Providing the highest quality products & service since 1981.
 

“How do I choose a Hardwood floor species, color, board size, or pattern that is right for me?”

 

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If you are looking for a Transitional style you may want to use a wide (7.5”-9”) board with a light-medium amount of character. Floors that fit into this category can lend themselves to a modern or rustic environment. Usually these are in the lighter natural tones, the whites, or the grays. This is by far the most popular choice today, and we have hundreds of options to choose from.

If your tastes are more Contemporary you may want to use a medium-wide (5”-7.5”) board in a white, light gray, or lighter natural color of the wood. This look is usually a smooth, or very lightly wire-brushed on the surface. The character grade for this style is usually select to light rustic at most - usually a cleaner overall look, without too much plank to plank variation. Think clean and calm!

If you like a more Traditional look, then you may want to use a narrower (3”-5”) board width with a medium to light color. More traditional looking hardwood floors at Red & White Oak, in a Select & Better Grade. Plain Sawn is the typical look, but an upgrade to Rift & Quartered would be a welcome upgrade adding to the authenticity, class, and style!

If you are looking for a more Rustic or Country style, then you may want to use a wide (7.5”-10”) board with possibly a lot of character such as lighter and darker boards with knots and natural character which has become extremely popular. Light Rustic to Rustic White Oak, Hickory, Pecan, Walnut, and Country Maple are all perfect species of hardwood to give you the natural effect this style demands!

If the flooring is going to be Heavily Trafficked, then we suggest using a wood species like wide-plank White Oak that has a lot of grain and character to help hide any damage. You will want a floor with a low sheen - the more dark stained & shiny, the more damage the floor will reveal with use. The more distressed you can get the hardwood to be from the start, the harder it will be to damage with use!

 
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“Can we we install hardwood flooring if we have a dog, or other indoor pets?”

 

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YES: Many hardwood floors are installed in homes with pets, there are some proper precautions you should take to protect your flooring.

Keep the pet's claws trimmed, and clean up any messes (accidents) immediately. Scratching or staining from pets is not covered under manufacturer warranties. It is also best not to put the pet's food or water bowl directly on the wood flooring, but instead put a place mat or barrier down to protect the wood flooring.

Most importantly, if you read the section above, there are certain type of hardwood flooring more appropriately suited for homes that require higher durability. The vast majority of the flooring products we sample are great with pets!

 

Think about crating your dog, or block off certain areas of the house if you’re not at home. If you are working on house-training your puppy, You may want to restrict your pet to tiled or waterproofed areas of the house. Pet stores sell waterproof training pads that you can place on the floor, and these pads act like a diaper and absorb liquid.

To protect your floors from pets nails, it is best to keep them regularly trimmed. You can also put booties on your pooch when you go outside and socks on when they’re inside. To stop your pet from chewing on flooring or your furniture, make sure your pet has something else to chew on, such as a toy or bone.

1) Trim your dog’s nails regularly to keep them from making marks on your nice floors. 2) Place a mat down at each entrance to catch the dirt your dog brings in. You may also want to keep a towel near the door to wipe his paws before he comes in the…

1) Trim your dog’s nails regularly to keep them from making marks on your nice floors. 2) Place a mat down at each entrance to catch the dirt your dog brings in. You may also want to keep a towel near the door to wipe his paws before he comes in the house. 3)Rawhide bones can leave greasy stains on your floor. If your dog loves these, let him enjoy them outside. Stick to rubber toys like a Kong for indoors. 4) Brush and bathe your dog often to help catch all that hair before it ends up on your floor. Perform routine sweeping and vacuuming to clean up his accumulating hair. 5) When all else fails, choose a flooring color that matches your pet’s fur.

 

“Is a Solid wood floor better then an Engineered wood floor?”

 

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No: The thicker, and better quality engineered wood flooring will last for many years, and can even be refinished (if needed) as an added bonus!

The staining & finishing technology used on factory finished engineered hardwood flooring today makes for an extremely tough, durable finish, which is unmatched by traditional site-finished applications.

You can also get unique looks through factory finishing engineered hardwood floors that would be impossible to achieve in an uncontrolled environment like a job site. When site-finishing a solid hardwood floor on a job site with ever changing temperature, humidity, and lighting through the day, as well as day to day, it makes it almost impossible to achieve consistent results.

Factory finishing is done in completely controlled environments, so you know what you want, is what you are going to get! Consistency is key when it comes to keeping a project on budget, and on schedule! Just ask us, and we will get you a full carton of the flooring you want so you can see the largest possible section of flooring for your final approval. Our goal is for you to know exactly what you’re getting before we arrive for the installation, we do all the preparation ahead of time to make sure your job runs smoothly!

Engineered hardwood floors also offer much more dimensional stability than solid hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood can not be installed over concrete slab, or in below grade applications. Solid wood flooring doesn’t do well during fluctuation of humidity and temperature - Engineered hardwood can be applied in these situations without any issue.

What do we install in our own homes? Engineered hardwood flooring, for all the reasons listed above, and more..!

 

solid hardwood flooring

Solid hardwood generally expands and contracts a lot more than engineered wood during climatic changes, especially during extremes in heat, cold, and precipitation. Solid hardwood is unsuitable for applications at any location with increased moisture or high temperatures. These could be areas which are not environmentally controlled, damp areas such as below-grade installations, and over radiant heating systems.

engineered hardwood flooring

Engineered hardwood floors are made up of layers. The top layer is 100% natural wood, which comes in a variety of species. The bottom layer is also wood. In the middle is a core built from 5 to 7 layers of plywood that crisscross in different directions. Engineered construction creates a highly stable core that is less likely to expand, contract or shift when exposed to moisture, humidity and temperature.

Different styles of hardwood milling to achieve different grain patterns!

Live Sawn is how you produce live edge slabs and it is the simplest way to mill a log. The Plain Sawn is a cross section of the log and has a varying grain pattern, recognizable by its characteristic “cathedral” grain on the surface. Quarter Sawn bo…

Live Sawn is how you produce live edge slabs and it is the simplest way to mill a log. The Plain Sawn is a cross section of the log and has a varying grain pattern, recognizable by its characteristic “cathedral” grain on the surface. Quarter Sawn boards are cut so that a vertical grain pattern is visible on both the top and bottom of the board. Rift Sawn boards are cut so that all four sides of the board have a vertical grain pattern. The price of each of these cut styles is directly related to the amount of waste involved in cutting them. The live sawn cut produces the least amount of waste, as the boards are cut in cross sections all the way through the log. The waste amount increases with each style in the graphic. Generally, the live sawn cut is the least expensive, while rift sawn is usually the most expensive.

 

“There are so many carpet fibers, which is best?”

 

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Nylon is a high-performance carpet. Nylon is a resilient fiber, resistant to crush and wear, therefore a great fit for high traffic areas such as stairs and hallways. Nylon carpets are nonabsorbent and resistant to mildew. Although nylon isn’t inherently stain resistant, stain protection adheres well to the fiber. Since stain protection is normally applied in the factory, this means most nylon carpets you find on the market are extremely stain resistant.

Wool is considered to be the Cadillac of carpet fibers. It’s green, renewable and environmentally friendly. Wool carpet is soft and luxurious to the touch and naturally flame resistant. It’s a resilient fiber that’s durable enough to perform well in high traffic areas without wearing out. Wool carpet resists dirt and soil and is easy to keep clean.

Seagrass is a smooth anti-static carpet that is made from all-natural plant fibers that are grown in a manner similar to the way rice is grown. As the name hints, seagrass is planted in paddy fields that are flooded with seawater each year during the growing season. The tough fibers of this material are nearly impermeable, which means that seagrass is resistant to stains, dirt, and discoloration.

Sisal is a soft yet durable natural fiber carpet derived from the Agave plant species. It is relatively easy to dye, making it very versatile for flooring design. It can stand up to high-traffic areas without being coarse or uncomfortable underfoot, and it wears well, making it good for high-traffic areas. But it can become slippery with use, so sisal is a poor choice for stairs. Sisal carpet can be used in almost any room of the house, although it must be used with caution around moisture, which can damage the fibers.

Here’s a couple Terms You May Commonly Hear When Comparing Carpet Fibers

Solution-Dyed: When a carpet is solution-dyed, the color penetrates all the way through the fiber. This means it’s less prone to bleaching and fading in areas that receive a lot of sunlight, like right in front of a window.

BCF (Bulk Continuous Filament): BCF carpets are extruded from one very long piece of fiber. BCF carpets don’t shed.

 

Understanding the fiber composition of your carpets will help you determine how to keep them clean and which methods and products you should avoid. Carpeting is an investment that adds to the comfort and beauty of your home. It’s worth taking the time to treat your carpets with care.

As with most broadloom floor coverings, sisal, seagrass, and jute fiber materials can be used as area rugs or installed wall to wall – but are commonly seen as the less durable alternative to the tried & tested wool carpeting.

About 97% of carpeting is made from synthetic fibers which are more resistant to stains and much less expensive than natural materials. The other 3% are natural fibers which tend to resist crushing from traffic. The primary types of fibers used in c…

About 97% of carpeting is made from synthetic fibers which are more resistant to stains and much less expensive than natural materials. The other 3% are natural fibers which tend to resist crushing from traffic. The primary types of fibers used in carpeting & rugs: nylon, polyesters, and wools. Nylon is the strongest fiber of all the carpets, with excellent resistance to abrasion, insects, molding, mildew, rot, and many chemicals. It is easy to maintain and dye, while upholding its color admirably. Nylon is durable and static free, maintains fiber height, and resists soiling or staining. All of which makes it the most popular carpet fiber by far (90%) for homes and heavily favored (65%) for all uses – both residential and commercial. Polyester does not hold its fiber height under traffic and shifting weight as well as other carpet fibers. Polyester has a luxurious feel, is durable against abrasions, resistant to water soluble stains and easy to clean. Polyester can fade with bright sunlight. Wool is a purely natural product — luxurious, strong, and stain resistant. It maintains its fiber height very well. Soft to the touch and very dense, wool has a more comfortable feel than other carpet fibers; plus it will hide soil to a much greater effect than other synthetic fibers, mainly in part due to its opacity (other fibers are clear, and thus soil can be seen through it). Wool is also quite durable, and easily dyed in many colors.

 

“How Long Will It Take for Ordered Flooring to Be Installed?”

 

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A large portion of the flooring we offer is kept in stock, and already on the west coast of the United States. It’s common that the product is already in California at the manufacturer or distributor warehouses located in either the Bay Area, or Los Angeles & Orange County. This makes getting your flooring an expedited process if needed. Some carpeting is kept on the East Cost, or Southern US, and still only takes 7-10 days transit to our local warehouse.

We also create many custom one-of-a-kind floors for clients who want an exact look. Some of these floors we make locally, and some come from Europe. It’s common that a custom floor takes a minimum or 4 weeks production, and many times it can take up to 12 weeks depending on the time of year. It’s important to start these types of projects early in the process of building or remodeling, we recommend ordering early, and then we will store your custom flooring locally until you are ready for installation.

The process begins with product selection, budgeting & bidding, then order processing, and scheduling. Depending on the size or your job and the availability of the product you select, we can sometimes fit you in for installation on the same week that you order, or for larger and/or custom jobs, it can take some time to source the materials and hold you a time slot on the calendar - but all these dates are discussed through the selection process.

If you need a certain job done, within a certain timeline, make sure to tell us as soon as we get your job rolling and we will make sure to show you products that will allow us to expedite your project.

 
 

SOME CALL IT LINOLEUM, AND SOME CALL IT VINYL: “WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM, AND WHICH IS BEST FOR ME?”

 

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If you’re looking to have flooring installed in a potentially wet area such as a kitchen or bathroom, you need to consider linoleum and vinyl options. These two terms are often used interchangeably, though these materials are not the same. Linoleum and vinyl are both considered Resilient Flooring which means that it can retain its shape. These Resilient options are forgiving under foot, and may not suffer a permanent dent when objects are dropped on them. Linoleum is more often found in commercial settings, while vinyl is found in numerous residential and commercial applications. Both materials are available in sheet and tile forms, so they come in many looks!

 
Linoleum is made from all natural and biodegradable materials. In addition to linseed oil, it includes pine rosin, limestone, cork flour, wood flour, jute as the backing, and coloring pigments. Its color goes through to the backing, so scratches don…

Linoleum is made from all natural and biodegradable materials. In addition to linseed oil, it includes pine rosin, limestone, cork flour, wood flour, jute as the backing, and coloring pigments. Its color goes through to the backing, so scratches don’t readily show. Homeowners increasingly are selecting it as a green material that is relatively inexpensive. Linoleum requires only basic routine care such as sweeping and mopping with a product-specific pH-neutral cleaner, but the flooring must be treated with a sealer periodically.

Vinyl flooring is available in a wide variety of color and pattern options. Low-end vinyl flooring is quite inexpensive, but luxury vinyl flooring (LVT) and Waterproof Planks (WPC & SPC) are a higher-quality version of the product. Vinyl’s color…

Vinyl flooring is available in a wide variety of color and pattern options. Low-end vinyl flooring is quite inexpensive, but luxury vinyl flooring (LVT) and Waterproof Planks (WPC & SPC) are a higher-quality version of the product. Vinyl’s color and patterns are printed, which allows for a tremendous variety and keeps costs affordable. Vinyl flooring requires no special care. In most cases, a mild cleaner is recommended by the manufacturer.

If the information you’re looking for isn’t here, please email us and we will get you the information right away!