Stone Wood Design Center Opens Discount Store Stone Wood Crates

Stone Wood Design Center, Portland's very own hard surface superstore announces the debut of its new discount center, Stone Wood Crates. Located at 5600 NE 122nd Ave, just East of the airport and Cascade Station, the store features close-outs, discounted and discontinued items, along with some running line inventory.

"Our Crates store is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer or contractor looking for an awesome deal on beautiful material," said Steve Getsiv, CEO. "Manufacturers are always changing up their product lines and our Crates store allows us to offer these products at prices up to 80% below normal retail."

The Crates store will provide customers with the opportunity to create spaces in a design warehouse environment, while having access to the deepest discounted materials in Portland. Those materials consist of things like travertine and porcelain tile, colorful mosaics from all over the world and handscraped exotic hardwoods. A knowledgeable team of home improvement professionals will provide expert information and advice to create an excellent customer experience.

To celebrate the opening of the discount location, Stone Wood Crates will host a Liquidation Red Tag Sale on Saturday, November 10th. Customers who visit the Crates store will get to choose materials from all over the world, at the lowest prices in the Portland metro. We'll be using the store as a liquidation center until all surplus inventory is sold, at which point the company intends to keep the facility open for wholesale only.  

The Crates store will be open Tuesday through Saturday. For additional information, please visit Stone Wood Crates.

Stone Wood Design Center, part of the Nova USA family of companies, is the leading hard surface retailer in Portland, Oregon. With 3 locations, including the Crates store, in the Portland area, Stone Wood Design Center specializes in buying direct from the manufacturer and passing the savings on to the customer. The company hires experienced design and product professionals and has a reputation for outstanding customer service.

SWDC Top Sellers: Grand Mesa Laminate Flooring

Welcome back to your favorite design-focused blog series, Stone Wood Design Center Top Sellers. You may recall that our last installment covered Peruvian Travertine tile. This time, we’ll be examining a wood-style flooring solution, a laminate flooring product called Grand Mesa Laminate Flooring.

Among the many strong points of this particular flooring product is a factory-applied aluminum oxide finish. This “crystal finish” lasts on average two-and-a-half times longer than traditional urethane finishes, making Grand Mesa one laminate flooring Portland homeowners should seriously consider if they want to save time and money over the life of their installation. It’s so durable, in fact, that Stone Wood Design Center backs each residential installation with a 25-year warranty.

Unlike some laminate flooring products, Grand Mesa presents with a textured wire brush finish, making it a good choice for that vintage, “lived-in” look, rather than the flat, painted-on appearance associated with less-advanced laminate flooring products.

Since Grand Mesa laminate flooring comes as a single plank per piece, with beveled edges on each plank, when installed it has the appearance of true hardwood. The handscraped look of the wire-brushed relief make the illusion complete.

Grand Mesa is available in four rich finishes: Pecan Rustic, Gunstock Oak, Sierra Hickory, and Saddle Walnut. Stop in one of our three Portland locations today and see which is right for you.

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.

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.