One of the major reasons why homeowners are preferring Hardwood Floor Installation in Naperville and globally is its potential to last for generations. Yes! When a top-quality hardwood floor is manufactured and installed to the highest standards, it is able to withstand heavy foot traffic.
However, many homeowners have a doubt in their mind whether hardwood floors are a good option for the kitchen and bathroom or not. Well, there! Let’s discuss.
Hardwood Floors for Kitchen Area
Many property owners are unsure about wood kitchen flooring; is it an appropriate choice for that space?
Well, wood is an ultra-desirable flooring choice for the entire house due to its natural beauty, appealing warmth, durability, and a look that any other flooring option won’t overtake.
In a kitchen, flooring is far more exposed to changes in temperature and humidity, causing warping, swelling, and shrinkage of wood planks. Therefore, it’s suggested to approach an expert installer or interior designer to get help in choosing the suitable wood floor species, considering your home’s foot traffic and appeal preferences.
Pro-tip: Floors in the kitchen are more prone to spills of all kinds, so you should clean them as soon as possible to avoid stains.
Hardwood Floors for Bathroom
Wooden floors can perform well in bathrooms too! However, it’s suggested to pick the right wood type, ensure proper sub-floor and top-notch installation. Wood floors will last only if they are installed and finished properly. Therefore, it’s suggested to hire an experienced installer to get the project accomplished successfully without any flaw. You must check the service provider’s expertise and gallery section for better decision-making.
Carpet v/s Hardwood Floor
Hardwood and carpet both are desirable choices, but getting Hardwood Floor Installation in Bolingbrook is better for allergy sufferers. Its installation can be quite expensive, but you’ll get a good value for money as it lasts for generations. On comparing with carpets, hardwood flooring surely has an aesthetic edge. It could well be for you if you want to incorporate a sense of luxury and class into any space. That smooth, shiny surface stretching out in front of you is hard to ignore.
The wooden floor is highly beloved because of its durability factor. Carpet gets worn off so easily and can’t be a suitable option for areas facing high foot traffic. While talking about the cleanliness factor, carpets can trap dirt and offensive allergens easily, which is tough to remove without professional assistance. On the other hand, wood floors are easy to maintain; you can simply sweep or vacuum floors. Also, if any section of your floor gets damaged, you can refinish it to make it as good as new again.
Hardwood floors are available in a range of styles and finishes; you can either pick the prefinished one or customize the option to match your existing decor.
Replacement or Refinishing: Which Way to Go?
Over time, hardwood floors begin to show gauges, planks can crumble, boards can swell, or you may encounter other problems too.
When it comes to renovating the home, you have two options either to refinish the floor or replace it. However, it totally depends on your floor’s condition, age, and budget. Well to know, a top-quality wood floor can be sanded and refinished at least six to eight times before you need to replace it. You can alter the stain color, closely match and replace warped, swollen, or termite-infested planks, fix squeaky boards, and fill gaps or patch knots.
About Refinishing and When it will be the option
Hardwood floor refinishing in Naperville and globally is a less expensive option compared to a replacement, which involves buying new floorboards along with the additional cost of ripping and hauling away existing hardwood. Let’s discuss what is refinishing.
Refinishing floors is a systematic procedure of sanding down the uppermost layer of the hardwood floor and applying the stain and multiple coats of polyurethane to bring the floor back in its pristine condition. Here’s the complete steps to refinish wooden floors-
- Preparing Sub-floor for Refinishing
The refinishing procedure begins with proper preparation. Move the entire stuff out and pull up any rug or carpet. Find and hammer down protruding nails. Check for loose floorboards. Then, remove every speck of dirt and seal the air vent covers to prevent dust from flying in your ductwork while sanding.
- Sanding the wood floor
Sanding is done to eliminate scratches. To prevent dust particles from floating in your room, we, Big Bro Hardwood, use innovative systems that include the use of a cyclonic vacuum to ensure a dust-free finishing process.
- Screening sand and taking precautionary measures
Then, a floor buffer fitted with a fine-grit screening pad is used to level up minor unevenness left by the drum sander and buff away sanding scratches. Once the entire sanding gets completed, thoroughly sweep and vacuum the floors and then clear them using a tidy cloth.
- Applying Stain and Polyurethane
The last stage contains applying the stain and water-based finishes. You can apply a similar or change the stain color based on your interior or other preferences. Then, apply protective coats of wood finish. Here, you have two choices, i.e., water-based and oil-based, but we recommend you to use eco-friendly water-based polyurethanes as it provides good protection while maintaining the natural appearance of wood.
Let’s dive in to discuss some problems that can be easily fixed by hiring the service of Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Bolingbrook.
- Issues related to surfaces such as scratches and minor dents and gouges
- If you just want to modify the stain color to match the current home decor
- To blend the damaged planks or fix uneven color issues due to UV rays
Hardwood Floor Replacement
Hardwood floors offer so many benefits, from setting the long-lasting foundation to introducing timeless elegance; no wonder many homeowners are fond of such floors. However, at some point, you need to hire floor replacement services. We will discuss such situations later in the blog, but before let’s have a glance at the steps involved in hardwood floor replacement-
- Pre-installation Preparation
When you call experts, they will remove the exiting floor and check for any nails or staples leftover from the former flooring. Then, remove dust by sweeping and mopping the sub-floor. Finally, new planks will be allowed to adjust to the temperature and humidity level of your room.
- Main Installation Phase
This is the most disruptive part, expect some noise and disturbance. Your installer will help you decide on the new flooring keeping your needs and budget in mind. Using their expertise and extreme knowledge, they schedule the entire work and fix the deadlines.
They identify the right installation method (nailing or gluing) and fix the planks in place. Then, perform sanding and apply finishing to protect your newly-installed floor. They keep you updated every step of the way.
- Post-installation
Once the installation gets completed and polyurethane gets dried, you can bring your furniture and other stuff back into the room and organize them. Also, take care of certain things, like don’t drag the furnishings and spill liquids, and clean the floors using a slightly damped mop.
When Replacement Will be the Option?
Whether your floors have deteriorated over time or you have bought an old home whose floors are not in good condition, replacement will be the option. Here, we are mentioning a few indicators and scenarios, which signifies it’s time for a change.
- When there is extreme wear and severe structural damage to the floors
- You have already refinished your floors a lot and there’s no scope remaining
- When there is massive water damage
- If you want to alter/ improve the species of wood, you can consider replacing the wooden floor
- If you want to change the width of the wood or the direction of the planks, the only way out is to get a new floor installed
- If you want to modify your existing home decor, then you can think of a wood floor replacement
In short, some factors that decide on refinishing or replacement are price, aesthetics, quality, time, and age. You can consult a knowledgeable installer/ refinisher to determine which way to go.
How to take care of your hardwood floors?
Although scratches are inevitable and you need to hire refinishing services at some point in time, you can delay the process just by following a few preventive measures. Let’s discuss some beneficial tricks to prevent scuffs on the hardwood floor-
- Upon returning home, put your shoes out as they can bring in grains, debris, or pebbles that can cause scratches on hardwood floors
- Avoid wearing high/ pointed heels as they can make deep marks on the floor
- Put a doormat in the entrance or hallway to prevent outside water, snow, or muddy substances from entering your home
- Use felt pads under the legs of heavy furniture. It helps to prevent scratches when you drag items on the floor. Such pads are inexpensive and easily available at nearby general stores
- Put large carpets in the areas where your children generally play. Also, keep it in the dining area so that if any stuff or liquid falls down while eating, then its marks have not been made on the floors. Beyond that, it can be a place where direct sun rays fall on the floor. Too many UV rays can lighten the floor color causing unevenness.
- Use hardwood floor vacuum cleaner instead of liquid surface-active agents (avoid mopping as well) as these can swell the wood planks
- Trim your pets’ nails from time to time
- It’s crucial to obey the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure longevity and top-notch flooring performance
If you follow all these preventive steps, you can possibly curb scratches and other damage to the wood flooring. Therefore, try your best to follow the tips mentioned above if you do not want to deal with refinishing, re-sanding, or repairing floors too soon.
Approach Big Bro Hardwood to Get Top-Class Installation, Refinishing, and Replacement Services
We, Big Bro Hardwood, have been in the industry for several years now. Whether you want a new Hardwood Floor Installation in Bolingbrook or transform stained, worn-out floors through refinishing services, we can help! Our team values our clients’ time and investment, and hence, comes up with a perfect solution that can positively impact the client’s home’s appeal and its market value. Over time, we have built up a strong reputation and have so many happy customers who return to us for all the hardwood flooring related needs. We ensure to remain within the set boundaries when it comes to financing and completion deadlines.
Why Choose Us?
- Your doubts will be calmed with honest answers
- We will guide and educate you to make a confident decision
- We are just one call away
- We never deal with pushy salespeople
- We follow everything we say
- We maintain the highest quality standards
- We guarantee dustless sanding and top-class finishing
Staining and Finishing Options
We carry Bona’s DriFast Stain Collection. Our selection includes 26 colors, or we can even custom mix shades to provide the right yet unique tone to match your home decor. For finishing, we use DuraSeal® Quick Coat Penetrating Finish that is a semi-transparent stain formulated to seal, color, and provide outstanding durability. It’s a Low VOC eco-friendly waterborne finish that is non-hazardous, dries faster, and offers an excellent appearance.
We serve Naperville, southwest and northwest sides of Chicago suburbs, including La Grange Park, La Grange, Burr Ridge, Darien, Westmont, Hinsdale, Western Springs, Downers Grove, Oak Brook, Lombard, Clarendon Hills, Lisle, Woodridge, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Lemont, Orland Park, and surrounding areas. To identify our credibility, read the testimonial section on our website. We have full Liability and Workers Compensation Insurance, so rest assured that your valuable property is utterly protected if an accident occurs.
If you have any queries related to hardwood floor installation, refinishing, repairing, or staining, give us a call at (630) 418 4139 or email at [email protected]