Hardwood Is Still the Popular ChoiceHardwood flooring continues to grow in popularity, and is far and away the preferred flooring choice for homes. While there is an expanding array of flooring materials that attempt to imitate the appearance of wood, most homeowners still want the timeless, classic beauty of the real thing. Man-made materials simply can not replicate the warmth, style and natural comfort that a wood floor brings to your home. It doesn’t hurt that wood floors add value to your home, last a very long time, and can be refinished as tastes or style trends evolve. What’s Trending ..read more

The Janka hardness scale, or Janka rating, is a standardized, industrywide measurement of the relative hardness of an individual species of wood. This number is a simple, but useful, way to quickly determine how resistant a particular wood might be to scratches, dents and general wear. It also provides a clue as to how easy or difficult it may be to cut, sand or nail a given wood species. Why Janka? Named after Gabriel Janka, an Austrian who worked for the Forest Products Lab of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the test was originally developed in 1906 when he was tasked by the USDA ..read more

As winter settles in over a large portion of the country, temperatures drop and the air becomes cool and crisp. While the onset of this winter wonderland brings holiday cheer, it also ushers in reduced humidity levels along with the falling temperatures. One of the reasons we love hardwood floors is that they bring the beauty and warmth of nature into our homes. As a part of nature, wood has a symbiotic relationship with its surrounding environment and reacts accordingly to the changes around it. The naturally drier air of winter, c ..read more

If you have small children or pets at home, you might think that installing wood floors is an impractical dream. After all, dings, scratches, spills, and messes will be inevitable. But does this mean you should avoid hardwood flooring altogether? Not at all. For one thing, hardwood is naturally resistant to spills as long as they’re addressed right away. And there are plenty of options available to realistic homeowners who know they won’t be able to keep their floors in pristine condition. The key is choosing the right floor. There ..read more

Good help is hard to find. This is perhaps truer today than it has been at any time in recent memory. As of May, 2019, the unemployment rate in the U.S. has fallen to 3.6%. Significant job gains have been reported in various sectors nationwide, including in construction. While low unemployment and a strong jobs market generally add up to great news for the economy, these factors can pose a problem for those looking to undertake home improvement projects. After all, when you seek to hire professionals to help install new floorin ..read more