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So you are trying to choose what kind of flooring to choose? Maybe we can help you with just a little primer on some character differences of reclaimed hardwood flooring from the perspective of a producer like ourselves who specializes to make wood flooring from reclaimed lumber.

Did you see a picture that you like and now you possess the bug that you want that special ground? The good news is that it could probably be designed for you, but prior to going a long ways down the path of choosing which flooring you desire and requesting a screen room filled with samples, enquire about some prices. There is a common misconception that since reclaimed wood is certainly supposedly salvaged it must be cheaper than virgin timber floors. If you are investing in a quality kiln dried and accuracy milled product, generally that's not the case. The just cost savings would be in the event that you found some scraps or do some salvage function yourself, you may save some costs. For example you might look for a gym flooring or planks out of a barn hay loft that you would like to nail down on your own floor. The material might have been following to free, but just how much time are you going to have in which makes it usable and pulling nails? Are the results what you need?

In this article we are discussing several different categories of wood flooring. Wood flooring is one plank without glued up laminations; it is basically wood plank that has been sized and profiled to a certain dimension. Engineered flooring includes a on the top whatever species and texture you want, and this is definitely glued to a plywood backer on the bottom. Engineered is still all hardwood but is made with multiple layers that are laminated for better balance and dimensional accuracy. Flooring that we will not cover listed below are laminates or any composite items which are generally not wood completely through the plank or may be produced with a picture printed surface. We also will not cover vinyl, floor covering, stone, or tile.

Hardwood flooring is often a generic term that could apply to any type of solid wood flooring. Hardwood trees (oak, maple, cherry, walnut, elm, chestnut) are generally trees that experienced leaves which fall off in the wintertime. Softwood trees (pine, fir) have needles that may stay on all year and generally they generate cones. Hardwoods are often more dense and more durable than softwoods. Of program, there are exceptions to these generalities. In our products the hardwoods cost a lot more than the softwoods.

As a reoccurring theme in this article you will find that you frequently get what you pay for. Admittedly, the higher end price point products ($11+/sf) from even more rare woods aren't necessarily better quality but we discover that up to that point quality improves with price. Our wood floors range in price from $4-9 per square foot and our built ranges from $7-15 per square foot. We will discuss applications below, but our point is you need to have an authentic budget when shopping. Sometimes a nice alternative if you have your center set on an expensive floor is by using less of it and put it just in essential areas. Don't perform the whole house. Maybe simply do the main high traffic areas and use a cheaper substitute in bedrooms..

If your price-point isn't even in the same zip code, maybe it really is in a different state, start shopping other choices. For example if you are in the $1-2/sf range consider the deep discounters or laminate choices. The FSC certified 12mm outside birch plywood that we use to manufacturer the engineered flooring costs us that much alone, not counting all the other labor and materials.

Also when prices a floor be certain to factor in the whole installed price and the lifetime price. Here are types of some variables that could alter the full total costs:

With reclaimed material waste factor is a huge variable. Just how much effort does the manufacturer take to give you a 100% usable item? Poorly milled with very little defecting and culling completed on a good wood ground that costs $6/sf and includes a 15% waste aspect actually costs more than a similar item that is milled better costing $7/sf with a 2% waste aspect. That extra wastes costs even more in shipping and labor to defect. This is one of the hardest issues to show a customer that the face value costs doesn't top-rated flooring Augusta invariably represent the actual natural material price unless one is actually comparing similar quality and specified products.

For the next variable here is a controversial opinion: we do not end match our flooring this means there is absolutely no tongue and groove on the ends of the planks. Since we recommend our flooring be glued down we state that is an unnecessary expenditure for the customer. End matching reduces the yield in creation and raises labor costs. Many end match profiles are milled so loosely that they really don't hold the floor in place anyway. The biggest benefit to the installer can be that the plank can be cut in half in any place and reused anywhere without need to mate up to a complementary tongue or groove since the end is merely square cut. This means all end trim items or any waste could be reused. As a result on our designed flooring item the waste aspect is virtually nothing unless there are angles or radiuses to function around. We also help with waste factor by usually offering a random width item so when one gets near to the end of an area they are able to plan the width combination patterns out never to have to rip very much off the last row.

The 3rd variable is installation costs. Our engineered item has labor savings over our wood product because it is usually pre-sanded and milled to tighter tolerances. Additionally it is prefilled in the holes and offers following to zero waste. On the other hand you may have a little more in expense of gluing it down furthermore to nails, but that is just a part of path of better quality and peace of mind during the install.

Fourth, factor in the expense of refinishing the floor later or doing touchups. This is a whole another article. Some finishes can be spot touched up like some of the oils while others need a full sand over the whole floor. Some finishes need a professional installer and could have extreme odor through the cure. If you live with the ground for lengthy, factor these decisions set for the kind of finish to select for lifetime strength and the price & effort to refinish.

Fifth, compare overall thickness and the height from the very best of the tongue or nail groove to the very best of the encounter on the floor. On an engineered flooring this is usually the thickness of a put on layer. Most wood floors are 3/4" general before sanding (but some are less) with 1/4" above the nail groove. Our engineered ground is manufactured to comparative measurements but most manufactured floors have a thinner wear layer. This comes down to how many times the floor can be sanded. The type of finish and texture you want on to the floor factors into how deep you will re-sand the floor during refinishing. Several our reclaimed wood floors are sold with a genuine texture that presents the aged saw marks and character in the floor, so most most likely you won't desire to sand this out. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the use layer then your longer the ground will last.

Sixth, compare the price of a character grade virgin ground to reclaimed. The reclaimed may cost more up front side, however the additional variability, texture and personality in it may hide or mask the misuse better. It could therefore last longer because of the forgiving character in the inherent appear of the reclaimed materials. What is resale value to having a distinctive product installed? You might alienate some buyers by taking a risk or impress others with the customization.

Seventh, are you a do-it-yourselfer? Think through every step of the procedure to be sure that you can do it yourself. Usually the install can be carried out with relatively moderate abilities and simple tools just like a chop noticed and rented flooring nailer. The finishing procedure is a complete different matter. The sanders and buffers consider some special skills to use. A normal cost range for labor and materials to install a wood flooring is $4-5 per square foot. You'll be able to build your personal sweat equity into a ground install. Maybe this is where you choose to make use of our engineered product for instance because it is presanded to even more accurate tolerances than a solid wood product. It can be touched up with a hand held orbital sander rather than industrial floor sanders. Then if you are doing the final yourself, you will need to consider using a finish that might not require as much buffing between coats.

This is a word on prefinished product if indeed they element into your decision. If you come up brief on your order, another lot that you get may not match your prior batch. This is especially a problem on the low end price flooring and import floors. All the best trying to blend it in with your previous flooring. If you go this route, be extra accurate on your measurements. At this time the rage is life time warranties on flooring. We stop to think is that really even possible? Initial will that importer or manufacturer really be around a lifetime? A whole lot of products are made oversees; the warranty is only good when there is someone still around for the life span of the warranty. Will you have the ability to enforce the guarantee? Also, do you really think that a finish can last an eternity? For example have a nail and try scraping it over the surface. Sure it is a durable, well applied finish, nonetheless it is impossible to produce a product that won't get abused at some time in its life time. Do you think that the only significant trial your ground will ever see is certainly a stinky sock? Browse the small print on the guarantee and whatever it says consider the real replacement cost on the floor. It most likely only covers the cost of material of the precise damaged product under regular wear and tear. Your product may not be made precisely the same later (developments and products change) to displace the section that is warrantied, so you might have to substitute the whole floor years afterwards. You will have labor price along with displacement of trim, cabinets, and home appliances. Also the majority of these lifetime finishes cannot be repaired or sanded because of a micro bevel placed on the advantage of prefinished ground. Our advice is rather to get a quality product that can be refinished and repaired because something will go wrong in the lifetime of the floor; do not get a false sense of security.

We personally usually do not care for prefinished flooring due to installation problems associated with it, so our item requires site applied finish. This implies that your floor finish if site applied will be simpler to sand and refinish when compared to a prefinished floor. Also you do not have to handle that micro bevel groove between each board that tends to fill with dust and crumbs. Most prefinished hardwood floors really can't be refinished very easily. To sand it off implies that the wear coating needs to be thicker than the height of the fingernails and have room to sand off the micro bevel between boards; that amounts to a lot of sanding. You also will not be able to place sand or touch up elements of the floor.

In a reclaimed item the engineered flooring really shines. Since the nature of reclaimed material can be rustic with splits, various height, warps etc by doing an manufactured product we can eliminate those problems. We match the texture and color that you would like in the floor but you don't have to endure the inherent issues that include installing and living with a reclaimed hardwood floor. Numerous solid wood reclaimed floors have warped and twisted boards, gaps between rows, elevation difference between rows, holes, and additional "nostalgia and romance" that could become unwelcome after living with the floor for some time. Because of our precise sanding through the lamination process for the engineered item and after, items are more consistent high, more uniform in consistency, fit together tighter, no waste materials, holes and cracks currently filled, no sanding required after install unless you want to do a light display or buff.