HARDWOOD FLOOR INSTALLATION, MISSISSAUGA

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How is hardwood flooring installed?

  There are four different installation methods and instructions for wood flooring: nail/staple down, glue down, floating glue-seam, and floating glueless-click. Regardless of your product selection, our Supreme Flooring professionals will make sure that your subflooring is clean and flat. We also recommend you let the flooring acclimate for at least 72 hours in the room you plan to renovate.

• Where can I install hardwood flooring?

  Hardwood flooring can be installed in virtually any room of your house, except for places that accumulate a lot of moisture like the bathroom or basement. Supreme Flooring recommends that only an engineered hardwood should be installed in high-moisture areas since excessive moisture in these areas will cause solid hardwood to expand and contract. If you're looking to install new flooring in high-traffic areas, we would recommend choosing a harder wood to ensure a durable and long-lasting, high-quality floor. However, it's important to care for your new floor properly, otherwise, it will start to show signs of old age regardless of its hardness.

• How do I maintain hardwood flooring?

  Maintain your hardwood flooring by establishing a consistent cleaning routine to prevent dirt and debris buildup. Use only the recommended cleaning solutions (avoid harsh detergents) and avoid using abrasive materials, like steel wool, on the floor.

  Our hardwood flooring contractors recommend six great strategies for keeping your new wood floors looking their best:

  • Wipe up any spills immediately with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Since wood swells and shrinks depending on the amount of moisture in the wood and air, it's important to keep the humidity levels of your home down between 30-50% humidity to avoid cupping, splitting or gapping of your new flooring.
  • Add furniture pads to the legs of your chairs, sofas, tables, and any other items that may shift throughout the day in order to prevent scratching the protective finish of your new floors.
  • Our third tip is to sweep or dust your floors daily. This may seem excessive but it's a solid recommendation, even if you have a no-shoes rule, as it will help maintain a low level of dust, dirt and other particles from settling into the grain and in between the boards themselves, as well as throughout the rest of your home. If you have pets around the home that never stop shedding, consider it a hygiene issue, too.
  • Our fourth tip is to vacuum at least once per week to help make sure any crumbs and dirt you missed while sweeping don't scratch your floors.
  • On a monthly basis, our experts recommend using a cleaning product designed for cleaning wood flooring. This will help protect and seal your floors while bringing life and vibrance back into them.
  • Last, but not least, Supreme Flooring recommends refinishing your wood floors every three to five years, depending on the wear and tear of your home.
• What are the benefits of hardwood flooring?

  There are many benefits of quality hardwood flooring including an increase in the overall value of your home, it allows you to completely customize your home with different styles and woods, there are a variety of hardwood floor installation methods for basically any room in your house; hardwood floors are also easy to clean and maintain and they are hypoallergenic, not to mention they provide warmth to your home and are incredibly durable.

• Is a hardwood floor a good choice for homes with pets?

  While it's true many homeowners who have hardwood in their homes also have pets, this type of flooring can be scratched or dented by pet claws or damaged by "spills" and shedding fur. Our experts will help you consider what species of wood is best for your household based on the kinds of pets you have, as some species are harder and more durable than others. If your pets will be inside, it's best to ensure that their claws are kept trimmed and tidy. It's also extremely important to clean up any "spills" immediately as these can permanently stain and warp your flooring.

• What's the difference between engineered flooring and laminate flooring?

  Engineered flooring is a manufactured or man-made wood created to address the pain points of natural wood like weakness to moisture and warping. Engineered wood is made of several compressed layers to form a solid plank with two main components: the bottom and core layers are usually 3-12 layers of compressed plywood, fiberboard, or unfinished hardwood; the veneer is a thin slice of natural wood on top.

  Laminate flooring is essentially a rigid synthetic floor, also known as a composite or floating wood tile. Laminate flooring is made of several layers of compressed materials: the backing is the moisture-resistant foundation of the planks, the inner core is usually made of high-density fiberboard strengthened with resin, the design layer is a visible, high-quality image that is sometimes textured, and, finally, the veneer is the protective topcoat that is laminated to the below image layer.

• What's the difference between prefinished and unfinished flooring?

  Unfinished flooring can be stained and treated in such a way on-site that it matches any pre-existing hardwood floors. Plus, there are more options available for complete customization such as the length of the floorboards, various species, or wider-than-average boards. However, its finishing process can take up to several weeks to be completed and, since it's handcrafted and customized, the floor can look less 'perfect' than prefinished floors, and is typically more expensive.

  Prefinished hardwood floors are more convenient and more cost-effective than an unfinished hardwood floor. They produce less mess because the finish has already been applied in the factory, providing you with a more uniform and smooth result. In many cases, prefinished floors are the more durable option with some companies offering up to 40-year warranties on their products. However, the seams on prefinished options can be more vulnerable to moisture and dirt, making them more difficult to clean and maintain. Although the coatings applied to prefinished hardwood are more durable than unfinished planks, they will require refinishing after a few years. Refinishing will likely be a more expensive and labour-intensive job in comparison to re-sealing standard hardwood floors because it will require a deeper level of sanding to get down to the bare surface.

• How does moisture affect my hardwood floor?

  Moisture can cause many different problems for a hardwood floor, such as cracking, cupping, and crowning. Crowning is when the centerboards are higher than the outer boards. Cupping is when the outer boards are higher than the centerboards. Over time, excessive moisture will destroy a wooden floor, so it is suggested not to use excessive water to clean the hardwood floors and to mop up spills immediately.

• What's an acceptable moisture content for a hardwood floor?

  An acceptable moisture content runs anywhere from 4 to 18% depending on a variety of factors including the species of wood, where the wood floor is installed geographically, and the time of year. As a result, most wood used for flooring is kiln dried to 6 to 9% moisture content to assist in keeping it from getting so wet that it contracts and so dry that it shrinks.