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Sand and Refinish vs Screen and Recoat
What’s the difference between a sand and refinish and a screen and re-coat? The work involved is one of the main differences between a sand and refinishing vs screen and re-coat. A sand and refinish project is much more laborious. It is a multi step process that takes multiple days to complete. When a sand and refinish takes place on hardwood floors, sand paper is used from low/rough grit to progressively higher/finer grit. This aides in the process of removing the existing finish on the floor and exposing the raw hardwood. A screen and re-coat is far less laborious. It is typically a 1 step process and not nearly as…
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Water-popping Hardwood Floors
We had written a blog post on this about a year ago but I thought it was necessary to touch on this subject again. Click the link to read the original post – Water-popping-What it is, and why it should be considered Water-popping hardwood is a step taken during the sanding and refinishing process before the stain is applied. Essentially, water popping hardwood is done by applying an even layer of water onto the hardwood. There are a few different application methods and neither is right nor wrong but more so the method in which your refinisher feels more comfortable using. Some applications include wiping the floors with a wet towel,…
- custom hardwood floor installation, Exotic Species Hardwood Flooring, Grades of Hardwood, Hardwood Flooring, How to Choose the Right Floor, Sanding and Refinishing hardwood floors
Maple Hardwood Flooring
Common names- Hard Maple, Sugar Maple, Rock Maple Scientific Name- Acer Saccarum Origin – Northeast United States Janka – 1450 psi If you happen to do a bit of research on Maple Hardwood, you will come across many different species, different pattern names of maple wood, the category of hard and soft maple. All the different names can become quite confusing. This can be a bit overwhelming especially when you are trying to figure out which one is the best option for your flooring. Since flooring is an integral part of every home and we know that it is quite the investment, we wanted to help simplify your research and…
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Brazilian Pecan
Common names- Brazilian Pecan / Macchiato Pecan / Brazilian Hickory Scientific name- Guajuvira Origin – South American Countries. Brazilian Pecan trees are native to Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay. Janka – 1820 psi Characteristics Brazilian Pecan resembles North American Hickory. However, Pecan is a bit darker. The sapwood is light blonde to light brown toned while the heart wood has dark brown toned colors resulting in a color contrasting floor. Pecan Trees are in the same family as Hickory Trees. If you love character grade hickory, you are going to love Brazilian Pecan. Like most exotics, it has a high Janka rating making it very durable and dense. It…
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American Cherry Hardwood vs Brazilian Cherry Hardwood
While most homeowners have probably heard of “cherry hardwood flooring,” what they may not know is that there are two main species to choose from, and the thing they have in common the most is their name. With two wood species, named “Cherry;” You may be wondering, “How different can they be?” The answer: Completely. Genus, Species and Name We’ll start with their names – Our first species is the domestic “American Cherry,” also known as “Black cherry, “its scientific name is “Prunus serotine.” The second cherry wood is the exotic species “Brazilian cherry,” also known as “Jatoba,” whose scientific name is “Hymenaea courbaril.” Even though they are both named…
- custom hardwood floor installation, Hardwood Flooring, Home environment, Sanding and Refinishing hardwood floors
Protecting Your Floors During a Move
How to Prevent Damaging your floors during a move Moving can be a stressful endeavor. From trying to keep all your belongings organized to unpacking and acclimating to a new home, moving just isn’t fun- especially moving in the cold winter months of New York or rainy seasons of the South. One of the many goals during a move is to not damage the home your leaving and the home you are moving into. Your flooring is most susceptible to damage during a move because of all the traffic it is receiving. The points below will help minimize the abuse your flooring will take during a move. It is very…
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Brazilian Cherry, Jatoba
JANKA HARDNESS – 2,600 – 2800 ORIGIN – Brazil, Mexico & Peru COMMON NAMES – Brazilian Cherry, Jatoba SCIENTIFIC NAME – Hymenaea courbaril Characteristics For a number of years, Brazilian Cherry flooring was considered one of the most high-end floors that could be installed in your home. The deep, rich red tones, natural luster and clean, delicate grain pattern made it obvious that it belonged under the category of “high end.” Although the popularity of Brazilian Cherry has declined in the more recent years, mainly due to new advances in stain colors, like all the trendy grey we’ve seen in the past few years, its high-end stature remains the same. For those who…
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Keep your hardwood floors looking like new during this Holiday Season
The holidays are upon us, and as we bustle around the house hanging festive decorations and preparing for holiday guests, it’s easy to forget about one of your homes main focal points; the flooring. While your holiday décor may look spectacular, neglecting your floors can put a big damper on your homes overall appearance. Knowing that you’re going to want to impress your holiday guests, taking into consideration the humidity levels in your home will help maintain the tight spacing in your hardwood floors. With the winter weather being in full effect here in the Northeast, that means a warm and cozy but extremely DRY climate in your home. The…
- custom hardwood floor installation, Floating Floors, Hardwood Flooring, Home environment, Installing tile, Interior Home Renovation, laundry room, luxury vinyl, Sanding and Refinishing hardwood floors, Water Damage, Wood-Look Flooring Options
Best Flooring For a Laundry Room
Thinking about remodeling your existing laundry room? Or maybe adding a new one to your home? When the time comes to decide on the flooring, you should know that the choice really matters. Whether you have brand new, state of the art appliances with VRT technology or trusty older models, all washers and dryers produce movement, heat, humidity and moisture, which could reek havoc on many different flooring materials. The flooring you choose has to battle against potential scratches, denting and the occasional leak, if not something even bigger. Your laundry room floors should have characteristics like being water-resistant if not completely water-proof, easy to clean and maintain, and, of…
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Tips for keeping your floors looking great for during and after your Thanksgiving feast
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with all the preparations for the big feast, who has time to think about their floors? Here at The Couture Floor Company, we want to offer the best advice and recommendations possible, to ensure your beautiful floors continue looking great throughout the Holiday Season. Here are some useful tips to consider – Remove your shoes Tip # 1: Have your Thanksgiving Guests take off their shoes- If you’re like so many of us who have hardwood floors, you’ll know that shoes can drag in all kinds of dirt, debris and even added moisture that can damage your floors. So taking off your…
