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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
For all of those keen DIYers, you will know from experience that all areas of DIY have their own little language. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand what professionals are advising, especially if they use this type of jargon. In the world of wooden flooring, this is no different, so a brief wood floor dictionary should help you out.
Ambering – This relates to a colour change in an engineered wooden floor that develops a yellowish tint, usually due to the wood or the finish.
Burl – Describes a twist or a swirl in the grain normally near to a knot, but does not contain a knot.
Cross – Directed – refers to a technique of laying the floor, where engineered wooden floor panels are laid perpendicular to those of which they are resting upon.
End Joint – this is where two pieces of wooden flooring are joined together end to end.
Finish – A protective substance normally used on all engineered wood floors, gives the wood extra protection and durability.
Gloss – similar to that of gloss paint, describing if the wooden floor has shiny or reflective properties.
Hygrometer – a technical instrument that measures the humidity of the atmosphere where you are laying your engineered wooden floor.
Joist – Refers to a supportive series of parallel beams, supporting either ceilings or floor loads.
Knot – a part of the wood that has been surrounded by subsequent growth of the stem.
Mineral Spirits – a product which is used to clean and to thin specialist to wooden flooring.
Parquet – tiles of wood arranged to produce a certain style of wooden flooring.
Deciding to get wooden floors can be an exciting time. Ripping up old, worn out carpets and laying this classic material can transform the appearance of your home. Meanwhile, such products also have many practical advantages. For example, they are long-lasting and easy to clean.
However, your choices do not end there. The world of wooden floor products is vast and the options you face are many. So, it is important that you take a while to think about which particular materials meet your aims best.
For example, if you want to create real impact with your floors, you might want to opt for a stained oak product. These can be dramatic in appearance and can complement a range of interior design features.
On the other hand, if you want to create a more homely, subtle feel in your abode, you might want to opt for a lighter oak or a walnut floor.
Of course, as well as aesthetics, you will also have to bear in mind cost. After all, such flooring varies in price and it is crucial that you do not exceed your budget.
To find an impressive range of engineered hardwood flooring products to choose from, you can use our website here at Source Online. We are passionate about such offerings and go out of our way to supply our customers with the very best at highly competitive prices.
So, if you want to investigate the engineered wood floors we provide, simply take a look around our catalogue.
Home improvements to your home
The days of “doing up” your house cheaply to turn around in a quick sale are long behind us. Since the property market downturn, we are moving less, and this, says Phil Spencer, is probably a good thing.
The Location, Location, Location presenter and house finder believes in changes that add enjoyment to our homes. In his new book, Adding Value to Your Home, he emphasises the importance of “enhancing your property so it is a place to take pleasure from; it is not about simply turning a fast buck along with some profit on top”.
“There is no point improving your home just before you sell. You might as well do the work straightaway if you can and get the benefit out of it yourself,” he says. Above all, be canny about how you add value for the long term.
Good long-life ideas include adding an extension, converting the loft or basement, or knocking down a wall to gain more light and space. “The way I look at it, it is cheaper to build space than it is to buy it,” Phil says. “Square footage equals money.” An extension can add what Phil calls “no-nonsense” space: a proper kitchen, extra bedroom, utility room, home office, garage or a bedroom if your family is bursting at the seams. But Phil also applauds “an extension that simply brings delight to your life”, a bonus room. “We work terribly hard and should remember that our homes are sanctuaries from the outside world.” Building yourself a new mini-gym, garden, steam or hobby room will give you pleasure and in many cases can add value later on when you sell.
Make better use of your existing space, reorganize rooms and, if practical, knock down some internal walls to create flow.
Flooring
The longevity of solid, hard-wearing wooden floors appeals to Phil, who thinks they can work particularly well for families. If installed in the main living area of a house, it saves worrying about stains from spilt drinks and muddy footprints. “This has to be a lot more relaxing than hovering with a damp cloth and bottle of carpet-stain remover,” Phil says. Wooden flooring is one of those features that appeals to just about everyone when it comes time to sell as well. Before you shell out thousands on expensive oak or black walnut, Phil suggests you take up a bit of the existing carpet and check what is underneath. You might be lucky enough to discover decent wood hidden below nasty carpets and filling in gaps or replacing the odd board won’t cost much.
Solid, hard-wearing wooden floors appeal to Phil who thinks they can be applied to many rooms, particularly family homes. The main living area of the house will benefit from a durable wood floor as Phil explains “This has to be a lot more relaxing than hovering with a damp cloth and bottle of carpet-stain remover.” Also in terms of return for your money Phil reasons that “wooden flooring is one of those features that appeals to just about everyone when it comes time to sell as well.”
OLD AND DISTRESSED FLOORING
Old and distressed floors are the result of nature and man working together to create a unique masterpiece for your home. These original, hand distressed floors have been designed for the customer that desires the beauty of a reclaimed floor from the past in a new, wood product.
The look of a custom or reclaimed floor is not intended to appear like a new floor, rather, resemble one that has seen many years of use. Each distressed floor has its own character, grain, knots, mineral marks, and distinctive features making it a unique piece of wood.
Our custom designed floors are a natural and hand crafted product, guaranteed to add character and beauty to your home.
Fast becoming one of the most popular ranges that we offer, the old distressed and aged collection offers rustic, aged, stained, and distressed engineered wood floors at brilliant value for money. The boards range from 148mm to 189mm wide, and all have unique finishes that look great in period properties. We offer a range of custom floor choices in a variety of stains, colours, sheens and levels of distress and we can help to work with you to design the custom floor of your dreams.
We are proud of the craftsmanship and quality that goes into our floors.
Choosing a great floor can adapt to a wide range of applications and lifestyles. There are unlimited possibilities to help you create your dream floor, with unique and beautifully crafted custom wood floors.
 
Aqua-step travertin white waterproof laminate floor
LAMINATE FLOORING: A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY!
Laminate flooring was invented in 1977 by the Swedish company Perstop, and sold under the brand name Pergo. They had been making laminate surfaces since 1923. The company first marketed its product to Europe in 1984, and later to the United States in 1994. Perstop spun off its flooring division as the separate company named Pergo. Pergo is the most widely known laminate flooring manufacturer, but the trademark PERGO is not synonymous for all laminate floors. Glueless laminate flooring was invented by Belgian company Unilin in 1997. The “unilin” locking system or variants of it which are still covered by the Unilin patent are used worldwide. However in 1996 a Swedish company called Valinge also invented a glueless locking system sold under the names Alloc and Fiboloc for holding flooring panels together.
Initially the two companies tried to sue each other at great expense without any clear winner, for rights to the intellectual property which also involved a lot of the smaller competition in the process. Now the two locking systems co-exist and all glueless locking flooring is made under license from either Unilin, Valinge or sometimes both. The Unilin locking system is marketed under the name Uniclic and is adopted by Pergo.
So looking for something that’s cool and trendy and is perfect for the working house? Have a look at Aqua-step travertin white waterproof laminate floor!
Aqua-step laminate flooring is the new generation of laminate flooring. The entire range is 100% water-resistant, which will provide you with a comfortable and worry-free floor for years to come. Aqua step contains no wood components, but is made from high quality synthetic resins.
What’s more, Aqua-step is simplicity itself to install with the uniclic system, and it’s also easy to maintain by simply cleaning with soap and water resulting in an extremely hygienic floor.
It comes in a 1.6m2 pack, and is guaranteed in residential properties for 20 years, but is also ideal for commercial properties such as fitness rooms, restaurants, and shops as it meets all necessary technical specifications.
• 100% waterproof laminate flooring
• light stone tile effect
• 8mm thick, 390mm x 167mm
• V-groove bevel on 4 sides
• 20 year residential guarantee
• 1.04m2 pack size
Right so now you have paid to have beautiful wood floors, not quite the same as carpets, when it’s out with the hoover and stain remover when the wine is spilt, the dog leaves muddy paw marks or the kids drop the food off the plates.. And many make the beginner’s mistake of cleaning their floor with agents that are too harsh, which can mar or damage a floor’s finish. The result can be a nightmare!
 Maintaining your wood floor Using harsh chemicals and abrasives can scuff, scratch or even remove your floor’s finish and gloss. When this occurs, the typical solution is to strip the floor of its remaining finish and resurface it, a process which is timely and somewhat costly. Instead, let’s focus on some not-so-drastic cleaning and maintenance procedures, things you can do on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis to insure the lustre and beauty of your home’s hardwood flooring surfaces.
So now if you’re not sure how to clean them or maintain them then you’re not alone. How do you keep your floors looking at there best? The answer is simple, although not necessarily obvious to most. While maintaining a wood floor may be a little more laborious than a vinyl or composite floor, the key is upkeep, namely cleaning your floor often and thoroughly – but not too thoroughly.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!
Solid hardwood floors are among the easiest to keep clean. Protect their warmth and character with simple, everyday cleaning techniques.
It’s important to know how to prevent damage to your solid hardwood floors. By following these simple maintenance guidelines you will maintain the natural beauty of the floor. You should always remember, wood is a natural product; its looks will improve as the floor matures.
By following these simple guidelines your Hardwood Floor will remain attractive and give many years of use.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
Dirt and Grit are the enemies of all Wooden Floors. Make sure that a sturdy doormat is in place both inside and outside all exterior access doorways. Sharp objects can damage your floor. Always protect the floor by using felt pads on furniture legs. Don’t forget that pet’s claws, stiletto heels and sharp objects can scratch and damage the floor.
VACUUM & DAMP CLEAN
Today regular maintenance is little more than sweeping with a soft brush or vacuuming with the correct hardwood floor attachment. The reward for following a simple maintenance routine is a floor that will last the lifetime of a home or business.
Use a Vacuum cleaner on a daily basis. This will remove dirt and grit and save it from scratching the floor surface. Remember, you must never use too much water on wooden floors. Standing water should be removed immediately. . Periodically washing with Osmo Wash & Care wood floor cleaner with a very well wrung mop, say once a week; Occasional cleaning with Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner to rejuvenate the floor by topping up the wax content, perhaps every three to four months.
Then top up with Osmo hardwax oil, first cleaning the floor and then adding one thin coat.
 Osmo STAINS
As with all floor coverings stains should be removed whilst they are still wet. After removal of the stain wipe the floor with a clean damp cloth.
RE-SEALING / REJUVENATING
After a period of time you may find that in some areas (entranceways, high traffic areas etc.) the floor starts to look dull. In the first instance use a Refinisher.
With correct maintenance your Hardwood Floor will give many years of use, adding a warmth and beauty.
Solid hardwood floors are among the easiest to keep clean. Protect their warmth and character with simple, everyday cleaning techniques.
FLOOR CLEANERS
We have an excellent selection of floor cleaners, which not only help keep your wood floor looking great, but are hugely important to the maintenance and longevity of your wood floor. We have cleaners suitable for oiled floors and lacquered floors, as well as mops and cleaning kits all designed to make maintaining your wood floor effortless
 Mops Solid hardwood floors are among the easiest to keep clean. Protect their warmth and character with simple, everyday cleaning techniques. Periodically a wood floor should be washed with a professional wood floor cleaning product as recommended by a wood flooring contractor or wood finish manufacturer. If in doubt contact us and we will be pleased to advise.
Gradually, you get to know your floors distinct personality — visual harmonies, the traces of history in the forest and in your home!
Oak wood has a density of about 0.75 g/cm³, great strength and hardness, and is very resistant to insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It also has very attractive grain markings, particularly when quarter sawn. Wide, quarter-sawn boards of oak have been prized since the middle ages ! used in the construction of fine furniture. Oak wood, and was used in Europe for the construction of ships, especially naval men of war until the 19th century, and was the principal timber used in the construction of European timber framed buildings. Today oak wood is still commonly used for furniture making and flooring, timber frame buildings, and for veneer production.
SUFFOLK OAK LAQUERED FLOORING
It is well known that oak is one of the hardest and most durable woods, so whatever the space, laying a solid oak floor is not only good, and a hard wearing option, but it’s a terrific way of adding value! It’s warm underfoot, rich in colour and easy to maintain! And like all good investments it will mature with age, its looks improving as time goes by!
Solid wood flooring is milled from a single solid piece of natural hardwood timber. If looked after, a solid hard wood floor will last hundreds of years.
Instead of being dumped in landfill it can simply be brought back to life by sanding and then re-finishing it to provide a surface as good as the day it was laid.
So whatever your house throws at you, kids, dogs or you just want a beautiful floor… we genuinely love our solid oak flooring and were sure that you’ll love it too!
Want to save cash and have great floors?
If you own a home, you will no doubt want it to look as good as possible and getting hardwood flooring may be part of this. After all, such materials, whether they are oak flooring or anything else, look fantastic and are also highly practical.
However, you might think that your finances are too tight to achieve this home improvement at present. After all, the festive season has just come to an end and your wallet may be somewhat bare.
Buying all those extra decorations to put up around your property and handing over cash to stock up on festive bites and tipples to offer guests who travel to your abode to spend some time can be a significant drain on your finances.
And not only this, but there is also the fact that you are expected to shell out considerable amounts on presents for those close to you. While giving gifts can be a rewarding experience, it is certainly not cheap.
But don’t necessarily let those dreaded credit card bills put you off making the most of hardwood flooring.
By using firms such as us here at Source Online that provide great value for money, you may be able to achieve the look you are after without breaking the bank in the process.
And if you leave getting oak flooring and other such products too long, you may never get round to installing them, which would be a terrible shame.
To see if there is anything you like that falls within your budget, simply have a look at our catalogue.
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