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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Alphonso Sirtle.. | Posted under Home Improvement
Wood Flooring
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In common wood flooring, different woods that contrast in grain and color, such as cherry, oak, lime, walnut, pine, maple, etc. are incorporated. In more expensive wood flooring, exotic woods such as teak, mahogany, and other tropical hardwoods may also be used. In wood flooring, or 'parquetry', the shapes of the different wood pieces are usually geometrical as well as angular so that they can be produced and fit together easily enough. For example, the common wood flooring arrangement consists of strips of wood that are all the same width, but different lengths. Wood flooring pieces are also commonly made in the shapes of squares, lozenges and triangles. Any shape that will tessellate well can be used easily enough in the design of a wood parquetry floor. Irregular pieces are not used because of the expense and difficulty of production as well as fitting the pieces together when laying the wood flooring. There are three main classes of wood flooring in use today. These are parquet, laminates and veneers. Solid wood parquet floors are solid wood. The thickness of the average parquet floor is at least 1.5 centimeters. This allows for all of the sanding that will probably take place over the life of the wood flooring. Laminate wood flooring is the cheapest kind. This material is made of a faux-wood image that is applied to a cheap base material, such as particle board. Then a clear protective layer is placed on top of everything. The huge disadvantage to laminate flooring is its susceptibility to chipping. Also, this material cannot be repaired, but must be entirely replaced in nearly every set o circumstances. Veneer wood flooring is the in between, as far as quality and price are concerned. A veneer wood floor consists of a solid wood layer that is attached to a cheaper base layer made of particle board or similar material. This way, the wood flooring can be fixed by sanding minor imperfections. For the most part, the various wooden strips that make up the common wood flooring system, are fit together using a tongue and groove system, where every board has both a tongued edge and a grooved edge. This way all of the boards can fit together uniformly. So you've go your new wood flooring installed. Now, how are you going to take care of it? It's true: taking care of a wood floor can be a time consuming and confusing proposition. It seems like it's impossible to keep wood floors looking as shiny as when they were brand new, but there are a number of products that can restore luster. The simplest conditioning substance to use, and one that will not cause build up over time, is natural orange oil. Though the orange aroma can be come somewhat over powering, there's nothing like this natural oil for keeping wood flooring moisturized. Every time you notice the flooring looking dry, apply some orange oil. Use a clean cloth and massage into the flooring. It will take a day or so for the excess oil to be absorbed. 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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