Answer: In most cases if a person has basic carpentry skills they can install a hardwood floor themselves. The only equipment needed is a hammer, nail set, and a table-saw. Some installation methods require use of other equipment, check with your retailer.

No. You should never wet mop your wood floor. Standing water left after wet mopping can dull your finish, damage the wood, and leave unsightly discoloring. If you happen to spill water on your floor, clean it up as quickly as possible. If massive amounts of water leak out onto the floor, such as a dishwasher that has leaked, it might damage the floor to the point where it would need to be replaced. Most homeowners insurance companies would cover the repairs needed if this were to happen.

Any room except a full bath. With the variety of products available and the choice of installation options, hardwood flooring can now be installed in any room of the home. The only consideration is whether the floor will be installed on, above or below grade. For example, because of potential moisture, solid hardwood is not recommended for installations below grade, such as in a basement. Engineered products, which are inherently dimensionally stable, are better choices for this type of area.

With the improvements in hardwood floors most engineered and longstrip engineered plank floors can be used over a concrete slab. Manufacturers do not recommend using solid wood floors over a slab. Engineered planks and strip wood floors can be glued directly to a clean, dry, well-cured concrete slab. Some engineered wood floors can be glued at the tongue and grooves and then allowed to be floated over a special padding that is laid over the concrete slab.

It is very easy to clean a Pre-finished hardwood floor. Simply dust mop, sweep, or vacuum (vacuum should have rubber wheels so not to scratch the floor). Most flooring dealers also sell cleaning kits, which come with a mop as well as an approved cleaner. If you are not sure which cleaner is appropriate for your floor, contact your local dealer for assistance.

Yes, you can install solid wood boards on a concrete slab. As 3/4'' boards must be nailed and not glued, you must first install a wood subfloor (plywood or OSB panels).

Yes, you can install a 3/4'' or 9/16'' solid wood floor over a radiant heating system, provided you know how the latter works and how it may react to flooring. Solid wood floors installed over such a system must meet certain specifications and recommendations.

It is not recommended to install solid wood flooring over a concrete slab. Although this is the general rule, there have been successful installations of solid wood flooring installed over dry, concrete slabs. This entails several additional steps. A plastic barrier is set over the slab and taped at all seams. Then some sort of moisture-resistant wood subfloor (marine plywood) is built on top of the plastic film. Then the flooring is nailed to the wood subfloor.

The answer is yes, but if a room has under floor heating, it is doubly important that it be properly installed to allow for expansion and contraction. We are able to supply manufacturers' technical specifications regarding underfloor heating.

Installation of floor - One to two days is usually sufficient for each 300 sq./ft. of prefinished floor being installed. Resanding of existing floor to a natural tone - Three days for 300-500 sq./ft. plus one additional day for every additional 300 sq./ft. Resanding of existing floors to a brown tone - Four days for 300-500 sq./ft. plus one additional day for every additional 300 sq./ft. Resanding of existing floor to a pastel tone - Five days for 300-500 sq./ft.

Bob, if you won the lottery what would you do to your home? (From your friends at the Remedy Building)

Solid 3/4" Hardwood flooring cannot be installed below grade (below the soil line) or over concrete. When a solid product encounters moisture it reacts very negatively. Therefore, a laminate or engineered flooring must be used. Laminate flooring is constructed by fusing 4-plys of material together to form a product with unprecedented strength and durability. An engineered product is very similar with the exception that they usually have a real wood layer on top of the constructed core.

If you are using the wood flooring plans that we have provided, we recommend that you create a rock or sand hearth to put your stove on. To install your stove on the hearth, follow manufacturer’s instructions and local building codes. Each dome is equipped with a metal stove flashing. The piping will run from your stove through the flashing and above your dome. All of the piping that is used in association with the stove should be double walled pipe.

The natural characteristics of wood include the grain pattern, dark gray or black marks and knots of various sizes. They are a result of the growth process of a particular species and are influenced by sunlight, soil and climate. Minerals can appear in several forms such as a light gray streak across a board to black lines in the grain. The same holds true for grain patterns and knots.

Cupping, or "washboard". Across the width of one piece of the flooring material, the edges are high, the center is lower. Generally develops gradually. Moisture imbalance through the thickness is the only cause. The material was manufactured flat and was flat when installed. Job site or occupant provided moisture is greater on the bottom of the piece than on the top. Find the source of moisture and eliminate it.

Depending on the type of flooring, it is usually graded from clear being the best - to #2 common, know as a rustic grade. CLICK HERE for an example.

Never damp mop a waxed floor. When cleaning a surface-finished floor, follow the manufacturer's recommendations. You may generally use a dampened (near dry) mop to maintain a wood floor, however excessive moisture will cause damage. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood, and leave a discoloring residue. If water spills on a wood floor, immediately wipe it up with a clean cloth.

Yes, Bruce offers several suggestions. If you have a minor chip or slightdamage, we offer a color-blended filler. Our touch-up kits take care of several different issues, such as scratches and chips. If the damage is severe enough, you can have individual boards replaced.

Correctly fitted and maintained a solid wood floor will last a lifetime, but correct fitting is crucial.

Three grades relate to the floors visual appearance only and not to quality. Select is the highest grade. It is knot-free, giving floors with uniform colour and texture. These floors command the highest prices, but some people find them monotonous. The cheapest grade is Rustic, where there may be small knots and colour variations in the wood. This can make for a lively, interesting floor full of character and in no ways impairs the quality. It depends what effect you want.

With all wood floors it's just a simple question of running a damp mop over them as part of your normal house cleaning routine.

Yes. However, tile will not bond directly to a wood floor. We recommend the following methods to prepare your wood floor for tile installation: Install Schluter Ditra, from Schluter Systems, with a latex thinset. Then install the tile using a non-latex thinset.

This really depends on the type of wood floor you have, the finish you have and how deep the scratches are in the top layer. For small minor scratches in a urethane finish you should be able to order a touch-up kit from the store you purchased the flooring from. Be sure to use the manufacturer's recommended finish products and test first by applying a small amount in an out of the way area. For deep scratches you will probably have to have a professional do a screen and recoat.

Some of the better quality engineered wood floors have a 1/8" thick finish layer and can be sanded and refinished 1 or maybe 2 times. The sanding and refinishing of an engineered wood floor is best done by an experienced hardwood flooring refinisher. If you have heat vents in your floor you can remove a heat cover to get a side view of your wood floor. This will help you check to see how thick you finish layer is.

Gapping in solid wood floors cannot be stopped completely. Wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Using a humidifier during the heating months may help reduce the amount of gapping in solid wood floors. Also, some wood species may gap expand and contract less than others. Engineered wood floors are much more dimensionally stable than solid wood floors and will show little or no gaps between planks.

Layout - My husband is having trouble with the layout/cuts in the ceramic tile for our tub/shower area. There is an uncentered window in the primary wall. He keeps saying "no matter how I figure it, I still end up with 1/2" gap at the top of wall". Is there any way you can tell him what he's doing wrong? Thanks SOOO MUCH! Exterior Chimney - Do you have any information on tiling the exterior of a stucco chimney? Below freezing in winter.

Answer: Use the following example instructions to install HPIJS only. Note, you must build/install from the "prnt/hpijs" directory not the top level directory. tar xzvf hpip-0.9.10.tar.gz cd hplip-0.9.10/prnt/hpijs ./configure --prefix=/usr make make install You can also use the installer to install only HPIJS if you use "custom" mode (ie, not "automatic").

The Vent-Free Series units can sit on a wood floor. However, most wood burning Isokern fireplaces cannot. The one exception to this, is the Fire-Lite Series. Please consult your local sales representative or dealer for proper fireplace selection and placement. Vented gas logs can be used with the Standard, Magnum and Patio Series fireplace systems. These gas logs range from 50,000 BTU to 100,000 BTU maximum. The Vent-Free Series specifies the use of AGA listed 'vent-free' log sets.