Hardwood Flooring Guide
Protect the natural beauty of your Hardwood flooring
A few simple maintenance steps will help protect your investment and keep your Hardwood flooring looking like new.
For cleaning, make sure you...
- Use a damp cloth to blot spills and spots as soon as they happen. For tough spots, such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, tar, or cigarette marks, use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth, then wipe with a damp cloth. Always avoid allowing liquids to stand on your floor.
- Sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor regularly with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt or grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.
- Occasionally wipe the floor with a damp mop or cloth.
- Periodically clean the floor with floor covering care products.
While cleaning is easy, there are a few things to avoid:
- Dont use oil based, wax, polish, or strong ammoniated or abrasive cleaners.
- Dont use steel wool or scouring powder.
- Dont wash or wet-mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.
- Dont use any type of buffing machine.
Other routine care instructions:
- For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
- Do not use any type of buffing machine.
Use protective mats
Good quality entry and exit mats will help collect the dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that can otherwise be tracked onto your flooring. Do not use rubber- or foam-backed plastic mats as they may discolor the flooring. To prevent slippage, use an approved vinyl rug underlayment.Use floor protectors on furniture
Use floor protectors and wide-load-bearing leg bases/rollers to minimize indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule, the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector should be.Maintain relative humidity level
Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level between 45 and 65% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood.- Heating Season (Dry): A humidifier is recommended to prevent excess shrinkage due to low humidity levels. Wood stove and electric heat tend to create very dry conditions.
- Non Heating Season (Wet): An air conditioner, dehumidifier or periodically turning on your heating system can maintain humidity during the summer months. Avoid excessive exposure to water during periods of inclement weather.
Avoid sharp objects
While your Hardwood floor is one of the most wear resistant floors on the market, sharp or pointed objects can damage it nonetheless.Watch your feet
Don't walk on your flooring with stiletto-style heels, spiked golf shoes, or cleats. They may cause indentations in your flooring.Watch your pet's feet
Keep your pet's nails trimmed to keep them from scratching your flooring.Rearrange your rugs and furniture
Periodically rearranging your area rugs and furniture will allow the flooring to age evenly. UV sunlight will soften the tone of different species of hardwood to varying degrees.Protect the floor when moving
Use a dolly when moving heavy furniture or appliances. But first, put down a sheet of quarter-inch plywood or Masonite to protect the floor. Never try to slide or roll heavy objects across the floor.For repairing your hardwood flooring...
Minor damage to your hardwood floor can be repaired using a color fill and color sealant. These special products are matched to the color of your floor and, when used properly, will make the damaged area virtually invisible. In addition, the repaired area will hold up to traffic and wear.Color fill is used for repairing minor nicks, scratches, and gouges in hardwood or laminate flooring and for filling nail and screw holes in hardwood or laminate moldings
Color seal is used to fill the expansion space at the perimeter of hardwood or laminate flooring or around door facings and other vertical surfaces.
Hardwood Floor Installation Guides
With hardwood flooring, you have several different installation options.
Depending on the product you choose, hardwood flooring can be either nailed down, glued down, or installed with the floating installation technique. Consider your installation options as you make your product selection. We will be able to help you decide what will work best for your specific needs.
We offer both solid and engineered hardwood flooring. The type of flooring you select will help determine your installation option.
Solid, like it sounds, is milled from a single 3/4" thick piece of hardwood. Solid hardwood flooring must be nailed down.
Engineered is actually produced with three to five layers of hardwood. Our engineered products are made with either a hardwood core or a high-density fiberboard core.
Coordinated Moldings
Finish your floors with coordinated moldings
Coordinating moldings are available for all styles and colors of Shaw Hardwood flooring you choose.
Stairnose
Create transitions for steps in your home. Buy the Overlap Stairnose for floors that have been installed using the floating installation method. Buy the Flush Stairnose for hardwood that has been nailed or glued down.
Reducer
When your hardwood flooring meets other floor coverings, such as vinyl, thin ceramic tile, or low-pile carpeting, use the Overlap Reducer for floors installed with the floating installation method, and the Flush Reducer on hardwood floors that have been nailed or glued down.
Threshold
Typically used at exterior doorways, threshold moldings transition between flooring and the doorway threshold. It can also be used as a transition from wood floors to different flooring surfaces when the reducer won't do, such as on high-pile carpet or thick ceramic tile.
T-Molding
T-Molding is commonly used in doorways to join two wood floors in adjoining rooms. It's also recommended when making transitions from a wood floor to another floor that is approximately the same height. T-Molding is also used to provide expansion joints when a floor dimension exceeds a length of 40' or a width of 30'.
Quarter Round
Hardwood flooring must be installed with expansion space between the flooring and the wall because it naturally expands and contracts. This molding not only adds a finishing touch, but conceals the expansion space. It may also be used under cabinets where wall base won't fit or at the base of a stairway.
Wall Base
Give your room a dramatic finishing touch with borders at the base of your wall. Like the quarter round, this molding conceals the required expansion space between the wall and the hardwood flooring. It may also be used under cabinets as a cover for toe kicks.
Solid vs. Engineered
Solid
Solid wood is milled from a single 3/4" thick piece of hardwood. Because of its thickness, a solid hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished over several generations of use. Solid wood flooring expands and contracts with changes in your home's relative humidity. Normally, installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall. Base molding or quarter round is traditionally used to hide the extra space.Engineered
Engineered wood is produced with three to five layers of hardwood. Each layer is stacked in a cross-grain configuration and bonded together under heat and pressure. As a result, engineered wood flooring is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity and can be installed at all levels of the home. Shaw Hardwood flooring offers two different engineered constructions:- Shaw Engineered with Hardwood Core
- Shaw Engineered with High Density Fiberboard Core
Before deciding on Solid or Engineered hardwood flooring, consider these factors:
Location, Location, Location
The location of your hardwood flooring basically falls into three categories:- On Grade - at ground level
- Above Grade - any second level or higher
- Below Grade - any floor below ground level, including basements or sunken living rooms.
Traditional solid hardwood flooring is not well suited for high moisture areas such as bathrooms or below-grade installations. The construction of an engineered hardwood gives it enhanced structural stability and moisture resistance that allows it to be installed at any grade level.