The Cheap Alternative: Buying Hardwood Floors Wholesale

A lot of people decide not to go with hardwood floors because they are rather expensive. In fact, when you compare their price to cement, hardwood floors are priced higher by around 20% to 30%. 

Why is this so? Hardwood floors come from organic and exhaustible materials. In addition, it takes years for an oak tree (the common source of hardwood) to fully mature, so technically, its preparation is more tedious. Concrete takes only a few hours to make and it doesn't usually require heavy human labor. On the other hand, there are a lot of people involved in producing the final hardwood floor plank.

However, this doesn't discount the fact that hardwood floors are still the best way to go. Not only do they make the room cooler, but they actually give it a more natural look. Concrete makes a room look very contrived, which is a no-go for claustrophobes and a pain to deal with during extreme heat.

Hardwood floors are expensive, yes, but they are not impossible to obtain. You can purchase hardwood floor materials on discount from hardware stores, or you may buy them wholesale. If you're building an entire house, wholesale is your best option. It might be expensive at first, but it is a one time shell-out that, when calculated, is a lot cheaper in the long run. If you buy hardwood floor planks by the piece, then you're setting yourself up for a huge expense. 

Wholesale hardwood floors are available in any wood and hardware store, so they're not difficult to find. Literally defined, wholesale hardwood floors are planks bought in bulk. And aside from being a cheaper option, getting them wholesale will spare you from the hassle of having to go to the store again to keep buying more boards. 

Most stores offer free delivery of hardwood floors, especially if they are bought wholesale. Transporting these wood planks is no joke, that's why stores are more than willing to do the delivery for wholesale orders at no extra cost. 

Should You Buy Unfinished Hardwood Flooring?

Many home building do it yourself prefer to buy their materials in their most basic and purest form to preserve the idea of really starting from scratch. Thus, when it comes to flooring, these people opt to get unfinished hardwood, so eventually they can proudly say that they the finished product is something they had labored over.

But, pride aside, there is no convenience to buying unfinished hardwood floors. For one, purchasing it bare is just the first step of many. You will still have to sand it, apply finishing, stain it, wax it, and, for some, apply preservatives. And that's not to include the installation process itself, which involves a lot of heavy sawing, nailing, and others. 

This is not to say that using unfinished hardwood materials is a zero-sum option. However, it would be a LOT convenient to just buy prefinished material and forget about all the hassles prior to installation. You do away with many time-delaying steps and get closer faster to the hardwood flooring look you desire.

Some argue that a limited budget is what pushes them to buy hardwood unfinished. But when you tally the total short-term and long-term costs, you will see that you gain more savings with a prefinished board because no longer will you have to worry about labor costs. Everything is already there in one easy to use package. The installation process is another story, however.

So, should you buy unfinished hardwood flooring? If you're a purist and have the money to spare, yes. Otherwise, prefinished hardwood floors are the way to go. Spare yourself from the headaches and opt for prefinished materials, instead. 

Have It Easy With Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

Let's admit it. Installing hardwood flooring is quite a task and not many do it yourselves succeed perfectly during their first try. True, installing hardwood flooring is a skill, but it can be less of a chore and a headache if you go with prefinished hardwood flooring in the first place.

Prefinished means it has already been coated and sealed with translucent film which serves as its protection from daily wear. What finishings can do is shield your hardwood floor from spills and scratches, and make it easier for you to wipe or mop clean. 

If you're thinking of installing hardwood flooring yourself, you can enjoy the greatest ease and convenience with prefinished planks. With prefinished hardwood floors, the task of nailing the flooring to your sub floor ends after the drilling is done. 

If you purchased pure hardwood oak or maple (or whatever is available), you will have to apply finishing s  sand it down and put on wax and polishers after. The amount of time to perform the task of installing a hardwood floor is halved if prefinished wood is used.

Prefinished floors also have a better finish than most independently finished floors. Because the application is uniform and the volumes of coating controlled and predetermined, you are sure that every prefinished hardwood floor plank is of the best quality. Normally, prefinished floors are thrice sanded and coated with aluminum oxide finish eight times. They are also likely to have been tested for various normal wear situations and made more resilient.

Prefinished flooring is a little more expensive than pure hardwood planks. However, when you do the math on everything that has to be done to make the basic form shine to your liking, you'll actually eventually spend a lot more with the latter, not to mention the heavy labor that you need to put into it. 

Sure, you can argue that you can always hire professionals to do the job for you, but if cost is an issue, then you'll be thanking the high heavens that somebody had enough foresight to come up with prefinished hardwood flooring. Be a wise and practical consumer. Sanding and finishing entire floorings is a thing of the past. Now that prefinished floors are available, you should spare yourself from the hassle. 

Oak Hardwood Floors

What is a hardwood? Contrary to its name, 'hardwood' does not mean that the wood is harder than any other, however, hardwood is considered denser compared to other species. The most common uses for hardwood is for building materials, particularly for flooring. The popular hardwood species include cherry, maple, and alder, but the most widely used among them is oak. 

There are basically two ideal types of oak for flooring use: Red oak and white oak. The characteristics of each will be discussed in brief here. 

Red Oak Hardwood Flooring

Red oak is probably one of the most popular picks for hardwood floors. First, because it is abundant and, second, because it has a rather reddish hue that appeals to most interior designers and home owners. Red oak is also a comparatively dense type of hardwood so it is more resistant to regular wear. Its texture is a little coarse but it's nothing a little sanding won't be able to fix. 

White Oak Hardwood Flooring

White oak is more resistant to moisture than red oak but the latter is more widely available. Because of its general strength and durability, builders even use it to make barrels and ship timber. In addition, various kinds of stains and finish tones reflect beautifully on white oak. It has a medium to coarse texture, so deciding if you'd still want to sand it is up to you. 

Oak is one of the best materials to make floors with, but surveys say that its popularity is only next to that of cherry and maple, which are a lot less expensive. But if you're looking to impress your visitors with your red or white oak hardwood floor, then, by all means, make that investment. Oak takes a century to mature, and it can last by about the same number of years if properly maintained. 

How To Lay A Replacement Hardwood Floor Board

If a particular plank on your hardwood floor is beyond repair, your best option would be to replace the board with a new one. You might initially think that floor board replacement is a job that is reserved only for the professionals. In fact, laying a floor board is actually something you can do yourself, given the right tools and the proper instructions. 

There are hardware stores that sell bundled packages for do it yourself hardwood floor replacement projects. They even come with step by step instructions to help even the most inexperienced of floor layers easily understand and follow. So, when your plank needs relaying, have no fear. Instructions on how to lay replacement boards are here.

1) Clear the damaged area of all the nails embedded into it. You can do by positioning a nail set over the nail and driving it down as far as possible using a hammer. The purpose of this is to avoiding having the hammer pound against the wood and causing further damage.

2) Once the nails are removed, remove the damaged board by using a wood chisel to pry the affected area out. The absence of the nails should make this process easy, but you still have to be careful not to ruin the adjacent boards.

3) Prepare your replacement plank and try to see if its a perfect fit to the blank spot. If it's too big you will have to make the necessary adjustments.

4) Turn the replacement board over and put construction adhesive. This will enable the plank to stick to the sub floor.

5) Tap the board into place and make sure that it's in the right position. When you have finally decided on its placement, that's when you drive 2-inch nails to secure it. Use a nail set to drive the nails' heads a little below the surface so they don't jot out.

6) Sand the area to even the surface out and apply a finish that matches the rest of the hardwood floor. 

Now you know how to lay a replacement hardwood floor board without paying for professional help. 

How To Clean Your Hardwood Floor

It is easy to build a house using concrete and steel, but it is quite a challenge to do so using wood. You might wonder why this is so, when wood is, perhaps, one of the most common building materials there is around. 

This is because, unlike concrete, wood is an exhaustible resource. Meaning, if nobody plants trees, then it's not likely that we will get any hardwood. And since most of our forest are starting to get depleted, then it is likely that the availability and cost of hardwood would continue to rise over time. Thus, our hardwood floors deserve the best treatment, if we are to expect longevity and stability from them.

So how do we clean our hardwood floors to ensure that they last long enough for the next generations to enjoy and benefit from? Here are some tips you might want to consider. 

First, when cleaning your hardwood floor, make sure that you use a broom that explodes at the ends. A broom with too fine bristles won't trap the dirt and will only have it accumulate within the little cracks and creases. 
Over time, this will damage your flooring and eventually cause wear. You won't be able to notice the changes until the damage becomes apparent. Surely this is something you want to avoid. 

Second, do not use oil based soaps to clean your flooring. There are cleaning liquids made especially for hardwood floors that won't cause damage to their finish. Remember that a finish is what shields your hardwood floor from wear and spills, so must always check if the coat is still thick enough to serve its purpose. 

Third, do not leave standing water or wet rags on your hardwood floor. If this is too late, you can choose to either sand the affected area or replace the plank where the damage has been done. But if the water has just been these for a short while and your finish is newly done, then you have nothing worry about. Just wipe the wet area with a soft dry rag and you're good to go.

Cleaning your hardwood floor requires diligence on your part, because, well, hardwood floors deserve to be maintained properly. They bring stability and sturdiness to your living space. The least you can do is to make sure it is cared for properly. 

Saving Your Hardwood Floor From Water Damage

It is painfully inevitable. No matter how much you try to protect your hardwood flooring from stains and damage, at some point or another, someone will spill something on floor. When this happens, there's no reason to go ballistic. 

If you have been diligently checking your floor's finishing, then  spilling water or any form of liquid into it should not be too much of a problem, so long as you wipe the spill up immediately. But if you're floor coating has thinned and liquid has been there for quite a while, that's when you should start to think of restoration strategies.

Hardwood floor's number one enemy is water. Your floor's luster is at its mercy. You can easily remedy this by mopping the affected area. In worse cases, water can seep into the woodwork and result in decay and warping. 

When wiping, use only soft, dry cloth rags. Coarse cleaning materials will scratch the flooring's surface and thin out the finishing. If you're dealing with a puddle, start with the edges of the puddle first and work your way to the middle. 

Some people use steam cleaners to deal with water spills. However, you should realize that not all steam cleaners are compatible with hardwood floors. Neglecting to check compatibility might cause more harm than good to your floor. Also, no matter the nature of a stain, never use wet cloths for clean-up. Even slightly wet mops are a no-no, especially for hardwood floors that are sealed and coated with wax. 

Finally, your best defense against the hassle of dealing with water stains is to be careful. But you really can't put all your eggs into just protecting your floor from water. As mentioned earlier, liquid stains are inevitable. Thus, foresight is your friend. Ensure that your floor is waxed regularly and the finishing reapplied from time to time.