WoodFlooringGuy.com

Q: Is pre-finished hardwood flooring or non-pre-finished hardwood flooring preferable? Is one better than the other is some way, if a person has the choice? I know one needs a lot of prep work and finish work… but other than the ease of installment… if that were not a problem, or if price were not [...]

Q: We are looking to install wood flooring over radiant heat. The term “R&Q” flooring has come up. What does this mean? Are we limited to engineered wood flooring? A: Rift and Quarter sawn is more of a vertical angle with the grain rather than plain or flat sawn and is more stable in side [...]

Q: Can I lay hardwood over a tile floor? A: Make sure the tile is sound and that the cleat or staple is able to penetrate through the tile. Keep in mind a principle I try to follow: the finished product will only be as strong and stable as the structure it sits on.

Q: I’m going to begin to install tongue and groove bamboo flooring in my house. What is the best way to transition from the floor to the front or back door? Currently both doors have an aluminum base beneath the door. Do I butt the flooring up to the aluminum door jam, or do I [...]

Q: Do I need to wait any amount of time between installing hardwood floors and sanding/refinishing them, or can they be sanded immediately after they are installed? A: Of course you can sand them as soon as they are installed. However, I hope you acclimated the floors to the home environment before you installed them, [...]

Q: I’m about to install unfinished 3/4″ oak in my home which is under construction. What temperature should the house be at for install? I don’t have heat yet and it’s December (in Rhode Island). A: The environment in the house should be at normal living conditions. So, if it is 50 F in the [...]

Q: We are installing 3/4 solid Brazilian teak in our home and are wondering about the best option for felt paper. The stuff sold in the flooring section looks cheap and thin so we are considering using either #15 or #30 roofing felt paper. What would you recommend? A: #15 Is fine. These underlay papers, [...]

Q: What finish is best to prevent denting? A: There isn’t a finish I know of that will prevent denting. Each species of wood has a different resistance to denting, and there is some variation from floor to floor and piece to piece within the same species. Note from Rachel: Here’s a link to the [...]

Q: My house is built on a cement slab. It has an addition built on it and the cement in this room is quite uneven. The room is about 12 X 15. Half of the room is slightly lower than the other, and the area where the two halves of the room meet was patched [...]

Q: Is a prefinished hardwood floor suitable for a kitchen? A: Generally, I am not a great fan of prefinished floors. However, especially in a kitchen setting where spills are inevitable, I don’t think it is your best choice. A site finished floor, properly finished with good quality finishes will give you a multi-layer coating [...]

Q: Could you please settle a quandary. We have oak floors downstairs in our home. We would like to install hardwood flooring ourselves upstairs. The thing is that we would like to put in something more interesting than oak. Is it OK to install a different hardwood upstairs? Does this lessen the homes value, turn [...]

Q: I’ve got 2 small dogs and a son with autism who pee on my carpets. I am sure by now that everything underneath the carpets are soaked in urine and need to be removed, even though I’ve had the carpet cleaned over and over again. What kind of wood floor and what kind of [...]

Q: I have recently installed 672 square feet of pumpkin pine floors in our home and 1×12 white pine upstairs. The reason for this is I found the pumpkin to be somewhat harder than the white, thus a little better to stand up to foot traffic. My problem is I need to install stair treads [...]

Q: I am wanting to purchase Wenge solid wood flooring. Can you confirm whether overtime the wood will become lighter or darker? I found the Black American Walnut I laid in my old house became very pale and light over a period of 3 years and I want to avoid this happening with the Wenge. [...]

Q: We have a cottage in NY, unheated in the winter. What kind of wood floor can we install? Is one type of wood better than another? A: Quarter and rift sawn tends to be more stable, exhibiting much less side to side expansion/contraction, therefore may be a better option.

Q: I live in a condo in an old brick building in Cleveland, at the top level. The wood floors sag in the middle of the condo. It starts high on each end and slowly sags to a low spot towards the middle. It is a 3 b, 2 bath condo on the 4th floor [...]

Q: What is the best time of year to install 3/4 oak hardwood flooring? I live on Vancouver Island, without air conditioning, and I’m concerned about the possible problems with humidity and the wood. Should I install in the summer months when the wood has expanded or in the cooler months when the wood has [...]

Q: I am installing hardwood on our main level. We have a open staircase and railing. Part of the upper level was carpet. I want to remove pro-board and lino in the rest of the main floor and install hardwood over the OSB that was under the carpet. Will this work? A: The National Wood [...]

Q: Is it OK to install new hardwood flooring over an existing oak hardwood floor? A: The National Wood Flooring Association would say it is ok provided all the boards are stable and secure. Personally, I’d suggest ripping it out and laying 3/8 spruce plywood.

Q: What kind of transitional strip do you use to join carpet and laminated flooring on concrete? A: Probably what is called a T cap, flat cap or dome cap. I would contact the manufacturer of the laminate or the store where you purchased it to get the appropriate strip.