Elegant Floors Hardwood Flooring

Tiger Strand Bamboo Flooring

Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

You’ve Chosen Bamboo, Now What?

You have made the decision to go with an eco-friendly bamboo floor. Congratulations! You have made a step toward going green. Now, how can you go one step farther? By going with strand woven bamboo flooring.

So what is strand woven bamboo? It is the material that is made when strands of bamboo ar woven together and treated with an adhesive. This material is then flat until it sets up. Afterwards it is cut into whatever sizing boards or planks that ar required. You may ask, what makes this a green material? Rather than loose the pieces of bamboo that ar left behind in the process of making standard bamboo planks, this material is recycled immediately by making it into strand woven bamboo.

What Are The Benefits?

Strand woven bamboo is one of the most stable woods that can be used for wood floors. The durability and toughness of strand woven makes it very hard to beat when used in high traffic areas. With the fast growth cycle of bamboo there is always an ample supply of material. Strand woven bamboo is extremely easy to clean. Usually you only need a dust mop to clean it. If it does require actual swabbing then a simple solution of vinegar and water will get the job through quickly. Strand woven bamboo tends to be more moisture resistant than traditional bamboo flooring. This can greatly increase the life span of your floor.

There ar several other benefits to having a strand woven bamboo floor. One such benefit includes being allergen free. If you ar unhappy with the color of the stain, or if becomes faded or scuffed over time, then it can be sanded and refinished the same as any traditional hardwood floor. One thing to keep in mind is that bamboo flooring will actually require refinishing less often than a traditional wood floor. This could possibly save you a good deal of money over time.

So Why Does Strand Woven Bamboo Last?

Bamboo itself is a naturally durable wood. Once you take bamboo, layer it, and send it through a lamination process you end up with a sheet or plank that is extremely durable as well as being very resistant to damage. This combined with bamboo’s natural ability to expand and contract with relative ease can lead to an extremely long life span for your floor.

With just a little elbow grease and a little hard work you will soon have a very refined and captivating floor. Keep in mind that you should look for companies that do non use formaldehyde in the making of their product. Formaldehyde can be used in some furniture construction as a wood preservative. It can make you sick over time if there is little or no ventilation in your home. Once you have your floor installed it will be time to sit back, relax, and enjoy! Your new strand woven floor will help add grace to whatever room you install it.

No matter what the reason for choosing your new strand woven bamboo flooring, you will be able to enjoy it for years to come. With an unmatched durability you will be pleased with your beautiful new bamboo floor.

If you’re shopping for new flooring for the office there are more things to consider than the floor’s durability. The type of floor you choose says a lot about your company and the right one can make a lasting impression on the people you want to impress.

You might just be looking for a durable, yet fashionable floor that you don’t have to replace, is easy to maintain and provides as much function as it does decorator appeal. Or, you could be looking for all of the above, but you also want a conversation piece and something that will make a statement about your company. If this sounds like you, then strand woven bamboo flooring is the optimal choice.

First, bamboo is one of the greenest floors out there, and that can be important to prospective customers. In fact, no one will condemn your choice for choosing a green floor like stranded bamboo, regardless of whether or not they take active steps to promote environmental friendliness. A strand woven bamboo floor gives you a story to tell and not just something on which you walk.

Strand woven bamboo is made when the natural bamboo is shredded into strips and then bonded back together with intense heat and resins. The construction types can vary just like hardwood floors. There are solid strand woven bamboo floors, engineered strand woven bamboo floors.  When made correctly, strand woven bamboo can be three times harder than red oak making it perfect for commercial flooring applications.

Engineered stranded bamboo is a tough veneer attached to a multi-ply construction of a common wood material. Solid strand woven bamboo floors are bamboo from top to bottom.  Either of these choices is great for commercial floors and perfect for areas that got a lot of foot traffic.

Like hardwood floors, the quality of the finish has a lot to do with how well the floor will perform over its lifetime.  It’s usually a combination of polyurethane and aluminum oxide, and the factors that affect this are both the quality of the chemicals used and how many finish coats are used.  

Inferior chemicals can create toxic emissions and companies who use them likely aren’t concerned about the effect the manufacturing of their products is having on the environment. What you see is a floor, but as you travel down the rabbit hole, you might find that the claims of “green flooring” are largely overstated.

When shopping for strand woven bamboo flooring, you want to be sure you’re buying from a reputable manufacturer with a sound track record of doing the right thing by the environment, because those who take the time to do just that are more likely concerned about quality. They’ll also be the ones that are still around to honor any warranties.

There are a lot of commercial floors out there on the market and several different directions you can go. From commercial vinyl to commercial carpet and even commercial hardwood, all can be practical choices and provide the function you need, but strand woven bamboo floors standout in a crowd for a multitude of reasons. And when choosing anything for your business, making an effort to standout is always a good idea, whether you’re choosing flooring or having business cards printed. 

Stranded bamboo flooring says your company is different, and that every detail is considered before action is taken.

New trends in home renovation seem to gather momentum like a tidal wave, and eco-friendly flooring options are no exception. Floor coverings that were once obscure and untested in the market place are now in great demand, as environmentally conscious homeowners look for “green” products that are sustainably manufactured and non-detrimental to the health of their families and the planet.

Here are five eco-friendly flooring products that have gone mainstream:

• Cork Flooring. Sustainably harvested, cork is a renewable resource that is visually unique and very comfortable underfoot. Available in glue down panels and interlocking planks, cork flooring requires only occasional vacuuming and a damp mopping for normal maintenance.
• Reclaimed Wood Flooring. Cut from large salvaged timbers and then milled into flooring, reclaimed wood is beautiful and luxurious. Another benefit of reclaimed wood is that each board has a living history, as the lumber may have originated from a dismantled train tressel or a pre-war industrial building that no longer stands.
• Recycled Carpet. Industry leaders like Shaw Carpet offer carpeting that is made from 100% recycled content. The carpet’s synthetic fibers are spun from recycled plastic bottles and old carpet that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage.
• Bamboo Flooring. Bamboo is a type of grass that can grow forty feet in a single year and can reach full maturity after only four years, making it a very sustainable product to manufacture into flooring. Some types of bamboo flooring are as durable as finished hardwood flooring.
• Recycled Glass Tile. Made from recycled glass bottles, these glass tiles help keep thousands of tons of waste out of landfills each year. Available in brilliant colors and different textures, these floor tiles can add the perfect artistic touch to your home’s interior.

Using any of these eco-friendly flooring options can add a distinct look to your home and make a statement that beautiful building products don’t necessarily need to come with unwanted environmental consequences.

Just like floors made from virgin wood, reclaimed wood floors require special maintenance and care during the holiday season. While this type of floor is made from reclaimed lumber that was once used for another purpose, properly caring for it will make it indistinguishable from traditional wood flooring.

Despite the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, with friends and family passing in and out of your home – along with endless pairs of wet shoes and glasses of holiday spirits – protecting your reclaimed wood flooring is not as difficult as it may seem.

No-Shoes Policy

Water and snow on shoes can cause reclaimed wood flooring to become slippery, and dirty shoes can create scratches. Furthermore, all of the above can remove the finish on your reclaimed lumber and shorten the life of your floor. In addition to helping your reclaimed wood floors stay dry in wet weather, implementing a no-shoes policy can help your floors stay cleaner.

Make a no-shoes policy that’s simple for your family and guests to follow by providing a shoe rack and a place to sit at the entryway of your home. Keep a basket full of slippers with no-slip soles next to the shoe rack. Inexpensive, washable and re-usable slippers can be purchased in bath stores and even IKEA. On the other hand, if you feel implementing a no-shoes policy may burden your guests, place walk off mats on either side of each entryway door so guests can wipe their feet twice before they move about your home.

Adding Layers

Reclaimed wood flooring can feel ice-cold on bare feet and through thin-soled shoes. While this may be a welcome sensation during the hot summer months, chilly toes can prompt family members to turn up the heat, driving up the cost of your energy bill. To help remedy this situation, use rugs in high-traffic areas, rooms where people gather and on either side of the beds in bedrooms. Use a long rug in the hallway and area rugs in large rooms such as the living and dining room. In addition to providing warmth, rugs can help protect reclaimed lumber from foot traffic, heavy furniture and dropped objects.

Cleanliness

Keeping reclaimed wood floors clean does more than just make your home sparkle; it also protects reclaimed lumber from scratches and water damage. Sweep high-traffic areas on reclaimed wood flooring daily with a soft-bristled broom or a dry sweeping cloth that traps dirt and dust. Vacuum once a week using the setting for floors so the bristles are gentler on your reclaimed lumber.

Spill Patrol

When you combine holiday cheer with an abundance of food and people you love, accidents happen. You cannot always prevent food and drink spills, but you can protect your reclaimed floors by taking immediate action. Before a holiday gathering, prepare a spill kit so you are not scrambling to find these items when foods or beverages make contact with your floor. In a bucket, keep a set of clean rags, white vinegar, mineral spirits, extra-fine steel wool and, if needed, floor wax. If your reclaimed wood flooring is surface-sealed, simply wipe up spills with dry rags and clean sticky spots with a rag dampened with water or a solution of water and white vinegar. If your reclaimed wood floors are unfinished or waxed, you may need to re-wax any affected areas. Rubbing mineral spirits and steel wool in a circular motion can help remedy water spots on your floor’s finish.

If you use decorative candles, you can clean wax spilled on your reclaimed lumber by first allowing the wax to harden. Use a plastic putty knife or card to see if the wax simply lifts off on its own or to gently scrape off as much as you can. Then, vigorously rub a used dryer sheet over the wax. Turn a hairdryer onto a low heat setting, and use the hot air to melt the wax that remains; use paper towels to lift the wax. Finally, use a cloth dampened with equal parts water and white vinegar to wipe the area clean.

Installing reclaimed wood flooring is an investment you make in your home that can last countless years with the proper maintenance. Protecting your floors from everyday use and accidents will make them the envy of your guests for many future holidays.

Let’s face facts: You are a hardwood floor aficionado.

You can abide by carpets in certain situations – under very carefully controlled circumstances. But you prefer the beautiful, clean, hardwood floor look. Whether you are remodeling your East Bay condominium, gutting and restoring a beautiful old San Francisco area mansion, or simply looking for fun and cool tips to make your floors “pet, child and teenager proof,” here are some 2012 flooring trends: 

Engineered Flooring 

If you live in a high humidity area, you may worry about traditional wood floors. After all, wood is a natural substance, and it has a tendency to warp, bend and twist in high humidity conditions. Buffer yourself against the elements by installing engineered wood flooring made of plywood and sandwiched finished wood. This quality flooring looks pretty much identical to traditional wood flooring, but it’s often a lot easier to take care of. 

Scraped Wood Flooring

If you have kids or pets, you can never quite achieve a state of Zen relaxation, because some part of you always worries about how and when your pets or kids will destroy your floors. On the other hand, you like the hardwood floor look, and you don’t want to morph your house or condo into one of those homes where there is nothing but Berber carpeting everywhere – not your style. Consider installing scraped wood flooring, which has a lot of character and a cool look. It can take a licking and still look pretty great. 

Porcelain Tiling

Sure, you could install marble tiling. But that’s expensive, and in today’s raw economy, you probably want to pinch pennies somewhere (without sacrificing quality or luxury, of course). Porcelain tile might be a sophisticated, trendy, durable choice. Unless you get your geology hammer out and really examine the porcelain closely, you’ll have a very difficult time distinguishing it from genuine marble. 

So those are three pretty interesting and likely trends for 2012. If you need help caring for or installing or finishing a floor, connect with the Bay Area Hardwood Floor Team at Elegant Floors. Call us at 650-961-1339 for a free inspection or estimate, or learn more about your resources and options at www.elegant-floors.com.

Woodworkers and interior designers everywhere will tell you the beauty in walnut hardwood flooring. For centuries wood workers have boasted about the prize winning walnut wood. It has a magical swirl pattern within its grain that makes it beautiful to lie inside your home or sitting area. The walnuts grain is so dynamic that it seems to change with every piece of walnut.

If you are not sure if walnut hardwood flooring will meet your current or planned home decor, worry no more. With the hundreds of stains and colors you can get put on your hardwood flooring, there is no reason why you could not find the perfect match. Bronze, natural and toasted coffee is just a few of the colors you can have your walnut stained to match you design needs and tastes. Cleaning and maintaining your hardwood flooring correctly and regularly will help ensure you years of use out of it.

Purchase name brand wood cleaners that are not made with wax, oil, or vinegar. These liquids could scratch your wood and take off the stain color. Then you are left with a dull spotty floor, which is nothing to brag about.

Before purchasing and installing your walnut hardwood flooring be sure to find the style and color that fits your decor best. Walnut can be expensive depending on the supplier you go through, so you want to be sure your floors don’t get too much damage. If your room is high traffic or involves a lot of kids and toys, you may want to choose a less pricey wood for your hardwood flooring.

These woods are just as easy to clean, but much cheaper to repair or re-stain if needed. If you aren’t sure which wood to use ask a flooring or wood working professional for their opinion or you can check some online stores before you make your final purchase

Hardwood floors have a lot of “pluses” that make them appealing for designers, remodelers, builders, and owners alike. But although hardwood floors can withstand lots of heavy traffic and abuse, they are vulnerable to water damage. When water damage occurs to hardwood floors, the cleanup can be expensive and…

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Are your floors acceptable to you? Do you wish it was made of different material? Are you concerned about your flooring’s environmental impact? Do you wish it was easier to clean? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you in your next remodel or if you are constructing your own home. The best way to choose new flooring is to take a look at the materials that are available and then choose which one suits your needs and your wishes the best. Before that, though, you need to know what you would like and what you need out of your flooring. Here are some flooring ideas for you to consider.

Today more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious. It may be hard to fathom, it is highly attainable to go “green” with your flooring, also. Have you been looking for “green” flooring ideas? The two most popular “green” flooring options on the market are bamboo and cork. Bamboo is actually a kind of grass that grows “like a weed” worldwide. Cork flooring is technically made out of the bark from cork trees. Over time, the bark grows back (and is re-harvested) and it is actually beneficial for the trees to have the bark removed every decade or so. If you desire to have “green” floors, there are excellent options.

Read the rest of Flooring Ideas for the Idea Challenged

With Christmas approaching and wintery temperatures outside, I am totally drawn to natural materials. Especially to wood to be precise. I love the cosy and homey look of wood in interior design. Moreover, not only it’s a sustainable material but it’s also very versatile and can add a rustic as well as a modern look to interiors. With this in mind I browsed the internet on the search for something that could translate this idea into a real space and I was lucky - I found two amazing examples that exhibit the power of wood in interiors and showcase the individual ways of using it. By coincidence, both homes that I’d like to tour with…

Read the rest of Wood in Interior Design

Wood flooring is the most abundantly renewable flooring material available. The trees used to make wood floors are produced in a factory called a forest by a renewable source of energy called the sun. Sustainable forest management makes it possible to harvest wood without any serious impact on the environment, because trees are a renewable resource that can be replaced time and time again. Check out the environmental facts about wood floors:

• Average annual net growth for hardwoods is greater than average annual removals (Source: US Department of Agriculture Forest Service)
• Indoor air quality if better with wood floors (Source: US Environmental Protection Agency)
• Wood is a carbon neutral product that produces oxygen during its growth cycle and stores carbon during its service life (Source: University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis)
• Wood floors use less water and energy to produce that other flooring options (Source: University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis)
• At the end of its service life, wood flooring can be burned as fuel or recycled (Source: University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis)
• Wood floors last hundreds of years, so won’t need to be replaced as often as other flooring options (Source: National Association of Home Builders)
• While it takes most hardwood trees 40-60 years to mature, the inventory planted today won’t be needed for 100-plus years (Source: National Wood Flooring Association)

Great Post and more information from NWFA

Home decorating trends : Wall Street the same treatment as the old paint to decorate without thinking about it and stuck with this idea? , Why do not survive and read this article? All the best way I can use until recently, used for printing and other design elements, including the majority of people do not think his position on the wall - maybe not well thought out. Interested? Well done! How to read and the types of decorative accents for the home is being used effectively to enhance the beauty of your home improvement is a way to support the appeal Installation and reflects her sense of style staff mold and other ideas that are out of the house open.

Current trends in home decor is the best way for the reproduction of the famous artist (who is not a great cost for purchase, especially in poster art…

Read more of Home Decorating Trends: Here

You’re at a crossroads. You know your carpet needs to be replaced, but you also have the option of simply exposing the hardwood floors underneath. While both options will require work and an investment there are benefits to exposing the hardwood floors. Here are just a few of the reasons you should pull up your rug and embrace hardwood flooring…

Read the rest of  “5 Reasons to Embrace Hardwood Flooring”

Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home.

No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, keep these tips in mind.

Before you head off to the renovation stores, measure the rooms that you plan to cover with hardwood flooring. If you decide to also place hardwood on the stairs, measure these as well. Stairs are generally more expensive than flooring due to the extra cutting and shaping that is required. This is especially…

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With today’s advancements in wood flooring stains and finishes, cleaning wood floors has become much less of an arduous process. Regular maintenance requires little more than sweeping with a soft bristle broom and vacuuming with a soft floor attachment (if the floor has a beveled edge that could collect debris). To minimize maintenance and maintain the beauty of your wood floors, consider the following preventive maintenance tips:

• Don’t use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes can cause wood to become slippery and appear dull.
• Use throw rugs inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being…

Read the rest of this great post by Matt Solis, Senior Editor for Diamond Certified:

Here

Whether you already own gorgeous hardwood floors or you are in the market for flooring and considering them for your home, you should think about the upkeep when choosing. While hardwood flooring can increase the value of your home while selling, and they are an upgrade that many homeowners must have, they also require regular maintenance. Hardwood flooring can be a beautiful investment, and to protect them against moisture damage, abuse, and keeping them shiny and inviting, here are tips to help you decide if hardwood flooring is for you and your…

Awesome post! Read the rest: Here

Click Flooring - Oak Laminate

Click flooring is a great modern alternative to using solid wooden flooring. You can get great click flooring from a number of outlets online including the reputable wooden floor shop based in Northern Ireland. The most popular click flooring is with out a doubt the oak laminate flooring as it comes in such a wide range and style. One of the most popular of this click flooring is the Euro range. This Euro range includes a newport oak laminate, cornwall oak laminate, honey oak laminate and many more. The reason this click laminate flooring is so popular because of its ease of installation…

Great article on Laminate Flooring. Read the rest: Here

If you need to use hardwood, it’s essential that you should realise that you’ll find different varieties of woods which you can use in recent times. The Brazilian form of wood is usually called the Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring and is one of several famous form of hardwoods and its also called as a fascinating type too. Brazilian cherry hardwood floors is really an option and its referred to as the jatoba and is in red-brown lines. It’s a durable form of wood flooring which is resistant against dents and also to scuffs unlike other forms of woods. This is often utilized for different flooring of the home also it can also be employed on stairs.

Before you choose to… (Read rest of article on Brazilian Cherry: Here

It doesn’t sound like a tough question but surprises me how often it’s discussed. Refinishing hardwood floors depends largely on what each person conceives as needing to be refinished, refreshed, or brought back to a new or improved appearance. While some can live with the everyday wear and tear, others may demand the new flawless appearance.

Read the rest of this great article: Here

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Elegant Floors offers Dust-Free Refinishing for hardwood floorswith the Atomic Dust Containment System (DCS) by Bonakemi, the most advanced and powerful dust containment system available.

Traditional hardwood floor sanding is typically an extremely dusty process – a dust-storm in your home, lingering dust in your air-ducts, and a cleanup headache that feels like it will never end. The Atomic DCS provides a cleaner, healthier and faster sanding process reducing dust far beyond what the traditional sanding process generates.

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Sure, homeowners want flooring that is stylish. But more than that, they want flooring that is authentic. They want the real natural beauty that often comes with hardwood floors. The World Floor Covering Association notes the following trends when it comes to authentic hardwood floors.

• Handscrapes – Centuries ago, craftsmen used knives to hand draw marks into the floor to create custom, genuine look and feel. With reclaimed wood so popular these days, old handscrapes are a major sign of authenticity.

• Wide Planks – In the 1800s, hardwood floor planks were commonly 5 to 8 inches wide. Today, they’re usually no more than 3 inches in width. That’s because the trees of today aren’t as mature and thick as they were back then. Therefore, wider planks are a sign of older, more authentic hardwood floors.

• Distressed Appearance – From nail holes and stains to saw marks and gouges, these scars are all signs of that wood flooring is natural and genuine.

• Sustainability – This trend will continue to grow as consumers look for more ways to go green Bamboo and cork are the most relied upon materials for eco-friendly flooring.

Original Blog by A.J. Rose. Read more: Here

What will thinking outside the box leave you with? An amazing, beautiful whiskey barrel floor.

Check out this great post: http://bit.ly/s5jS52