Are you planning to update the floors in your residence? If so, have you contemplated whether hardwood floors are right for you? There are multiple flooring options out there, including vinyl, laminate, tile, and carpet to list a few. It can be difficult knowing which material is best for your house and personal preference. That’s why it’s important to seriously consider all of the factors before making a final decision. Here are four questions to ask yourself to determine if hardwood floors are a right fit.

Do You Plan to Ever Sell Your Home?

Hardwood floor panels can increase the overall value of your property. Buyers often specify hardwood as a “must-have” with realtors, meaning that going with another material might eliminate your home from consideration. Even if prospect buyers aren’t specifically looking for hardwood flooring, they’ll increase the resale potential of your house. It’ll also provide higher returns on your home remodeling investment than other options.

Does Anyone in Your Family Have Allergies?

Spring months and pets can be a total pain for occupants with sensitive allergies, especially if the home contains living room and/or bedroom carpets. Since hardwood is hypoallergenic, it holds onto far less dust, pollen, and pet dander compared to other materials. That means less sneezing and coughing fits for you or your family! Continue Reading →

Have you been pondering about installing hardwood floors in your home but are concerned about the upkeep? That’s totally understandable. Of course, you want to care for your home and keep it looking pristine, especially after investing in new hardwood floors. As you know, floors can wear out, but hardwood floor care isn’t as hard as you might believe. Here are five tips to help you keep your floors looking new for years to come!

Hardwood Floor Tip 1: Use the Right Materials

Knowing which cleaning items are safe for your floors is vital. Carefully select items that are formulated for hardwood floors. Opt for soft-bristled brooms, microfiber pads, and vacuums with wand and brush attachments. Continue Reading →

When it comes to selecting flooring for your home, nothing beats hardwood. Hardwood panels can be an elaborate way to update your house and boost its value. While some homeowners believe hardwood floors only work with certain interior designs, nothing could be further from the truth. Hardwood floors enhance any interior, from contemporary to traditional and everything in between. If you’re wary of the upkeep often associated with hardwood flooring, don’t be. Hardwood floors are compatible with any home style.

Personal Taste

Some people avoid hardwood flooring because they believe it will feel cold on the feet. However, hardwood floors can easily be topped with carpets, rugs, and other décor, making it fit warmly and comfortably into any home. It’s also quite beautiful on its own and can be warmed up with a new finish. Whether you prefer dark woods or light-colored woods, simple or complex designs, there’s a hardwood flooring option that can fit your personal preferences. Continue Reading →

When you pick out a wood floor, keep in mind that kitchen floors may have varying needs. The kitchen is a high traffic area that’s susceptible to dirt and liquid accumulation. Kitchen hardwood floors really require careful consideration.

Choosing Your Kitchen Hardwood Floor 

Hardwood flooring can add charm to any room and work well in the kitchen, but you may want to choose your wood carefully before having your hardwood floor installed. Oak, ash, maple, and other “hard” hardwoods are more resistant to scratches and dings than pine, fir, or cherry.

Many eco-friendly wood floor options aren’t actually wood, but are “wood-like,” and include cork and bamboo, which are considered tropical woods.

Solid Wood Floors

Solid wood floors are the most basic and typical type of wooden floors. Due to their thickness and hardness, they may not be suitable for kitchen wood floor installation. Continue Reading →

The beauty of your hardwood floor can be enhanced by the polyurethane coating that a professional wood flooring installer applies. If you’ve had the floor installed recently, you probably won’t need to refinish for at least 5 years, but it depends on the finish you have. Some can last seven years or more. That timeframe depends on how much traffic the floor undergoes and whether there are frequent stains from spills. The general rule of thumb is to schedule a hardwood floor refinishing every five to seven years. 

Wood Floor Maintenance is the Key

Other kinds of wood floor maintenance can be very beneficial. The winter months are usually drier in most parts of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest it’s the summers that are dry, and the winters that are humid. Wood can react to excess moisture by swelling and then contracting, leaving gaps between the boards. This is normal, but it should be monitored because you won’t want the boards to turn up at the ends (cupping). The boards may then have the center move higher than the ends (crowning) when humidity increases and the wood naturally swells. This will require a hardwood flooring professional to come in and remedy the issue. Continue Reading →

The beauty of a hardwood floor with fantastic color, aesthetic wood grain, and shining polyurethane finish is well known. The choice to either replace or refinish a hardwood floor, however, might not be so simple. Refinishing has drawbacks like creating a ton of dust. It also doesn’t fix other problems like some people expect it to.

Some homeowners believe they can refinish a wood floor by themselves at a much lower cost than hiring a flooring expert. However, the commercial tools required and the time polyurethane takes to cure can make this a much more cost-prohibitive and arduous process than most DIYers realize.

What Refinishing Hardwood Doesn’t Solve

Over the years, your wood floor expands and contracts in response to heat and cold, creating gaps between the floorboards. The refinished panels will still be in need of alignment, and the age of the floorboards could make this hard for the DIYer. In addition, the boards may be squeaking, and refinishing won’t fix this especially if the squeaks are from the wood the floorboards are resting on. Continue Reading →

Hardwood floor maintenance doesn’t require a lot of time. You do, however, want to be careful to fully protect your investment. The number one rule is to make sure you always use a wood floor cleaning product when it’s time to clean. Contrary to belief, other cleaning products for surfaces like tile and vinyl will not get the job done and may even damage the floor. Cleaning the floor regularly is actually quite easy. Learn the proper way of wood floor mopping to keep the surface spotless.

Wood Floor Mopping and Important Suggestions

Don’t mop a wood floor when the surface is wet. If there’s a spill, immediately wipe it up with a lightly moist cloth. You won’t want a full wet cleaning because it may dull the finish and leave a wet residue that could affect the color of the wood. Continue Reading →

Do you have wall-to-wall carpeting and are contemplating changing to a hardwood floor? Keep in mind, though, that wood flooring may not be appropriate for certain rooms. These rooms may be too humid or just get too much traffic, leading to eventual spot repairs and even some plank replacement.

In the Whatcom County area, we have our fair share of rainfall. Some people consider only the looks when choosing new flooring and even want hardwood in the vestibule or an enclosed porch. The dampness of year-round weather, however, may make it better to have a laminate flooring product in these kinds of areas.

Laminate vs. Wood Flooring

Laminate planks are made primarily of fiberboard and heated resin with the texture of wood grain embedded on the surface to mimic wood. In a large area, you can see repetitions of these patterns over and over. A smaller room like a vestibule will afford minimal chance to notice this. Hardwood planks and engineered hardwood both keep the natural wood grain and texture, so they will look better in those larger rooms. Continue Reading →

Are you planning to replace the floors in your home in Everson, Washington? It’s important to select the right material for your upcoming project. Fortunately, there are many options available to choose from. While you’re sure to find something that suits your style and aesthetic preference, it will require some research. One increasingly popular selection is bamboo flooring. This type of hardwood flooring installation has some beneficial features you should be aware of. Consider the following:

Easy to Maintain

Maintaining your hardwood flooring doesn’t have to be a chore. Unlike some other options, bamboo flooring doesn’t require much special attention. For the most part, you’ll be able to keep your regular cleaning routine. All you need is a broom and a vacuum!

Durable

Bamboo flooring is also very durable. In fact, your flooring contractor may recommend it for kitchen and bathroom installations specifically. While prolonged exposure to water can be damaging, bamboo does handle moisture better than traditional hardwood.

Eco-Friendly

If you’re looking for an environmentally conscious option, bamboo flooring may fit the bill. Bamboo grows very quickly, making it a highly renewable resource. It only takes three to five years for bamboo to mature.

Interested in Bamboo Flooring in Everson?

Are you interested in having bamboo flooring installed in your home in Everson, Washington? Now that you know a little more about this product, you can make an informed decision. The pros at Ken’s Custom Floors in Bellingham offer a variety of superior flooring services, including hardwood floor installation, hardwood floor refinishing and hardwood floor repair. Our highly-trained team has a reputation for providing expert advice, quality workmanship and unbeatable customer care on every job. As industry experts, we have the knowledge, skills and equipment to address all your hardwood flooring needs quickly and efficiently. Contact us today with questions or to request a free in-home estimate.

Bamboo Flooring Installation in Everson

Serving Bellingham, Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden, Everson, Lummi Island, Sudden Valley, Anacortes & all of Whatcom County for over 20 Years