Eliza asked:


The decision to invest in wood floors is an important choice for the future of your home but most home owners find the benefits far outweigh the relatively minor maintenance and upkeep issues.  Learn how to select and maintain wood floors with these quick tips.

 

Why Wood?

·         Cost Effective. Unlike carpets, wood flooring can last a lifetime when property maintained while the average lifespan of carpet is officially five to seven years.

·         Timeless. The natural beauty, versatility and beauty of wood never goes out of style. 

·         Neutrality. Decorating is easy with wood floors. Changing furniture or painting walls might clash with carpet colors – but never wood. Wood is also a great choice when selling a home since there is never a need to replace the colors or style.

·         Cleanliness. Wood floors aren’t subject to the accumulation of dust, debris and other potential pollutants common in carpets.

·         Sustainable. New wood floor options like bamboo are increasingly made from environmentally friendly and sustainable resources unlike carpeting which is often petroleum based.

Which Wood?

·         Color. Although wood floors are neutral, some colors tend to go better with different decorating schemes. For example, use light wood color grains for a casual or contemporary flair and darker colors for a sophisticated or conservative style.

·         Grade. Wood floors are available in a wide variety of installation options including above grade and below grade. Areas subject to moisture problems, like a finished basement, should avoid using solid hardwoods and opt for engineered products instead. All types of wood can be installed in above grade areas.

How to Maintain Wood

·         Keep Clean. For nearly maintenance free wood floor upkeep dry mop daily. If daily dry mopping sounds like too much of a chore then consider the purchase of an inexpensive robotic vacuum like iRobot that can be scheduled to do the task for you. They work great on wood floors and tile with the added benefit of making daily maintenance an easy chore. Simply set the schedule and be sure to empty the container at the end of each day. It takes less than 2 minutes!

·         Professional Upkeep. During the course of time, wood floors can dull and lose their shine and luster. At least once a year it is a good idea to schedule a routine wood floor cleaning with a professional provider like Kiwi Services of Phoenix.

 

All in one simple step to determine what is required to preserve, restore or simply clean your Phoenix wood floors cleaning and phoenix hard wood floors cleaning services.



DESMOND

Eliza asked:


When it comes to hard wood floor cleaning and refinishing, many people simply don’t understand the differences. The first step in preserving the beauty and luster of hard wood flooring is to know what type of wood was used and the proper method of cleaning and caring for the floor.

One of the best places to begin is by understanding wood floor hardness. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the traffic area the harder the wood should be but keep in mind, maintenance and general care also make a big impact on the longevity of a wood floor. Here to help sort things out is a basic primer on the hardness of your hard wood floor with some of the most frequently asked questions or areas of confusion surrounding the care and cleaning of hard wood floors.

Fact: Hardness is not strength! Don’t confuse the hardness of a wood with the strength or feel of the wood. Hardness is simply how well it will resist damage from scratching, punctures or pressure.

Fact: Manufacturer Matters. The hardness of a wood depends upon the type of tree used to create the wood and the manufacturer. Although most woods of the same species will exhibit similar hardness qualities, there will still be variations between two different manufacturers based upon how the flooring was created, what chemicals were used, thickness and other variables.

Fact: There is a wood for every room. Not sure what types of woods go where? Use softer woods for areas with less traffic and harder woods for areas that will need to hold up to more wear and tear. For example North American Cherry is a beautiful wood but very soft with a hardness rating of only 950. Natural bamboo comes in at 1410 while Brazilian Teak stands out at an impressively dense 3500 rating! Many exotic hard woods are not only beautiful but extremely dense and resistant to damage – but keep in mind many are endangered and contribute to the destruction of the local ecology.

Fact: Red Oak is a versatile choice. Most old floors used red oak and still look great even though they have a hardness rating of only 1260 on average. With proper care and preservation any floor can look great for many years to come.

Fact: Fort Worth wood floor cleaning and Hardwood floor cleaning doesn’t need to cost a lot. Hire a reputable company with a nationwide reputation like Kiwi Services to clean, repair and preserve your hard wood floors. Properly performed cleaning and preservation not only keeps floors looking great but prolongs the life of your investment for years to come.



BOYCE

singviol asked:

A 3-minute “taste” of what happens when The Mark Wood Band comes to town! Produced by David Grose, the video features excerpts from Mark’s visit to Shelby, NC, working with the wonderfully talents orchestra, choir and band students as part of his Electrify Your Strings music ed program! Members of the band include Laura Kaye on vocals, Jeff Plate (TSO, Savatage, Metal Church) on drums, Jon Bivona (TSO) on guitar, Paul Ranieri on bass, and Sean Meagher on keys.

JEREMIAH

Caligurl♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♥ asked:


I was wondering what type of wood you would use to make a soapbox car. My brother wants to make one.

GRANVILLE

Liza L asked:


I am first using a smaller bit then a larger one but the wood is still splintering. I have also put tape on the back but that didn’t work. They are not real wood doors but MFD with a laminate wood looking top.

AURELIO

Kirsten Whittaker asked:


Traditionally, wood-burning freestanding stoves were used in ski cabins and lodges, but today thanks to new design concepts they have become a welcome addition to any home.

Wood-burning stoves can be installed in any room of your house, but most often they are placed in living or dining rooms, as well as in patios. While traditional fireplaces generally work as a piece of décor, free-standing wood-burning stoves are generally used for more practical purposes, namely, for heating and even cooking. Thanks to new designs, your wood-burning stove will look attractive and still remain perfectly functional. Because it isn’t attached to the wall, a wood-burning stove will radiate more heat throughout a small or large room.

Most often, wood-burning stoves are usually built of stainless steel, soapstone or ceramics study stone and brick but can remain sleek and contemporary thanks to new materials such as fireproof glass and stainless steel details. The shape of these stoves is most commonly tall and cylindrical, with built-in wood storage under the burning chamber.

When choosing a new wood-burning stove, keep in mind that the size of your wood-burning stove is determined by the size of the space that needs to be heated. The fire of the stove should be substantial enough to please the eye as well as heat the room, but too much fire can literally turn your place into an oven.

When picking a place to put your new stove, avoid traffic areas such as doors. A stove surrounded by windows may be a good solution. The fire chamber door should face the room. Don’t forget to take stovepipe requirements into the account, making sure they are in compliance with your local building codes. Since wood-burning stoves are not strictly fireplaces, they don’t require any clearance between the fire chamber and surrounding combustible materials, such as wood or fabric.

Conventional wood-burning stoves vary in heat efficiency because their construction can be very different, too. The efficiency of a wood-burning stove depends on how much of its combustion energy turns to heat, which in its turn depends on how well it burns wood. Even the best wood-burning stoves don’t burn all wood completely. The smoke is actually composed of unburned wood particles. Another factor that impacts the wood-burning stove’s efficiency is how much heat escapes through the chimney.

To improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove, consider a chimney sweep in the first place. This should be done by a professional fireplace expert. If you noticed that a lot of smoke is produced during the wood burning, you may need to alter the size of your stove opening, or reconfigure the existing fire chamber. If you notice that a lot of hot air escapes through the chimney, you may consider replacing the fire basket - the metal rack that supports the burning logs. New designs of fire baskets can greatly improve air circulation and heat efficiency.

Wood burning stoves today offer a great variety of looks and designs to suit any home style, from a retro Victorian house to a steel loft condo. Painted black, brushed steel or even red, with stovepipe to match, wood burning stoves with generous glass doors allow you admire the dancing flames during the cold winter season.



BILL

Adam Peters asked:


The look of wood shutters in the new faux wood shutters. You can have all of the beauty of wood shutters, but at less cost and easier upkeep.

Back in the eighties, wooden shutters were all the rage, and the total look of warm wood tones was very popular. Wooden shutters were a bit expensive way to add this warm touch to a room, and the idea even extended to wooden venetian blinds. This look is becoming popular once again but now it is returning in new materials that give the look of wood, but are much easier to clean and care for, and are even less expensive. These and other reasons are good ones for choosing faux wood over real shutters.

The idea behind window shutters is to give a room privacy and protection from the sun’s rays. Shutters give a better protection for both privacy and light than shades. The shutters made to look like wood today are usually made of PVC that imitates the color and texture of wood, but at a fraction of the cost.

Because of this expense of wooden shutters, most of the time the homes that had them belonged to the wealthy. Today’s advances in the designs of faux wooden shutters makes them accessible to everyone. In fact, since the shutters made of PVC to look like wood have become so popular, the manufacturers of real wood shutters have had to lower their prices in order to compete. But wood is still more expensive than PVC, so about half of the market for shutters is for real wood, and half for faux wood shutters.

Anyone who wants to protect the environment and save trees might consider substitute shutters rather than using wood and further depleting the forests. There is another side to this argument, however. Even though faux wood shutters do not destroy any trees, using wood can be said to be more environmentally friendly since wood products are biodegradable. PVC and other materials made from plastic composites do not biodegrade, and therefore stay in landfills forever. Most people consider the price of goods they purchase more than the ecological impact, but it is an issue to think about.

Faux wood shutters do have some advantages over wood, however. They are very strong and resist damage since they do not warp or ***** and are not subject to moisture damage. They retain their shape and texture when they are exposed to the sun, which is the idea behind the shutters. Wooden shutters fade in the sun and need to be re-stained from time to time. The look of faux wooden shutters can be incredibly realistic, especially from a distance, and they create the desired sun and privacy protection while giving the soft ambiance of wood, which is the look most people want to create in the room.



DIRK