Put a "Cork" in it!

Cork flooring has become one of the leaders in the "Green Movement". It is actually a fascinating product. Cork flooring is produced only from the bark of the Cork Oak: the tree is never felled. The tree is an evergreen that grows only in areas bordering the Mediterranean. Portugal represents approximately 50% of the world’s cork output, Spain accounts for 25% and the remainder comes from Algeria, France, Morocco, Italy and Tunisia. The first harvest of cork is not stripped until the tree is approximately 20 years old. After the first harvest of cork, the bark is stripped from the tree once every nine years, until the cork oak is about 150 years old.
I was not a big fan of Cork floors in the past but now I am a believer! The new floating installation system is very good. It is a quiet floor and very comfortable. The new patterns are stunning as well. Stop in and let us show you some cork flooring!

GLOW!

We have been getting more and more calls on the problems associated with the "Glow" products. You know what I'm talking about? Some guy on an infomercial touting this stuff as the greatest thing. Most of the products I have seen are simply a watered- down urethane. So, in reality the products are not necessarily bad. The problem is in the application. Most of the pre-finished wood floors have some very specific instructions as to how to re-coat them. Sadly, most of the "Glow" products are sort of mop 'n go. So what happens is it does not adhere properly, leaving a haze and a soft finish. Scratches show more readily. Sure it can be removed but it's quite a task. Before you attempt to use these products it might be wise to Google the product followed by the word "problem" such as " particular glow product problem" It will be a real eye opener to hear what folks have to say!

Starbucks vs. Store Brand

I was having a conversation this morning with a kid who buys supplies from us. I call him a kid, he is probably 25 but that is a kid to me! We were discussing the price of the urethane coatings we use on the floors we refinish. It is a fairly expensive product. We feel it is among the best on the market. It is manufactured by Bona Kemi and it is called "Traffic". We pay around $100.00 per gallon. The "Kid" was saying he gets some stuff at Home Depot for $30.00 a gallon. He admitted that it was not as good but it is affordable. So we got into a discussion as to why there would be such a big difference in price. I will try and explain it as best I can. Modern day waterborne urethane is composed of 2 major components. (note: this is a drastic over-simplification in case any of my techie buddies are reading this.) Solids and water. Once the product is applied, the water evaporates and the solids are left. So then the question is, what is the percentage of solids. Well, in the "Traffic" product it is 34%. Many of the cheap products come in at under 20%. There are certainly other things that influence how well the urethane will wear. For example, the quality of polymers and resins used, the type of catalyst (if any) etc. I often have people ask me "How many coats of urethane do you apply?" I suppose that is a fair question but it does not really tell the whole story. It would probably take 5 coats of the cheap stuff to equal the same mil thickness of 3 coats of our stuff. But, as you now know, mil thickness does not equate to wear properties. I hope that helps explain it!

Custom Satisfaction.

This may sound like I'm blowing my own horn and perhaps I am. Recently one of our custom builders had a strange request. He had been tasked by the design team on a project to get a wood floor done. No big deal. But they had a small sample from who knows where. They really thought no one could match this sample. We went to work. Nick and I played mad scientists. We actually were able to make an exact match. Was easy. All we did was start with quartersawn white oak, stain it black, sand off the surface leaving black in the grain only. Then we bleached it, twice. Next it was stained with a lime toned white wash, then 3 coats of urethane on top.
So far so good. But that was a quart of stain on a board. Now we had to duplicate this process on 2500 square feet. We mixed up 8 gallons of stain and big Nick set off to do the job. I was so proud of the end result. It was stunning, really. So if you need something custom done, we would love the challenge!!!

GREEN!

Everybody is talking green these days. It's kind of funny to me. Over the last 2 years I have watched virtually all of our manufacturing partners become green. Some, without changing a thing! In all fairness, the flooring industry as a whole has been pretty good about this stuff. One reason is that it is cost effective in some cases to be green. But I'm certain it can be confusing to the average consumer because I am confused. Some companies are really trying to be green and others are just playing the game. Part of the problem is that there are so many different agencies claiming to be the authority on green-ness (Is that a word?). The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is one of the authorities. They emphasize the chain of custody of the wood flooring from the forest to your home. But here is the problem. I recently found one manufacturer touting themselves to be FSC certified. Upon some research I discovered that 1 product had been registered and it is not even sold in this country! But they have FSC all over their literature? Here are some of the things I look for when trying to sort through the green issue.
1. Products made with salvaged, recycled or agricultural waste content.
2. Products that conserve natural resources.
3. Products that avoid toxic or other emissions.
4. Products that save energy or water.
5. Products that contribute to a safe, healthy-built environment.

I could go much deeper into it but those are the basics. Pretty good guide as to what to look for.

What to look for when purchasing a wood floor.

I am often asked what makes us different or better than the other guy. The answer is simple, really. Quality! The thing that I think most people don't realize is how many ways there are to cut corners in this business. I have been called out to look at some poor installations and make recommendations. More times than not there is no cure for a bad job.
This may run a bit long but I will explain the difference between a quality and a sub-standard installation on a typical wood floor. Since our region has mostly concrete foundations I will use that as my example.

1. Preparation of the slab. Once the carpet, pad and tack strip are removed there are several other things that need to be done. Sadly, some installers proceed to install at this point. A quality installer will follow National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) standards. Abrade the slab. Using a floor buffer and abrasive disc a quality installer will scour the slab which removes any slick areas caused by additives and foreign substances in the slab. This step allows the adhesive or vapor barrier to bond well to the concrete.

2. Leveling. A quality installer will check the slab and level it as needed with a high quality leveling compound.

3. Vapor barrier. This has become increasingly important. There are some very high quality vapor barriers available. A quality installer will check the slab with a moisture meter and determine if a barrier is needed. Although this only tells you the vapor emissions at the time of testing. This can vary in different seasons. We always recommend a barrier as it gives a warranty against moisture vapor problems.

4. Adhesives. Very important as this is what holds your floor down. There are adhesives for wood floors that cost as little as $40.00 a pail and some than cost $140.00 a pail. Big difference in quality as well. Also it is very important to spread the adhesive at the proper rate. This is accomplished by using the correct trowel. Using a smaller trowel will stretch the coverage but will not be good over the long haul.

5. A quality installer goes out of his way to do the little things that give you a professional job. For example, under cutting door jambs, casings and fire places. Allowing the new flooring to be slipped under.

6. Licensed, bonded and insured. Very important things. It is easy in this day and age to see if your contractor has a valid contractors license. http://www2.cslb.ca.gov/General-Information/interactive-tools/check-a-license/License+Detail.asp

7. Warranty. We have a lifetime warranty on our installation. We stand behind what we do.

$99.00 Whole house carpet installation?

One of our competitors is offering a great deal! $99.00 for carpet installation. Almost sounds too good to be true. I started to think about how they ( let's just call them the non-orange big-box) could do that. Consider that the average carpet job is about 100 square yards. The average carpet installer (licensed) is getting around $3.50 a yard. That means that they are taking a $251.00 loss on the average job. Also let's just say that each of the 1500 stores sell one job a day at 100 yards. That means they are taking a daily loss of $376,500.00 or an annual loss of $137,422,500.00. I'm thinking there must be something else happening here. I don't think the stockholders would be too happy about those numbers. Something to think about.

The Pad Game!

Why is there so much mystery surrounding carpet pad? Does it really matter about the pad. Can I have free pad?
Carpet cushion, also called carpet pad, is an important component in the over-all performance of carpet. Yet for years the carpet manufacturers would not tell us, the retailers, what kind of pad to use. Though in recent years some of the high-end mills have offered "No Mat" or "No Crush" warranties. It was at this point the manufacturers started telling us about pad. Most mills now want us to use a 1/2 inch or thinner pad and a 5 lb. per cubic foot or heavier.
Then there is the pad game! Upgrade for more money? Or get free pad? We all want something free. But is it really free? Good question. Let's do some simple math. One of our big-box competitors (let's just call them orange) offers free pad. I'm not sure how they can do that and stay in business. Volume? Well, they have about 2000 locations and let's just say that each location sells one carpet job a day (low estimate by the way, but I said simple) and the average job is 100 yards. Let's say they pay $1.00 a yard for pad. (it's actually more but.....simple) That means they would be spending $200,000.00 a day for pad, or $73,000,000.00 per year! I'm not an economist but it would seem as if that could be a pretty big problem.
We at Redlands Floorhouse use the guidelines established by The Carpet And Rug Institute (CRI). You can read about it here.http://www.carpet-rug.org/residential-customers/selecting-the-right-carpet-or-rug/selecting-the-right-cushion.cfm
Actually, we use a 7/16" x 8 lb. pad under all conventional carpet and a 3/8" x 8 lb. pad under berber carpeting. Both products are bonded foam also known as rebond. We just include it with every carpet we sell. No games, just a great pad. That's the best way!

What is the deal with bamboo?

That is the big question recently. Does it wear? Is it green? Why are some cheap and some expensive? Indeed, there are many questions. So I will attempt to give you some info to help you understand bamboo flooring. First, bamboo is not wood. It's actually a grass. It has some similar characteristics to wood. If it is manufactured properly it will have the same hardness as oak and be fairly stable, making it a serviceable floor.
Is it green? Good question. There are two schools of thought on this. First is the argument that because it's a renewable resource it must be considered green? True enough. It grows rather quickly. The shoots are full grown in 15 to 18 months although it takes 3 to 5 years for the shoot to mature to the proper hardness. If it is harvested too soon it will be soft and not wear well. Once it's cut down, the cycle starts again.
The purists argue that because most bamboo is coming from China (and they have different manufacturing standards) and because of the adhesives used in manufacturing ie: high formaldehyde content, etc. along with the fuel expended in shipping and transportation and smog generated by the manufacturing process, that it can't really be green. Carbon neutral is the true mark of whether or not a product is green. Having said all that, there are some good bamboo manufacturers making the product in an environmentally friendly way.
For more info on green, check with The Forest Stewardship Council http://www.fscus.org/
Why is there such a huge price difference?
I have seen bamboo priced at $1.89 a square foot and $7.00 a square foot. It's all the same stuff right? NO! There are many things that can be done during the manufacturing process to insure quality. Conversely, there are corners that can be cut. Early harvest is one. If it is harvested too early it will be very soft, making it wear poorly.
Manufacturing process: Quality adhesives and machinery add significantly to the quality of the material. Poor quality adhesives will allow the material to delaminate over time. This is very important since the bamboo is assembled in small pieces to make up a plank. Good machinery means good milling. Bad milling could mean flooring that fits together poorly, a nightmare for any installer.
Air drying vs. kiln drying: Probably the biggest issue I have seen recently. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA)requires that flooring be kiln dried. U.S. manufacturers typically shoot for the 6 to 9% moisture range. I have seen some bamboo come in at 20% or higher. Why is this important you ask? Wood flooring and I'll include bamboo, is not dimensionally stable. Meaning it expands and contracts radially (across the grain). This is directly related to the moisture content of the material. So, if the product is at 9% and you acclimate it for 2 weeks (let's say the moisture content in your home is 8%) the product will loose 1% of moisture, causing it to shrink. Almost a negligible amount. But, say it's at 20% and your home is at 8%, 2 weeks acclimation won't do much. But over the course of 16 to 20 months the material will air dry down to 8%. Since it will shrink approx. 1/64 of an inch for every 1% of moisture lost, and at 12% lost, that's about 3/16 of an inch shrinkage per board. Huge gaps everywhere. And no cure for it. Sadly, as an NWFA Certified Inspector, I have seen more and more of this recently.
How can I, the consumer, tell the difference?
That's really the problem. To the naked eye, poor quality bamboo and superior quality look identical. It really comes down to knowing your source. So for example, if you get it from a reputable dealer (like us) we will have done all the homework for you, including checking the material with a digital moisture meter when we take delivery.
If you are still reading, I'm sorry this was long and drawn out but I get many questions on this subject so I thought I would just blog it. Hope it helped...j

Buy a floor cheap on the internet!

Sounds good, or does it? Have a look at what one of our major suppliers has to say.
http://www.andersonfloors.com/internet_sales.aspx
I think that says it all. The only thing I can add is that as an NWFA Certified Inspector, I get a lot of calls to look at problems. Flooring purchased on the internet is becoming a bigger problem every year. I have heard many people say that if they had known better they would have spent the small, additional amount of money to get local, personal service. You may be able to get a great deal, or not....j