Things to Know About Wood Floors
Looking to update the look of your Bowling Green home? You just can’t beat the look of wood floors! If you’ve been around awhile, you’ve seen the transition from wood floors to carpets, and now back to wood floors again. It’s keeps people like us pretty busy… but that’s a good thing!
We could talk all day about the ins and outs of wood floors, but I just want to cover a few questions many homeowners have:
Will New Wood Floors Match Our Existing?
It’s not uncommon for us to install wood flooring in a Bowling Green home where the main areas are already wood, and the bedrooms were done in carpet. Will they match? Yes. We can get it very close. If you know the stain used on the originals, even better. However one thing to know: Oil-based floor finishes causes the wood to “golden” a little with age. So even the exact same wood and stain will look a little different due to this. But in hallway to room scenarios, it’s usually never an issue.
Why Do Wood Floors Creak?
Wood flooring is typically installed on a sub floor with wood joists underneath. If the sub flooring was nailed to the joists, over time the nails can become loose and cause creaks when walking. This isn’t the only cause of creaks, but a big one. When we install wood flooring, we drill additional screws into the sub floor to lock that down. This will eliminate many of the noisy floor issues people experience.
Prefinished vs. Unfinished Hardwood
Another common question our Bowling Green customers have is in regards to prefinished vs unfinished wood flooring. Prefinished wood is tempting because it can cost less, take less time and you don’t have to live with chemical smells and sanding. However, prefinished wood floors have slight bevels on either side of the boards which drastically changes the finished look. If you want that classic, smooth floor style, unfinished is the way to go every time.
Water or Oil-Based Finish?
Some people are using water-based polyurethane wood finish because of less VOC emissions, and a more rapid install. A characteristic of water-based polyurethane is also a more natural look from the wood. Oil-based finishes gives floors that classic amber glow that you’ve seen in your grandmother’s farmhouse. Oil-based finishes require a longer wait period in between coats, which means your room will be out of commission a bit longer.
Can you mix them? Sure. We’ve seen people have hallways done in oil (when the home was built) and bedrooms done in water-based at a later time. The photograph above is from a home here in Bowling Green. If you look closely, you’ll see a slightly golden look to the flooring at the top of the photo. That is oil-based installed almost 20 years ago. The lower water-based flooring has only been in a few months.
How Long Will It Take?
This will require one of us to visit your home and do measurements. Your decision on oil-based vs water-based also plays into the overall time.
Simply request a free estimate today and take the first step towards beautiful wood floors in your home! We are a Bowling Green home remodeling company can you trust for the utmost attention to detail, quality work and fair pricing!
