Weekend Blowout Sales - Now through the end of November!

Good news, dear readers!

Stone Wood Outlet will be featuring all of our surplus items at blowout prices every weekend from now till the end of November!

Our prices have never been lower and we have plenty of great product choices, including tile, stone, and hardwood flooring, cabinets, counter-tops, and more!

Here are just a few of the great deals we have running right now:

• Tile as low as 69 cents/SF
• Hardwood starting at $1.99/SF
• Granite counter tops (installed!) from $45/SF
• Carrara marble from $6.99/SF

We also have the latest looks in high-end mosaic glass and decorative tile, perfect for that stunning kitchen or bathroom sink backsplash!

Don't miss out on these great deals! Hurry in to one of our three Portland locations today, or visit us online at www.StoneWoodOutlet.com. 

Stone Wood Outlet offers the latest in high-quality cabinets, tile,
counter-tops, and flooring. 

Product Spotlight: Laminate Flooring

Do you want the look and feel of hardwood flooring but without the cost or difficult installation process? If so, laminate flooring may be just what you're looking for!

Stone Wood Outlet is one of the Portland area's premier suppliers of laminate flooring materials. Laminate comes in many different sizes and styles, making it one of the most versatile flooring options around. Still unsure about laminate flooring? Here are three good reasons why it just might be the right flooring material for you.

1. Price and Installation
Laminate flooring is often much less expensive than solid hardwood flooring. It is also much easier to install, and can be installed over almost any existing floor.

2. Durability
Laminate flooring is tough. It's solid finish makes it perfect for high-traffic areas of your home. Laminate products from Stone Wood Outlet also come with at least a 25 year warranty, meaning you can feel confident in your purchase.

3. Resale Value
Most home buyers look for hardwood floors over carpet. By installing laminate floors instead of carpet, you get the look of hardwood flooring at a fraction of the cost.

Glacier Peak Laminate Flooring from Stone Wood Outlet

For more information about laminate flooring, visit us at one of our three Portland locations, or give us a call at 503-222-9663.

The Stone Wood Outlet Top 5 Hardwood Decking Materials

Interested in exterior hardwood decking but unsure about which material is best? You’re in luck! The professionals at Stone Wood Outlet have years of experience helping customers choose the right hardwood decking material for their needs. When it comes to decking, there are only a few species of wood that are durable and beautiful enough to get the Stone Wood stamp of approval. Here are our top five favorite exterior decking choices and a little about each species. Enjoy!

1. Ipe
Ipe is one of the most popular exotic decking species available in the country today, and for good reason. It features rich, striking tones and an intriguing grain pattern. It is also one of the most durable, with extremely high hardness rating and density and a Class A fire rating. This species of exterior decking will certainly last a lifetime.

2. Cumaru
A little lighter in color and with a more visually interesting grain pattern, Cumaru hardwood decking is perfect for someone looking for a very exotic natural decking material. Like Ipe, Cumaru has a very high hardness rating and density, which makes the wood naturally resistant to decay and wood boring insects. Cumaru is also often used for finer applications such as flooring, making it easy to coordinate indoor and outdoor design schemes.

3. Tigerwood
Tigerwood decking features soft brown and yellow tones and incredibly eye-catching black striping that gives the wood its name. This unique decking material is of medium density and easily absorbs stains and oils. Tigerwood is also quite resistant to fungi and termites. If you want to Wow! your guests with one of the most unique exterior decking materials they’ve ever seen, Tigerwood is the choice for you.

Tigerwood Hardwood Decking
from Stone Wood Outlet

4. Angelim Pedra
This species of hardwood decking is known not only for its rugged good looks but also its coarse texture and straight, interlocked grain. Beyond decking, Angelim Pedra is also used for truck trailer decking, flooring, furniture, and heavy construction.

5. Massaranduba
Also known as Brazilian Redwood, Massaranduba hardwood decking is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after decking materials around. It features warm reds and browns, a varying interlocked grain pattern, and a very fine texture. If left untreated, Massaranduba will age to a distinctive silver-gray color, though you can easily retain its redness with a sealant or stain.

Still unsure about what kind of exterior decking material is right for you? Visit one of the three Stone Wood Outlet locations, or give us a call at 503-222-9663!

Cabinet Types - What's the Difference?

When shopping for new kitchen or bathroom cabinets, Portland homeowners are faced with many different styles to choose from. There are stock cabinets, custom cabinets, RTA cabinets – the choices can be confusing and overwhelming! Never fear, friend – the experts at Stone Wood Outlet are here to clear up any confusion you may have.

The following are the four main types of cabinets available to Portland-area homeowners.

Ready-to-Assemble
Ready-to-assemble cabinets, or RTA, are the least expensive and the easiest to install. These affordable cabinets are great for people that don’t have a lot of space, don’t have a big remodeling budget, or move frequently. The downside? They’re not available in a many styles or colors, some brands are cheaply made, and they can be hard to match with an existing design scheme. Our suggestion: If you can afford it, go with a higher-quality cabinet type.

 Stock
Stock cabinets are exactly what they sound like. Manufactured in bulk, these cabinet types are available at low prices because of the sheer volume in which they are produced. The design options are limited when you choose stock cabinets, and you can’t install them in specialty kitchens are areas of the home with odd layouts. Still, they are affordable, and when paired with stylish furniture or appliances can result in a pleasing design scheme.

Semi-Custom
Semi-custom cabinets offer a greater range of sizes, shapes, styles, and colors, and involve you, the consumer, in a way stock and RTA cabinets do not. Most semi-custom ordering processes happen like this: You browse the different shapes, sizes, and styles of cabinets offered by the manufacturer. You pick the ones that fit your kitchen or bathroom style and size and order them. Because they are semi-custom, you can usually order them custom fit to your kitchen’s specifications. Semi-custom cabinets are a great way for Portland homeowners to get stylish, customized cabinets at a more affordable price.

 Custom
Custom kitchen cabinets offer you the opportunity to control every detail of your cabinet purchase, including material, design, and color. This is, of course, the most expensive of the cabinet options, but for those that can afford it it is well worth the cost. Not only can custom kitchen cabinets really tie a Portland room together, but they can add to the resale value of your home, much like hardwood flooring. Be careful with custom cabinets, however – because they are designed and built specifically for your space, once they’re made you can’t return them.

We hope this helped clear up any confusion you may have had about the different types of cabinets available to Portland-area homeowners. If you still have questions, please visit one of our three Portland locations, or give us a call at 503-222-9663.

Preparing Your Deck for Winter – 5 Things to Do Right Now

Winter can cause some serious damage to your hardwood decking. Without proper preparations, winter cold, rain, and snow can cause major problems, like wood rot and warping. Even naturally resilient species like Ipe and Cumaru decking can be at risk. Luckily for you, it’s not too late to properly prepare your hardwood deck for the coming winter weather. The following are five steps you can take to make sure your wood stands a chance against the rain and cold.

1. Clean it.
   One of the biggest threats to Ipe or Cumaru hardwood decking is dirt and yard debris. Organic matter like leaves and grass can decompose and cause wood rot. Thoroughly remove all fungus, dirt, mildew, leaves, dirt, and other yard waste. If your deck is particularly dirty you may want to use a formulated deck cleaner.
2. Strip it. 
   It’s natural for a deck finish to peal a bit over time. Now is the perfect opportunity to strip away any deteriorating or unwanted finish.
3. Refinish it.
   If you needed to remove any of the deck’s finish you will need to refinish the spots you stripped. This will help keep your deck protected and looking good throughout the winter.
4. Seal it.
   Use a water repellant to ward off any excess moisture and prevent water-related damage like cracking or warping.
5.  Cover it.
   If you live in a part of the country that has particularly nasty winter weather, you might want to consider covering your hardwood decking with a waterproof deck cover. Deck covers are designed to be installed over Ipe or Cumaru hardwood decking during poor weather months.

Visit StoneWoodOutlet.com to learn more about exterior hardwood decking and get advice from our decking experts!

How Laminate Flooring Is Made

If you’re a fan of Stone Wood Outlet on Facebook, you’ll know that we recently added a whole line of laminate flooring to our list of in-stock inventory. Laminate flooring is a great alternative to hardwood flooring for a number of reasons: price, ease of installation, durability, and resale value, just to name a few. But few people know what laminate flooring is actually made of. Even less know how it’s made. This post will take a look at the components of laminate flooring and how they’re put together. Enjoy!

Components
Laminate flooring is made of four components bonded together. They are:

• Wear layer – Designed for dimensional stability, stain resistance, and protection, most wear layers contain aluminum oxide, melamine resin, or another protective plastic.
• Decorative Layer – A printed, high-resolution photo-reproduction of a wood grain, stone, or tile pattern, this layer is what gives the flooring its look.
• Core Board – Usually made of high-density fiberboard or particle board, this layer helps improve moisture-resistance and dimensional stability.
• Backing – This layer, made of melamine plastic, adds even more dimensional stability to the boards. It also helps prevent moisture from coming up from the sub-floor.

Assembly
First, the four layers are assembled in large sheets. Each layer is stacked on top of each other and pressed together at temperatures reaching upwards of 400 degrees. The sheets are pressed with up to 600 pounds/square inch of pressure. The pressing usually lasts around 30 seconds.

Imprint
Some laminate flooring varieties have a textured surface, a feature achieved with specialized plates that imprint a texture pattern on the outer layer of the board. This process is usually either included in the general assembly process or takes place immediately after, when the sheets are still hot.

Edging
After the sheets are cooled they are cut into planks of various sizes. Multiple precision saws are then used to cut the tongue-and-groove edges on the side of the planks, enabling the flooring to lock together during installation.

Inspection
Last but not least, the cut planks are inspected for quality. They are checked for color, texture (if applicable), finish, size, and that they interlock correctly.

Visit the Stone Wood Outlet website to learn more about laminate flooring, including the many varieties we carry and why it may be the perfect flooring choice for you.