Maple: More Than Just Syrup

Posted by admin | Hard Floors | Monday 23 August 2010 10:54 am

Maple is one of the most diverse types of trees in the entire world and as such it has a great deal of uses. It excels as maple hardwood floors because of how durable it is. It has a high crushing strength and when combined with its stiff and durable composition it is truly formidable. Shock resistance as well as resistance to scuffs and scrapes makes Maple a popular choice for flooring in high stress areas. And naturally, all of these features make Maple a wood that can be difficult to work with. While the wood does sand well, the machining process can place unsightly scratches and imperfections on the surface of the wood. So extra care must be taken. Maple has a respectable level of hardness with a Janka rating at 1450. Maple’s sapwood produces creamy white flooring that will carry into lighter ranges of the heartwood. Mixing the cream white of the sapwood with the darker reddish brown of the heartwood has an advantageous appearance.
(more…)

Hickory Flooring Overview

Posted by admin | Hard Floors | Wednesday 18 August 2010 3:52 pm

Hickory is often referred to as the “first” hardwood choice of the United States. It’s well known for its unique and rustic qualities. With a Janka Hardness rating of 1820 it is a very hard wood–considerably harder than most commercialized woods. For instance, it is approximately 50% more durable than Northern Red Oak. It also compares favorably to other hardwood like hard maple and purpleheart. Because of this hardness Hickory Hardwood Floors can sometimes be hard to work with. Sawing and nailing can be difficult–while using screws can prove to be more advantageous. Gluing is also a viable option. Once hickory flooring is installed they stain well but it will require some work to achieve a smooth finish. Hickory hardwood floors appeal stems from its dark streaks which will range in thickness. These streaks are naturally organized onto lither, sometimes cream-colored tone.
(more…)

Finding Hardwood Flooring with The Flooring Navigator

Posted by admin | Hard Floors | Tuesday 10 August 2010 10:08 am

As one of the leaders of the online flooring industry, FloorMall has always been focused on creating better ways for customers to find the right flooring. And this is why they developed “The Floor Navigator”. The navigator is an unique interface which allows visitors to choose from a series of drop-down lists. Each drop down list has several attributes to select from. Visitors can browse from these attributes and find the floors they’re the most likely to buy by its function. It’s a more efficient way of browsing than just by brand and collection, though customers are free to search that way as well. And since FloorMall.com showcases over a thousand products, the Floor Navigator is a way for customers to get the most out of their time during their visit. Whether they’re searching for hardwood flooring, laminate flooring or bamboo from Johnson Flooring they’ll be able to find it quickly by utilizing the Flooring Navigator.
(more…)