If you want a floor that will last as long as your home does, consider installing solid oak flooring. Many solid oak floors that were installed in Colonial homes are still in place offering the beauty and style that is only available with a solid oak flooring.
Oak flooring is milled with a tongue and groove feature that allows for installation without any nails showing on the surface of the floor. Once installed, the flooring is stained and finished using a good urethane, which protects the wood from excessive wear.
A solid oak floor is ideal for installation over a wood sub floor. If your home has concrete sub flooring that is popular in many locations, other flooring such as engineered hardwood floors would be a better choice. Engineered oak flooring does not require the nailing and are not as subject to the swelling of wood caused by moisture changes as natural wood flooring is.
If you have solid oak hardwood flooring in your home, it is important that you take good care of the flooring to preserve its life. Wood floors should be swept on a daily basis to remove any dirt or grime that is tracked into the home. This grime can act like sandpaper under your feet to scratch and scuff the flooring. Daily sweeping removes the grime. About once per week you should mop the floor with a very dry damp mop. The mop should remove any stubborn dirt from the floor. Never soak the floor when moping as too much moisture can cause the floor to warp and crack.
While older floors may require periodic waxing to keep them looking great, newer finishes do not require this treatment. Instead, just taking the steps to keep them clean is all that is necessary. Your local hardware store may offer one of the systems that includes special cleaners and micro fiber mops that are designed for cleaning and maintaining hardwood floors. Follow the package directions to keep the floor looking great.
One of the beauties of solid oak floors is that if it becomes worn or scratched, it can be refinished. Refinishing a hardwood floor is a difficult task that is often best left to the hands of professional wood finishers. They will sand all of the old finish off the floor. New stain can be applied to the wood or it may be left its natural color. Finally, a new finish will be applied in several thin coats to give you a brand new looking floor.
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