When it comes to home flooring, timber is an attractive and durable option. This type of flooring always lends elegance and warmth to a room. Today, there's a variety of timber styles to choose from to complement any room motif.
When considering timber flooring, quality of construction is your primary concern. Basing a buying decision on price alone is not advisable. Not checking a product's durability means you could be tearing up strips and making replacements sooner than you should. You may end up spending more money in the end.
When choosing timber floors, try to choose the proper grades of board. Product review and consumer reports can give you the specifications on different manufacturers' products and the regions their timber came from. It's best to choose Select or Appearance grade timber. These two grades ensure that your floor is visually appealing, with little or no minor defects.
You can learn more about the timber flooring you desire by reading about its source. Check out timber from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, South America, Africa, the Solomon Islands, Russia and China. By investigating these common timber regions and the type of trees the flooring comes from, you can learn a lot about their characteristics.
When choosing a provider for your timber flooring, ensure that they back up their product and service with a guarantee. You want a business to give you a multi-year product warranty. You also want them to stand behind their installation service in case you are not happy with their work.
One consideration in timber flooring is pre-finished timber floors. This product requires no sanding, polishing or coatings of any sort. If you decide to buy this type of flooring, consider its quality rating. Look for a certification to ISO-9001 standards from the manufacturer. This ensures they adhered to strict quality guidelines.
One benefit of pre-finished timber flooring is the quick installation process. Once it's laid down, it's ready to go. You don't have to worry about finishing, which prolongs the waiting time before you can use a room.
You can find board made from teak, bamboo, Russian Oak, African Golden Sandal and maple. Don't forget about cherry, alder and beech. Purchasers have a great selection to fine-tune their decision for what's appropriate for a room. When choosing a style, you can also choose a gloss or semi-gloss finish, or no finish and do it yourself.
When selecting a finished product, be sure to inspect it for any dust or particle trappings under the finish. This may have slipped through quality control, and it will affect the appearance of your flooring. If you buy a product from a reputable supplier who deals with reputable manufacturers, you lessen the chances of this happening. In addition, select timber flooring that has the finish applied to both sides. This ensures optimum moisture resistance. If possible, check the flooring specifications to see if they list how many layers of coating the timber has.
When your timber floor is in place, it will require suitable maintenance. A timber floor needs regular sweeping or vacuuming, so dust, grime and gritty substances do not scratch and dull its surface. It's best not to use abrasives on these floor types. Spills require cleaning with only a damp mop or cloth. Putting a mat or small rug at a doorway into a timber floor room captures sand, dirt and other particulate damaging to timber finishes.
To prevent fading and drying out of quality timber floors, keep excessive direct sunlight away from them. It's wise to maintain proper room temperature and humidity levels as pertains to the type of timber installed.
Finally, it's important to place non-staining castors under heavy appliances and furniture to prevent indentations in the timber. Make sure these support pieces are wide enough to handle the weight of the object. When moving furniture or appliances, lift them off the floor; don't drag them across the surface. You could also slide them across on a carpet to prevent wear to the timber floor.
A timber floor can add the personality you desire to a particular room. Take the time to explore all the varieties of timber flooring before you buy. Armed with sufficient knowledge, you'll make the best selection possible for your home.
