup of 3.6mm or 4mm hardwood wear layer with 1mm base layer and inter spaced softwood core running at right angles is optimum. Whilst the softwood core is not as stable as plywood, it will allow movement broadly in line with the hardwood wear layer, helping to minimize de-lamination.

Precautions

Always have a floor sensing temperature probe installed below the wood flooring, and set this to limit the temperature to 27 degrees C (unless a different temperature is specified by the wood flooring manufacturer).

Don't rely on the temperature stated by a hot water heating manufacturer. In the case of Polypipe installations, if pipes in certain areas are closer to each other, a far higher temperature will be achieved at this position.

Likewise lower screed levels over parts of the floor will cause the temperature to be exceeded. A responsible heating installer will always check the sub-floor temperature on completion of the work. Always ensure that the moisture content of the sub-floor is below 2% before the wood floor is installed.

Installation

Hardwood flooring should be acclimatized within the room with the heating turned on for a minimum of 5 days prior to installation. While wood flooring can be fully bonded to the sub-floor, there is always the chance that moisture content in the screed could rise at some point, which could cause the adhesive to fail. Our preference is to install over a moisture retardant underlay using the 'floating floor' method.

The heating should be turned down to 18 degrees C while the floor is being installed and then for four days after.

Final Considerations

1. Increasing or decreasing temperature levels should be done at 5 degrees C per day sequences.

2. Rugs should not be used over heated wooden flooring. These have the effect of increasing the wood temperature to unacceptable levels and will cause failure.

3. Opening joints cannot be avoided when using heated sub-floors, and the end user must accept far greater seasonable movement.

4. The carbon film electric underfloor heating is the safest and most economical periodic type of wood floor heating, as this is a lower more even heat with little likelihood of below floor temperature levels being exceeded.

5. Please be aware that are many thousands of installations of wood flooring installed above all types of floor heating giving supreme user comfort and no problems whatsoever.

David is a director at Birbek Floors Ltd, . UK distributors of hardwood flooring since 1982. Birbek have been assembling and distributing made to plan electric underfloor heating, for wooden floors in their own dedicated workroom since 1998 flooring

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2012年9月10日星期一

12 Must Know Things You Need To Know When Buying Hardwood Flooring!

I am about to reveal to you some key facts that hardwood flooring manufacturers do not tell you about and it could save you thousands of dollars on your next hardwood floor.

Being an owner of a third generation family flooring business, I have seen flooring stores come and go all the time. I have seen gimmicks and tricks from manufacturers, representing their flooring products with impressive statistics and new "technologies" to guide people into how "their" product is better than the next. Sometimes the changes in product are actually viable and do work, but others are just plain nonsense.

Let's talk about some things you may not know when it comes to hardwood flooring, both engineered and solid hardwood.

Did you know that wood flooring has a comfort level too? Wood flooring will perform best when the indoor environment in which it is to be installed has a relative humidity range of 35 to 55 percent and a temperature range from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is about the same comfort range that we as humans enjoy.

Let's talk about the first thing you must do as an installer and the home owner. Ready for this...READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST! Before you go gung ho and rip open the boxes, as most men do, take 10 minutes and read the complete instructions for the material provided. There should be a copy that comes in every box of material. Sit back, have a beer, and READ!

Now that we have that clearly understood, you need to INSPECT to know what to EXPECT!

1. Acclimation: The moisture content of the wood and subfloor must be within 2-4 percentage points of each other and the subfloor must not exceed 12% moisture content. The farther the percentage points are away from the subfloor moisture percentage, the more problems you will have. For proper acclimation, material must achieve room temperature (65-80 degrees F) for 24 hours PRIOR to installation. This means that the heat has to be on and working way before you try to install the flooring. To get proper acclimation, store the material according to the manufacturer's directions. The instructions will specify whether to store opened or unopened and whether to store in the center of the room or at the edges. This leads into the next big topic of moisture content.

2. Moisture Content: What is the ideal moisture content of the actual hardwood product? Every manufacturer will very slightly, but the average approved moisture content in the hard wood flooring itself should be between 6-9%. For example, if the moisture content of the subfloor is 12% and the hardwood flooring is 9% there is a 3% difference between the two wood products, which is in the allowable tolerance of installation. Although some movement can be expected even in this range, dramatic expansion and contraction can happen outside of these measurements. There are several electronic moisture meters available on the market to test the moisture content of the hardwood and subfloor. These are generally a pin probe type meter and they can give you an immediate reading of your wood's moisture level. It is very important that it is set to the species of wood that you are installing and that you take moisture measurements from several boxes of material and from several areas of the subfloor throughout the area that is to be installed.

3. Climate Control: Climate control might be the single most common reason for customer dissatisfaction with their hardwood purchase. It is CRITICAL, that the proper temperature and humidity level be maintained throughout the life of the hardwood installation. Improper climate control will result in the material swelling in the summer and shrinking, or gapping, in the winter. Without proper climate control within the house, gapping and shrinking will definitely occur. In the Northwest we do not have a huge problem with this issue unless there is a device used in the home which dries out the air to an extreme amount like a wood stove. This is why a pot of water is ALWAYS recommended to be kept on the wood stove when using it as a heat source. The pot of water keeps moisture in the air. Special Note: Some products that are constructed with HDF cores, are more stable and less prone to expanding and contracting.

4. Floating Floors: A key thing people miss when installing floating floors is to allow for an expansion gap around the room. Just as real dimensional lumber expands and contracts, so does your floor. There must be enough space left at vertical surfaces, like walls and posts to allow for this movement. The larger the area the more space that is required. Rule #1 - Always leave the required expansion gap called for by the manufacturer. Rule #2 - If your installer says that it is not necessary, fire them and refer to rule number one.

You can cover all expansion gaps with wood wall base or quarter round wood trim or a combination of the two.

5. Expansion Joint: Expansion joints are almost always required between rooms, where a room meets a hall or in large expanses. You can use a "T" molding in these areas to allow for the floor expansion and contraction.

6. Moisture Control: Here is a big one! Moisture in the subfloor, called "hydrostatic pressure or vapor emissions", is a MAJOR reason for flooring failures. The subfloor is not to exceed 65% relative humidity. There are several moisture meters that can be used on the floor that provide accurate readings, or a calcium chloride test, used for "concrete floors". If your wood subfloor is above 12% with a meter, do not lay the floor. If your wood subfloor is above 12% then you have to find out why - it could be a new floor and just needs to dry out. If you have concrete floors, you have to find out the source of the moisture. If you still cannot figure out why the floor is above 12%, don't use hardwood. Period. I mean it...you will kick yourself. If your floor is OK to install, remember to always float an engineered floor over 8 mil plastic when going over concrete so as to eliminate and minimize water vapor coming through the concrete floor.

7. Glue down Flooring: In residential installations, most flooring that is engineered is either click together or tongue and grove. I don't think I, personally, would ever glue down an engineered floor. It is an acceptable way to install but I find that it is terrible to rip out years later. Either glue it together or click it together but don't glue it down to the subfloor unless you have a very specific reason to. I have seen more problems even stapling it down to the subfloor. Stapling down your engineered floor will just lead to squeaks and creeks that will drive you nuts. Pull out the instructions that you threw in the garbage and look up the manufacture's installation methods, then go file the instructions with your purchase receipt for future reference.

8. Nail Down Flooring: A very common mistake we have seen in solid flooring installations is proper nail length, gauge of the nail, and spacing between nails. Always refer to the manufacture and double check the subfloor thickness. When using a pneumatic nailer, pay close attention to proper PSI settings.

9. Natural Product Variations: One of the inherent beauties of hardwood is the differences between boards and how much or little they accept stain. No two pieces will ever be alike and that is one thing that makes wood flooring so luxurious and realistic compared to laminate flooring. Pay careful attention to the layout and selecting the color and grain of each board when you are working with the product. Work out of 4-5 boxes at a time when doing a layout, this will randomize any variations between boxes of hardwood.

10. Culled Material: In every natural product like wood, there will be some pieces that, while not defective, and within industry standards, are not what the consumer, you, wants visually. Generally allow for 5-10% waste factor on material. This means that you need to buy 5-10% more material then what your job physically measures out to be. Larger jobs of 1000+ sf could work with 5% while jobs under that square footage can figure 10%.

When buying material from the "Big Box" stores you have to keep in mind that when they purchase materials for a "stocking special" they purchase a product that they can sell at the lowest possible price to use in their ads. This means that the hardwood that they pick up is "Tavern Grade" which means it does not meet the specs of normal running line material. The product will have more voids, mis-filled holes in the face of the hardwood, warped boards both side to side and up and down, and broken toungs. This product will have a lot more waste factor to it, even as much as 20-25% compared to the professional flooring stores stocking inventory. Buyer beware, what you could think is saving you that 10% difference in price, could be costing you 20-25% more in having to buy more wood for the same size job. Oh, and by the way, always keep 1-3 full boxes of material for doing repairs. Do not return them to the store. You will NEVER be able to match the floor again should you need to. Paint would fall into this same realm of thinking. When you need to touch up a wall, they will NEVER be able to exactly match the color. In hardwood there is not only color to match but grain of the wood, board width, color and the number one factor, gloss level of the hardwood or "luster".

11. Scratches: All hardwoods scratch - it's a fact of life. You just cannot change it. You will scratch, scuff, and dent your hardwood under the right conditions. Scratches occur more frequently under chair legs that are small in diameter and at entry areas where abrasion dirt is tracked in on the bottom of shoes. The industry has developed more scratch resistant surfaces like those containing aluminum oxide, they tend to show less scratching but the wood still dents under pressure. To help save your floors use felt chair protectors under all of your free standing chairs. Area rugs are great for rolling chairs in the kitchen, or replace the cheap plastic wheels with rubber barrel casters. The more expensive casters will spread the weight of the chair out more efficiently. The best first line of defense is an area rug by the front door or a tiled entry way to catch the dirt and sand "before" it gets dragged across the hardwood floors. Good rules of thumb, shoes get checked at the door.

12. Cleaning: For heaven sakes ask a flooring professional! Your wood floors are tough but they are delicate when it comes to moisture and cleaners. Throughout this article we have talked about moisture, now we don't want to ruin the floor by trying to maintain it improperly. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.

DO NOT: Use a wet mop system, a steamer, a bucket and mop, any "Wax" finish, no soaps, no polishes, and for heaven's sakes do not over wet your floor with a wet mop.

The best way to clean your floor is to use a microfiber mop and spray a professional hardwood cleaner onto the mop head, to dampen the head, and then clean your floor. If you see streaking or a wet trail, you have used too much cleaner and immediately wipe up the excess with a terry cloth towel.

If you treat your hardwood floors with the love you would treat your wood dining room table, you will be happy for years to come.

For more information visit http://www.yourfloortrader.com By: Dean Paulson, Owner
The Floor Trader of Tacoma - The Floor Trader of Lacey - Floor Decorators Carpet One
"Family Owned and Operated Since 1921"

Written By: Dean Paulson, Owner and Manager

Dean Paulson is one of the third generation family members who is involved in the day to day operations and management of The Floor Trader of Tacoma, The Floor Trader of Lacey and Floor Decorators Carpet One in Bremerton. Since 1921, the Paulson family has owned and operated professional floor covering stores for the last 90 years, if you want to know the truth in flooring, then you have found the right company to work with.

Visit Us Now At: http://www.YourFloorTrader.com

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2012年7月16日星期一

Don't Let This Happen to Your New Hardwood Floor (Avoiding Flooring Failures)

I am called to inspect probably twenty to thirty solid hardwood floors every year that after several weeks or months have started gapping. A quick reminder: solid hardwood floor planks are each one piece of wood, whereas engineered wood planks are several different layers of wood glued together-very much like plywood. Once-in-a-while I'll see an engineered wood with gapping. In either case, it is a serious and very expensive problem. If you will take the time to read the rest of this article, you can be sure this won't happen to you, I promise.

"Moisture levels" are very important with solid hardwood flooring. All wood has moisture of some amount. When a solid wood floor has been installed, especially if nailed/stapled in, and then starts gapping at the seams so that there is space between adjacent boards, it is because they have shrunk. The only other possibility is that your house has expanded, but I'm pretty confident that has never happened and never will. So, why did the boards shrink? Because they lost moisture since being installed. When wood dries out, it shrinks, when it gets wetter, it expands. Okay, now we're getting to the very important part.

Most people are familiar with the term "acclimation". Most people know that wood flooring, even laminates (like Pergo) is to be acclimated before being installed. Usually the instructions say to acclimate for 48 hours, or 3 days, or whatever, then install. THAT IS NOT CORRECT. If you acclimate the product as outlined by the manufacturer for the proper time, then install it, and then it gaps, it will not be warrantied or replaced by the manufacturer. The small print on flooring installation is this: when the installer installs the flooring, he/she accepts that the flooring and subfloor are suitable for installation. The problem is, sometimes the wood flooring is showing up at the house to be acclimated at 15% moisture level, and is to be installed in a home with the subfloor having 6% to 9% moisture level. There is no way that flooring can acclimate to those conditions in a few days. It will still be too wet. And after it is installed, it will shrink-causing gapping. And the worst part, the flooring will have to be pulled up and thrown away. It is not a correctable situation.

I need to interject one small point here. "Some" gapping on solid hardwood flooring is very normal, especially if you live in an area with real seasonal changes like I do eastern Washington. Our homes here will invariably be drier in the winter and wetter in the summer, causing some minor gapping and is perfectly normal. One sure way to know if the gapping is normal is if it pretty much disappears each year during the wetter time. But the gapping I'm talking about is not like this. One lady showed me how some spaghetti that had fallen on the floor had rolled into the gaps. Or if your missing one or more of your favorite pets-that is also a clue.

THE SOLUTION So before this horrible scenario happens, make sure the following is done before your new floor is installed. The flooring needs to be moisture checked with a wood meter. There are pin meters (invasive) and magnetic (non-invasive), either of which will work. However, these run $200 to $300 or more. Insist that the installer have the moisture checked, especially as it will be the installers BIG problem if later you have gapping. Because you know what will happen? The manufacturer will send me to look at the floor, I'll make a lot of measurements of dimensions and moisture levels, and using the Wood Handbook's coefficient of dimensional change tables, I'll be able to determine what the actual moisture level of the wood was at the time of installation. I'll find that it was too high (or WAY too high), and the finding will be that the wood floor was not acclimated to the home's normal environment before being installed. OUCH! That will cost somebody a lot of money, and will cost you at least a lot of hassle with the issue of replacement, etc. You don't want that, and neither do I.

By the way, engineered wood should definitely be acclimated as well, although some of the manufacturers do not want the cartons opened for acclimation and some do, so pay attention to that. Also, laminates (which are real layers of wood similar to engineered except for the top layer which is melamine (aluminum oxide or similar) are also to be acclimated but I've never seen a claim rejected because the floor wasn't acclimated. Typically laminates and a lot of the engineered woods are "floating" which means they connect together and become one unit. Any dimensional change does not normally cause gapping but rather a change of the amount of clearance (perimeter expansion space) at the walls. Some of these issues I'll cover in another article.

TO SUMMARIZE: With any kind of wood flooring, but especially with solid hardwood, be sure that the moisture levels of the wood is within 2% to 4% of the subfloor the flooring is going on top of. In my part of the country where the relative humidity of homes is usually between 25% and 40%, the flooring should be between 6% and 9% before being installed. That leads to one of my favorite phrases, "IMAGINE NO GAPPING!".

Steven Kohl
Rainbow Carpet Cleaning http://www.rainbowcarpetcleaning.net
America's Most Wanted Carpet Cleaning http://www.amwcarpetcleaning.com
Moses Lake, WA

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2012年6月23日星期六

10 Questions to Ask Your Hardwood Flooring Supplier

10 Questions to Ask Your Hardwood Flooring Supplier Before Purchasing

1. If there are any problems, who do I call?

Most flooring stores will be buying the flooring they are selling to you from a distributor who purchases the flooring from the manufacturer. Sometime, especially with products coming from overseas there is more than one distributor involved. In many cases if you have an issue with your flooring and complain to the retailer they will call the distributor and let them know there is a complaint, the distributor will tell the manufacturer there has been a complaint. In most cases the manufacturer will deny the complaint and if you are lucky they will even send a representative to deny your claim in person. Most retailers would correct a manufacturing problem to make their customers happy because they are the ones dealing with the customers face to face but in reality they do not have the final say unless they want to replace the flooring out of their own pocket. The manufacturer is so far removed from the actual client that they know it is better for their bottom line to deny the claims and assume they will never have to deal with the issue because they are so protected by their warranties. Picture a person at a desk with a pile of hardwood flooring claims on their desk with a big stamp that says "denied".

2. How durable is the finish?

Durability is probably the most important things to consider when purchasing a prefinished hardwood floor. The finish is what you are actually walking on and must be very durable to have a beautiful lasting floor for years to come. Many imported prefinished floors have very little durability and the finish can be taken off with a few swipes of 150 grit sandpaper. When buying hardwood there are a few ways to test the finish: one would be to take 150 grit sandpaper and rub the finish to see if the finish will come off and two would be to firmly press the edge of a coin against the finish, a quality finish will dent but not come off. Quality manufacturers will have aluminum oxide or better yet titanium oxide hardeners in the finish. Many offshore manufactured products will say they have aluminum oxide in them but actually do not. To test if a hardwood floor has aluminum oxide in the finish simply put the sample in your microwave and if it sparks, it does indeed have aluminum oxide in the finish. I know that may seem a little strange but it's something worth checking because hardwood flooring is a big investment and you want to know the durability of the finish.

3. What is the structural and surface warranty?

This is a very important part of choosing a hardwood floor. Anyone can put a 25, 30, or 40 year warranty on the finish of their product but the real question is; will they stand behind their warranty. Many large hardwood flooring manufacturers have warranties that are up to ten pages. When you read through the entire warranty and all of the exclusions it really gives the client the impression that there is actually no warranty at all. The problem is most consumers don't take the time to read the warranty and are shocked when they find out the issue they are having with the flooring is one of the "exclusions". Most warranties will say that there is an industry standard of 5% margin for error which means that when your entire floor is complete the manufacturer is allowed to have 5% of the boards defective. That means a finished floor of 1000 square feet would be allowed roughly 100 boards with any kind of defect.

4. What is the waste factor of the flooring?

The waste factor of the flooring is an important issue as well. If 10-15% waste is what is suggested by the manufacturer than that means you will have to buy that much more to get enough to install your entire floor. The higher the recommended waste factor the lower quality the product. You may find when comparing products for price on may be more than the other but you must factor in the difference in waste to the price. A floor for $6 with 3% waste would cost you $6.18 which would be the same cost as a floor with 10% waste that is $5.62 and the product with 3% waste would definitely be a higher quality product. The bottom line is you shouldn't have to sort the waste out of the boxes; the manufacturers should be taking the waste out at the plant so you are only getting good quality pieces you can install in your floor.

5. What is the average length of the flooring boards?

The question of the average board lengths is one that is not commonly asked when it comes to hardwood flooring. It is something not a lot of people think about until it is brought up. The longer the average length of the floor the better the floor looks especially in large rooms. One foot and two foot lengths produce a very choppy and unattractive floor. The box size is not the only way to tell what the average length is; you can have an 8' box with all short pieces in it. Many offshore manufactured products are in four foot boxes with will definitely ensure you are getting a floor with very short lengths. It is not only offshore products that have short lengths but many North American made products as well. One very high end Canadian manufacturer has an average length of 27-29" in their 3-1/4" Select and Better Red Oak.

6. What is the moisture content of the flooring?

Moisture content is a very important factor when installing hardwood flooring. You need the flooring to be at a proper moisture level for your home/interior climate which is typically between 6-9% moisture content. Installing hardwood flooring with a moisture content that is too high will cause spaces in the floor when the flooring dries out, and installing a hardwood floor that is too dry will result in cupping when the flooring picks up moisture. If the retailer selling you flooring does not have a moisture meter and can check the moisture for you then I would suggest you run. The majority of people selling hardwood flooring know very little about wood and moisture, if they don't even have a moisture meter, that is a sign that they are not professional and know nothing or very little about hardwood flooring and shouldn't be selling it.

7. What does the supplier recommend for acclimation?

I know you must have heard someone say "the flooring must sit in your home for two weeks prior to installation". This is a very general statement and in most cases will do more harm than good for your hardwood floor. If you did this in a new home and it sat in the home while they were drywalling, painting, the wood would be so damp by the time you installed it that you would just be asking for trouble. The fact is a new home will have 1000 to 2000 gallons of water that will be oozing out of the home the first two years. If your flooring is sitting in the home before it is installed it will absorb all of that moisture. If you are having the flooring sit in your home you will want to make sure it is stored in normal living conditions to avoid it from drying out too much or picking up too much moisture. In some cases, a seasonal dwelling, you may want to have the hardwood flooring absorb the moisture before it is installed. If the home is always a high humidity environment then you want the wood to pick up moisture so it can be normal living conditions for that particular environment. You want to have a hygrometer to measure the humidity in your home before the installation and monitor your humidity after to ensure your home is in the proper humidity range to avoid issues with your flooring.

8. What does the stain/finish look like?

Many large manufactures will finish all different woods at the same time without making adjustments for each wood because each time they make adjustments it effects the production. The fact is, each wood needs to be finished differently to achieve the nicest stain/finish. Oak requires more finish to "fill in" the grain or else it will appear very pitted which is not something desirable in an oak floor. You want to be able to hold a piece up to the light and see a perfect smooth finish. Maple requires more brushing than oak so the stain can penetrate into the wood and not appear "blotchy". Maple is a beautiful wood and with the proper staining you can really bring out features such as Birdseye and tiger tail. If not stained properly these features are hidden.

9. Does the supplier warrant the work done by their installers?

If you are purchasing flooring from a company and having your own contractor install the flooring you want to make sure your installer is a professional. In many cases if you use your own contractor and there is an issue you will have the installer blaming the issue on the hardwood and the manufacturer blaming the issue on the installer. When nobody takes the blame you won't have very good luck getting your issue resolved. If you are buying flooring on a supply and install basis you want to make sure the company warrants their installers work and the installers are qualified. Many stores will sub out their installations to contractors so they really don't have the ability to monitor their work unless they visit every jobsite. You can see a list of certified hardwood installers in your area by going to http://www.nwfa.org.

10. What grade is the flooring?

Comparing flooring by grades can be very confusing and misleading. Many large manufacturers have five or six different grades of flooring so just because brand A has a less expensive product than brand B they may not be the same or even a similar grade. There is really no standard grading system for prefinished flooring so just because the product is labelled "select and better" may not mean it is the best quality flooring.

Greg Gaylord is experienced in the manufacturing, prefinishing, installation, and inspection of hardwood flooring. His company Gaylord Hardwood Flooring is a small Canadian hardwood flooring manufacturer producing only the highest quality hardwood flooring products including wide plank engineered flooring up to 10" wide, exotic hardwoods such as Jatoba and Ipe, as well as all domestic hardwood flooring products such as maple and hickory. For more information visit the Gaylord Hardwood Flooring website: http://www.gaylordhardwoodflooring.com.

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2012年6月20日星期三

12 Must Know Things You Need To Know When Buying Hardwood Flooring!

I am about to reveal to you some key facts that hardwood flooring manufacturers do not tell you about and it could save you thousands of dollars on your next hardwood floor.

Now that we have that clearly understood, you need to INSPECT to know what to EXPECT!

6. Moisture Control: Here is a big one! Moisture in the subfloor, called "hydrostatic pressure or vapor emissions", is a MAJOR reason for flooring failures. The subfloor is not to exceed 65% relative humidity. There are several moisture meters that can be used on the floor that provide accurate readings, or a calcium chloride test, used for "concrete floors". If your wood subfloor is above 12% with a meter, do not lay the floor. If your wood subfloor is above 12% then you have to find out why - it could be a new floor and just needs to dry out. If you have concrete floors, you have to find out the source of the moisture. If you still cannot figure out why the floor is above 12%, don't use hardwood. Period. I mean it...you will kick yourself. If your floor is ok to install, remember to always float an engineered floor over 8 mil plastic when going over concrete so as to eliminate and minimize water vapor coming through the concrete floor.

DO NOT: Use a wet mop system, a steamer, a bucket and mop, any "Wax" finish, no soaps, no polishes, and for heaven's sakes do not over wet your floor with a wet mop.

If you treat your hardwood floors with the love you would treat your wood dining room table, you will be happy for years to come.

Written By: Dean Paulson, Owner and Manager

Visit Us Now At: http://www.YourFloorTrader.com

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2012年3月9日星期五

Installing Hardwood Flooring Over Concrete and Wood Sub Floors

Expansion & Contraction of Hardwood Flooring

"The flooring shop said to leave 10mm for solid wood floor expansion at the walls...now the boards are lifting off the floor." Ill informed advice like this often leads to floor problems. Many flooring sales people unfamiliar with solid wood flooring assume expansion is the same as laminate flooring. In reality that 10mm is not enough for solid wood flooring.

What Is An Expansion Area? Why Do We Need It?

Expansion areas are spaces left around the perimeter of rooms, against fixed objects such as columns, thresholds, hearths, skirting boards, and other stationary items built or secured into the framing structure of the home. Even though Hardwood flooring used is no longer living and breathing it still reacts to moisture changes in the environment. The cells in the solid wood will take on or absorb moisture when the relative humidity is high, or when exposed to water. Expansion takes place, and the hardwood grows, for lack of a clearer term, across the grain (width) of the plank (see below, not all will react this way). Conversely when air moisture levels decrease, moisture content evaporates, shrinking of the solid wood will occur.

When we say spaces, they are defined as installing the hardwood flooring up to and away from the fixed objects. For example; "we recommend at least 15mm small to medium area-18mm expansion on larger areas at the skirting board or wall if new skirting to be fitted."

Hardwood flooring can react to the presence of moisture. In the dry winter heating months, moisture can leave the wood flooring causing the floor to contract slightly in size, which can leave slight gaps between each floor board. In the summer months when the humidity is higher, the hardwood flooring will expand and the gaps will disappear. If there is too much moisture in the subfloor it will cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. Nearly all problems related to hardwood flooring are due to improper installation and sub floor preparation. This is why it is important when installing hardwood flooring that you follow the correct recommended installation methods by the manufacturer.

Direct Glue Installations

A direct glue installation requires the use of a flooring adhesive applied directly onto the subfloor (never directly apply to the boards). This method can be used on concrete and wooden subfloors. When done correctly this is the most stable method for fitting solid wood flooring as the elastic flooring adhesive allows the floor to expand and contract with no problems.

If you are laying over a concrete subfloor you will first need checked the concrete moisture, if the floor has a moisture content of over 4% then either wait until the sub floor dries to meet this level or use an appropriate moisture barrier, we recommend Sika Mb Primer to ensure no damp rises up into your new floor.

Also note that new concrete slabs require a minimum of 60 days drying time before covering them with a wood floor.

All Concrete sub-floors must be dry, smooth, level and free of structural defects. If the concrete sub floor is uneven we recommend using sika latex self leveling compound to level the subfloor. The concrete must also be free of contaminants i.e. paint, oil, wax grease, dirt and curing compounds (the reason for this is that you need the self leveling compound to bond to the sub floor).These may be removed chemically or mechanically as your local hardware store and they will sell you the correct floor cleaner, but do not use solvent-based strippers under any circumstances. The use of residual solvents can create problems with the bonding of flooring adhesives. It is important to ensure a proper bond between the adhesives and concrete and wood panels.

If you have a wooden subfloor you will need to lay a plywood base over the existing floor boards (we recommend using 4mm -6mm exterior grade plywood and screw down every 15cm along the edges and at 20cm intervals throughout the rest of the board using the 1 inch deck screws) before installation, this will then give you a smooth and level surface for you to install you hardwood flooring onto.

You will need to leave a 15mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room for large areas over 6 meters in length we recommend 18mm expansion gap. To maintain this gap during installation spacers are provided in the kits. After you have installed the hardwood floor you can cover this expansion gap with scotia or new skirting boards The 15mm expansion gap also needs to be left in doorways where the hardwood floor follows through from one room to another we sell on this website a full range of door profiles available to match your floor.

Nailed Down Installations

Nailed down installation is the traditional way to install hardwood floors and can be done either directly onto wooden subfloor or on a concrete subfloor with the use of battens. When fixing battens onto concrete you will need a power-actuated nailer to drive through the battens and fix directly into the concrete, firstly lay out polyethylene moisture sheet then plywood over the battens to create a new sub floor. We recommend 12mm exterior grade plywood and 2inch x 4inch battens. Lay battens around perimeter at ½ inch from the wall, leave ¼ inch gap at each end. Position the first batten so its centre is 16 inches from the outside edge of the perimeter batten. Lay out the remaining battens across the area 16 inch intervals. Always check you battens are level using a level gauge you may need to use cedar shims to level out dips in the concrete, slide the shims under the battens until level. (If in doubt we recommend consulting a professional fitter for this method).

Wooden Subfloor

Hardwood floors can be nailed into existing wooden subfloors such as floorboards or plywood but not into chipboard floors as these are not strong enough to hold the nails. The floorboards must be in good condition and level if not it is advisable to lay 6mm exterior grade plywood down first.

To avoid creaking, check over the subfloor and securely fasten any loose floorboards. For added soundproofing it is also advisable to use a standard foam underlay.

When you nail down a solid wood floor you use a Porta Nailer to drive a nail at a 30 degree angle through the tongue and into the subfloor. Porta Nailers can be hired from any good hire shop but are expensive to buy.

Again you will need to leave a 15mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room. To maintain this gap during installation spacers are provided in the installation kits.

After you have installed the floor you can cover this expansion gap with scotia or new skirting boards.The 15mm expansion gap also needs to be left in doorways where the floor follows through from one room to another; we sell full range of door profiles available to match your floor on this website.

WASTAGE

When ordering your new floor we recommend you allow for some wastage due to cuts a professional fitter would add on an extra 2%-5% of flooring needed to finish a job. We recommend non professional fitter should add on 5%-10%.

for futher information visit our website where you can also buy the wood flooring online at http://www.ukflooring4less.co.uk/

written by Mr David Kitto
http://www.ukflooring4less.co.uk/

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

2012年1月17日星期二