QUESTION: We have a basement room. What kind of flooring will work there?

ANSWER: The graphic below shows you what kind of flooring works on various levels of a structure.

QUESTION: How are engineered wood floors installed?

ANSWER: Most engineered hardwood can be installed with either glue or staples over a wood subfloor. We always recommend gluing, because it gives you a better installation. The high-grade adhesives we use prevent the shortcomings that often accompany stapled installations, such as the pops that occur when a subfloor moves. The staples used on engineered wood can only be one inch long; even stapling the product every three inches does not give you as good an installation as gluing.

QUESTION: Can we install engineered wood over our existing floor, or do we have to tear it out down to the subfloor?

ANSWER: Engineered floors can be installed on any hard surface, including tile, vinyl, and wood, as long as the old floor covering is flat and securely fastened to the subfloor. If you have a problem with your current floor covering being loose, squeaking, or popping, installing engineered wood on top of it will not solve the problem.

QUESTION: You said the finishes on engineered floors are warranted for 25 years, but what if we decide later that we want to refinish it?

ANSWER: Most engineered hardwoods can be sanded and refinished several times. The number of times depends on the thickness of the top layer of hardwood, We can provide guidance for you on specific product lines.

QUESTION: Will engineered wood expand and contract when our house’s relative humidity changes from season to season?

ANSWER: The moisture content in your home affects all wood floors. During the winter heating season, the air dries out, pulling moisture from wood floors, causing them to contract. The high humidity readings that we see in Middle Tennessee during the summer months can affect wood floors the opposite way, causing them to buckle in extreme situations, though that’s less likely in an air conditioned setting. Engineered wood actually reacts less to humidity changes than some solid wood products. We take into account the potential for humidity changes in both our product recommendations and installations.

QUESTION: Why do some hardwood floors have a lot of knots in them, while others have very few?

ANSWER: Hardwood comes in several grades, which determine color variation and whether you'll see those knots, pinholes, and dark mineral streaks. Some people prefer a uniform color, while others enjoy the character that the "imperfections" add. Different manufacturers use different names for their grades, but "Traditional" or "Country" grades usually have the most variation, while "Clear" or "Select" grades usually have the least variation. When you select a hardwood product, you usually need to specify both a color (the stain color) and a grade (the color variation).

QUESTION: Is the color of my hardwood floor going to change over time?

ANSWER: The short answer is "probably, but not much." Today's finishes (both on pre-finished and sand-and-seal installations) are much better at resisting change than the finishes of even a few years ago. Ultraviolet light affects nearly every wood, though some species are more susceptible to darkening from the sun than others. Cherry, mahogany, walnut, and the exotics generally change the most, while oak, maple, and birch will change the least.

QUESTION: We found that we have hardwood flooring under the carpet in the house we just bought. Can it be finished, and how much dirt does that process make?

ANSWER: First of all, don't let anyone tell you they can trap 100% of the dust that sanding or screening a hardwood floor creates. We can capture most of it, but no one can get it all. We mask off entry to other rooms, and recommend that you turn off the HVAC system while we're working, so as not to spread the dust any more than necessary. How well old hardwood finishes depends on a lot of factors – was it ever finished, has any liquid gone through the old floor covering and stained the wood, etc. We can look at your newly discovered floor and give you a good idea about how well it will finish.