Hardwood Floor Maintenance: The Dos and Don'ts

Now that your new hardwood flooring is installed, you're probably wondering about maintenance. Luckily, hardwood floors require little upkeep aside from regular sweeping and vacuuming. That said, there are certain things you should do and certain things you should not do if you want your flooring to last as long as it can. The following are a few Dos and Dont's regarding hardwood flooring maintenance. Enjoy!

Do: Use ventilated floor mats and furniture pads to protect your floors from scratches and scrapes caused by heavy furnishings.

Don't: Use oil soaps or ammonia cleaners. They dull the finish and may make refinishing more difficult.

Do: Clean sticky spots and spills as soon as you notice them. Use a damp sponge or towel and wipe up any remaining liquid.

Don't: Wax a wood floor that has a urethane finish.

Do: Minimize sun exposure by using shades or blinds on large windows.

Don't: Wet mop or use too much water when cleaning your floors. Remember, moisture is the arch enemy of hardwood flooring, so keep it dry.

Do: Vacuum! Using a vacuum (without a beater bar) is a great way to get dirt, dust, and debris out of hard-to-reach places like between boards and behind furniture.

Don't: Freak out when your flooring starts to change color. All hardwoods fade or change shades over time. This is natural.

For more information on hardwood flooring maintenance, call a Stone Wood Outlet flooring professional at 503-222-9663.

Wet mopping can do more harm than good to your hardwood floors.

Room Measuring: A 4-Step Process

Whether you're installing hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring, or laminate flooring, one thing is certain: you'll need to know the size of the room in question in order to know how much flooring material you will need to order. But accurately measuring a room can be tricky business: Where do you begin taking measurements? Do you include doorways or moldings? And what about areas with fireplaces or cabinets?
Never fear, dear reader. Stone Wood Outlet has an easy-to-follow, four-step method of measuring a room that will ensure you end up with the correct amount of flooring materials. Now get those measuring tapes out and have some fun!

Step 1:
Measure the length of the longest distance of the room into the doorways. Measure the width of the room, also from the longest point and round up to the nearest foot. To determine the square footage of the room, multiply the length x width. For example, if your room is 10' wide x 20' long, multiply 10x20 to equal 200 square feet.

Step 2:
If you have areas in your room that won't be covered with flooring (for example, a fireplace or a cabinet) just multiply the length and width of these and subtract from your total square footage. For example, in the room above a 4' x 5' entry way will not need hardwood flooring. So multiply the width of the entry way by the length of the entry way (4x5) to equal 20 square feet.

Step 3:
Subtract the areas that are not going to receive new flooring (Step 2) from the total square footage of the room (Step 1). In the example above, subtract 20 square feet (the entry way) from the total room square footage of 200 square feet. This gives our example room a total of 180 square feet needed.

Step 4:
Add for waste. All hard surface flooring requires a percent of waste to be added for installation. The percents vary depending on how much material you are installing. The general industry rule is to add 7% for installations requiring 1000 square feet of material or more. Add 10% to installations requiring less than 1000 square feet. In our example above, we would multiply 180 x 10% to equal a grand total of 198 square feet. The common abbreviation for square footage is sf.

Hardwood floors come packaged in individual cartons on delivery day. You will either round up or down to the nearest carton when purchasing your new floor.

Call 503-222-9663 for more information, or visit one of our four locations to speak with a knowledgeable flooring professional.

Decking Installation Tips: 5 Things You Should Know Before, During, and After

Hardwood decking installation can be a fun, rewarding experience. Hosting a summer BBQ or pool party is just that much better when you're able to brag to your friends that you installed the new deck they're enjoying. The following are five helpful tips you can use to make your deck installation project a success.

The following information is taken from the article Decking Installation Tips on StoneWoodOutlet.com.
Decking installation is difficult and should only be attempted by experienced DIYers. If you are unsure about your installation abilities, call a professional.

1. Acclimate, acclimate, acclimate!
If your are installing a wood deck, it is critical that your decking material is near the final moisture content before starting to install. Most of our hardwood products are kiln dried down to 10-12% moisture content (MC), which is ideal and does not require additional acclimation time on the job site. We also sell air dried (AD) Ipe which does require acclimation for up to two weeks, depending on the starting moisture content. Air dried products can range from 10% MC all the way up to 25% MC. Using a moisture meter is great way to determine starting MC.

2. Be wary of shrinkage.
Shinkage will be very minimal if installing kiln dried hardwood material or air dried material which has been fully acclimated down to 10% MC. Generally, only the dryest condition will cause shrinkage - such as installing in the high desert areas in Oregon. We generally recommend a full 1/4" between 1x6 or 5/4x6 boards, and 3/16" between 1x4 or 5/4x4 deck boards. If installing in a very dry environment, you should plan to use a 1/16" smaller gap between boards. If you are installing air dried material with a starting MC around 18%, then we recommend 1/8" between boards. Your will get shrinkage of up to to 1/8", possibly even 3/16", with air dried material. The longer you let it acclimate, the less movement you will get after installation.

3. Use the right finish.
The best finish we have found is Duckback from SuperDeck. We carry both the natural and walnut exotic hardwood oil finish. Our preference for ease of maintenance is the Duckback walnut oil, which adds some brown pigment to the mix in order to help protect the wood's natural color from UV exposure. We estimate that the walnut oil finish will outlast the clear finish by one to two years.

4. Straighten up that board, private!
When dealing with crooked boards, we recommend using a Bow Wrench. This tool allows the installer to easily take out up to 1" of side bend. We have these tools in stock.

5. Fasten the deck correctly.
Although there are many different hidden fastener systems which all claim to work well, we always recommend screwing through the face with 2 screws per joist connecion with each board. Screwing through the face is the most reliable and least expensive way to install a hardwood deck.

5 Common Tile Terms (And Why You Should Know Them)

So you’ve decided to retile your bathroom or kitchen. That’s great. If you’re like most homeowners, though, you probably aren’t all that familiar with many common tile terms. Is that a problem? It could be, yes. Whether you’re doing research online or talking with a tile installation professional, it’s important to know basic tile terms so you can fully understand the product, the installation process, and proper maintenance techniques. The following are five of the most common tile terms, what they mean, and why they are important.

Visit StoneWoodOutlet.com to see all the beautiful tile products we carry.

1. Impervious
What it means: The degree to which tile can resist liquid penetration, usually measured with colored dye.
Why it’s important: Tile that is highly impervious is more resistant to water damage and mold, especially in the bathroom. Always ask about the imperviousness of tile before making a purchase.

2. Leaching
What it is: In short, leaching is when liquids ooze out of the joint between ceramic tile veneer and run down the entire tile surface.
Why it’s important: Leaching can be a big problem for homeowners, especially in rooms with high humidity, like bathrooms. Being able to recognize leaching as soon as it occurs means you can minimize the damage it can do to your tile.

3. Live Load
What it is: The amount of total weight a building can withstand, including people, furnishings, and other movable objects.
Why it’s important: Knowing your home’s live load is important for many applications, but especially when installing heaving floor coverings like tile. Some homeowners don’t take themselves, their families, or their furnishings into consideration when choosing flooring. If you choose a material that is too heavy, you will go over your live load limit and risk structural damage to your home.

4. Sealer
What it is: A film or adhesive used to fill voids and prevent the passage of liquids or gases.
Why it’s important: Not all sealers are created equal and, unfortunately, some tile installers will attempt to cut costs by using an inferior product. Knowing the different types of sealers and what they’re used for can be a big advantage during the installation process.

5. Shelf Life
What it is: Exactly what it sounds like – a product’s expiration date.
Why it’s important: All things go bad in time. If an installer is using caulk, grout, or any other necessary installation product that is past its shelf life, the chances of that product not performing correctly goes up dramatically.

These are just a few of the dozens of tile terms commonly used in the tile industry. For a complete list, visit the Stone Wood Outlet Tile Term Glossary.

Hardwood Flooring and Allergies: Are You At Risk?

Just like peanuts or shellfish, domestic and exotic hardwoods contain oils and particles that can cause severe allergic reactions in some people. Most people who work in the wood industry don’t have wood allergies, and most hardwood flooring customers won’t be working so closely with the wood that it could become a problem. However, it is still a good idea to know exactly what kind of reactions wood allergies can cause, who is most at risk, and the different ways you can avoid a reaction.

Taken from Hardwood Floors Magazine’s Green Blog, the following are a few “common-sense concepts” you should take into consideration when working with or around wood.

If you believe you are having an allergic reaction, stop what you are doing immediately and call 911.

1. Take Reasonable Caution
With this tip, Green Blog author Elizabeth Baldwin emphasizes the “common-sense” steps all woodworkers should observe, such as wearing protective gear like masks, gloves, and long-sleeve shirts.

Something as simple as a paper mask can help reduce exposure to wood dust and other potentially harmful particles.

2. Stay Clean
Here Baldwin states that keeping a clean and well-ventilated workspace will keep dust from piling up and blowing into your and your coworker's face. Keeping a clean workplace will also cut down on the chances of having an unfortunate incident involving wood splinters.

3. Be Aware
Stay ahead of the game – monitor yourself and others around you for symptoms of an allergic reaction, including skin irritation and rashes, difficulty breathing, and difficulty seeing. If you notice any of these symptoms, clean yourself up, take any necessary medication, and go to a doctor.

As Baldwin explains in her post, the problem with wood allergies is that everyone experiences them differently. Saw dust and wood oil may be perfectly fine for one person and mean certain death for another. Even two people that are allergic to the same type of wood can experience that allergy in very different ways. And as Baldwin aptly points out, “just because something doesn't cause a reaction the first time you touch it doesn’t mean you’ll never have an allergic reaction. Your sensitivities can increase with exposure, just as lactose intolerance can suddenly afflict a long time lover of ice cream.”

So if you are beginning a woodworking project yourself, or have hardwood flooring being installed in your home, remember to take the necessary precautions: wear protective gear, don’t inhale wood dust, and get to a doctor if you start to notice an adverse reaction.