general floor material

2. WHY WOOD FLOORS?
 Wood floors provide warmth and beauty to your home. There are many other benefits
of wood floors as well, such as the value they add to your home, easy care and
cleaning, great style, are comfortable to walk on and are non allergenic. Wood floors
also create an ambience that lasts a long time while being natural and safe for the
environment.
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3.  Unfinished Hardwood
 Pre-finished Hardwood
 Solid Wood
 Engineered Wood Floors

4. PROS
 Seamless floors!
 Easier to hide defects or unusual cuts due to the ability to use putties and fillers before
sanding and finishing
 Sanding and finishing process really brings out the natural beauty of the wood. Lots of
character, color variation-stains are deep and rich
Cons
 Sanding and refinishing requires that the floors be completely free of people and
furniture for up to 5 days
 Usually results in higher cost due to additional work of sanding.

5. PROS
 Does not need to be sanded after installation, so furniture musn’t necessarily be
removed entirely
 Has flawless, super hard finish
 CONS
 Beveled edges create a “tiled” look, and will become dark with dirt over time
 Tiled look won’t disappear until at least the third sanding, and may never go away
completely

6. WHAT IS ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING?
Engineered wood Flooring is composed of two or more layers of wood in the
form of a plank or tile. The top layer is the wood that is visible when the flooring is
installed and is adhered to the core. The increased stability of engineered wood is
achieved by running each layer at a 90 degree angle to the layer above. This stability
makes it a universal product that can be installed over all types of subfloors above,
below or on grade. Engineered wood is the most common type of wood flooring used
globally. Its really an authentic-looking surface that can take wood floors where they
have never gone before.

7.  Solid wood flooring is a warm, attractive and sturdy form of floor giving a durable,
reliable and impressive base to any interior home or commercial floor.
 The authentic, natural characteristics of a real wood solid floor make for a beautiful
finish and enhances the furnishings of any home.
 The striking appearance of natural wood also offers a long-life expectancy that, with
the correct maintenance, will provide many years of excellent quality and pleasure.

8.  Don’t drag furniture when transferring them from one area to another. Always lift them
when moving them. Dragging tables, chairs and other types of furniture can cause
heavy impact and scratches to hardwood.
 Do not use abrasive cleaners. There are cleaners that are effective in cleaning out dirt
but can cause damage to wood. Opt for organic cleaners or those that are formulated
to clean wood. Chemical cleaners may cause damage the paint or coat of your floors.
 Don’t let spills stay for too long. Moisture is an enemy of wood. Wipe of any liquid that
comes in contact with your hardwood floors immediately with dry cloth.
 Hardwood floors are different from concrete patios in that they are prone to scratches
even from the smallest sharp objects. If you have pets, their nails can be one source
of damage for your floors. Don’t forgo grooming measures such as trimming your
pets’ nails. It’s good for your pets and good for your floors.
 Don’t walk around your hardwood floors with your spike heels and stilettos. Any sharp
object protruding from your shoes can cause scratches to your floor. Use indoor
slippers or socks to help protect your hardwood.

9.  What is it? Introduced in the mid 1800s, linoleum gets its name from linseed oil,
which is combined with natural resins, wood flour, jute, cork, and pigments to make it.
While these natural ingredients make linoleum faster to biodegrade, they also make
for common cleaning and stripping problems. It is
fairly easy to dull or bleed linoleum flooring when using high pH cleaners (like
ammonia) or strong solvents. Linoleum is also a soft material and so has poor
resistance to heel damage.
 How should I coat it? When stripping, use the least aggressive stripper, dilution and
pad to get the job done. Keeping linoleum coated helps protect it from stains and
wear, and makes it easier to keep clean. For old, worn or porous floors, a sealer will
provide a good base to build on. As always,
match your floor finish to your maintenance equipment.

10.  What about ongoing maintenance? Like all chemically sensitive flooring materials,
you’ll need to stay away from harsh, high pH, and high solvent cleaners. Once sealed
and protected, a standard program of neutral floor cleaners for daily maintenance, and
stronger cleaners for scrub and recoat procedures work well. Linoleum is also more
easily damaged with UHS equipment than regular VCT tile-so be careful when buffing.
Limit machine speeds to 1500 RPM or less.

11.  What is it? Asphalt tile varies, but most is roughly 25% resin and plasticizers (only
darker tiles actually contain asphalt) and 75% filler. The relatively high levels of fillers
are about 1/3 asbestos and 2/3 talc. Because of this makeup, asphalt tile is sensitive
to wear from foot traffic and indentations from heels, although is much stronger than
linoleum. Asphalt tile is also easily damaged by most solvents and often fades in
sunlight. Take special care in designing your maintenance programs for asphalt tile
floors.
 How do I know it's asphalt tile? Asphalt tiles are typically 9" x 9" square tiles and are
dark-colored — black, brown, red, or green. Asphalt tiles have poor resistance to
solvents. Tap on it and it will sound and feel hard, but its color should bleed when you
apply a little mineral spirits with a rag.

12.  How should I coat it? Sealing is essential to protect asphalt tile from wear and soils,
and to make it easier to maintain. Today’s strippers are pretty strong, so expect some
bleeding from the tiles, and as with linoleum, use the least aggressive stripper,
dilution, and pad to do the job. Also steer clear of solvent based coatings. For old,
worn, or porous floors (most are pretty porous), a good sealer will provide a good
base to build on as you match your floor finish to your maintenance equipment.
 What about ongoing maintenance? Once sealed and protected, asphalt tile floors
can be maintained with any of today’s common maintenance procedures from spray
buffing to ultra-high speed burnishing. Remember that alkaline cleaners and solvents
can attack asphalt tile, so keep asphalt tile floors well pressed.