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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Alphonso Sirtle. | Posted under Interior Decorating
Hickory Wood Flooring
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Hickory wood flooring is more durable than standard hardwood floors that are traditionally made of a variety of hard woods, and comparably strong as other single species hardwood floors. One of the advantages of hickory wood flooring is the flexibility of the wood itself. The strength and durability of hickory wood is complimented by its unique ability to flex slightly. The flexibility of hickory wood is a wonderful attribute for wood flooring. Wood floors expand and contract due to changes in temperature and relative humidity. Cold air does not hold as much moisture, and so tends to cause wood to contract. The opposite is true with warm air; retaining more moisture, warm weather is likely to cause wood floors to expand. When wood flooring is able to expand and contract it is less likely to crack. This is true of the wood itself, but can also affect the finish. When the wood itself is able to expand and contract, less of the stress in either case is transmitted to the finish. Overall, hickory wood flooring that is finished on site will be able to last longer without re-finishing the surface. Hard wood floors that are finished on site are different than pre-finished flooring. With pre-finished flooring, each slat or piece of wood flooring has a finish applied. Though the on site method of finishing a hard wood flooring is the traditional method, there are some advantages to using pre-finished flooring pieces. The main advantage of using pre-finished wood flooring pieces is that since the boards or slats are individually finished, they can expand and contract without cracking the surface finish. With traditionally finished hard wood floors, the finish seals all of the pieces together such that in circumstances of extreme expansion or contraction, the overall surface will become cracked. Though all wood floors will suffer cracks in their finishes over time, pre-finished wood flooring can drastically decrease the amount and/or severity of finish cracking over time. The same is true of hickory wood flooring. Of course if you're going for more of a distressed wood floor look, then perhaps you'll want to wait or forego finishing altogether. Hickory wood flooring is perfect for creating a distressed look. Its natural hardiness and durability hold up well to the extra stresses that 'distressing' can cause. For this reason, hickory wood flooring has become increasingly popular as hand-scraped and distressed wood floors become ever more popular. About The Author: Alphonso has been working in the home remodeling industry for last 5 years. Take advantage of his experience and written material on flooring ideas at his website at http://www.improve-home.com |
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