| Q - What is solid hardwood? |
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| A - Just as the name implies, it is milled from a single 3/4" thick piece of hardwood. Because of its thickness, a solid hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished over several generations of use. One of the characteristics of solid wood flooring is that it expands and contracts with changes in your homes' relative humidity. Normally, installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall. Base molding or quarter round is traditionally used to hide the extra space. |
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| Q - What is engineered
hardwood? |
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| A- Engineered hardwood is actually produced with three to five layers of hardwood. Each layer is stacked in a cross-grain configuration and bonded together under heat and pressure. As a result, engineered wood flooring is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity and can be installed at all levels of the home. Shaw Hardwood flooring offers two different engineered constructions: one is with a hardwood core and the other is with a high density fiberboard core. |
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| Q - How do I know
to use which type of hardwood? |
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| A- The location of your hardwood flooring falls into three categories: on grade - at ground level, above grade - any second level or higher, below grade - any floor below ground level, including basements or sunken living rooms. Traditional solid hardwood flooring is not well suited for high moisture areas such as bathrooms or below-grade installations, or on a cement slab. The construction of an engineered hardwood gives it enhanced structural stability and moisture resistance that allows it to be installed at any grade level. If you plan to install over concrete, you must use an engineered product to ensure structural integrity. Solid wood flooring or engineered flooring may be used over plywood, wood, or OSB subfloors. If there is moisture in the room, such as a bathroom, you will want to select an engineered hardwood. The moisture resistance of an engineered hardwood makes it suitable for rooms where moisture is a possibility. |
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| Q - Are there matching moldings for the hardwoods? |
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| A - Yes, there are a variety of moldings such as, stairnose, reducer, T-molding, quarter round, etc. All designed to meet an opposing floor such as carpet, tile, etc. |
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| Q - What about warranties? |
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| A - Each product carries limited warranties that vary from product to product. |
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| Q - What kind of varieties are there? |
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| A - Plenty!! oak, maple, hickory, cherry, bamboo, chestnut, and other exotic woods with a variety of finishes. All come pre-finished with a Dura-Shield top coat. |
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| Q - What is dura-shield? |
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| A - Dura-Shield is a proprietary product of Shaw Industries which is a coating on all of the hardwood products enriched with aluminum oxide which lasts up to seven times longer than conventional UV cured urethanes. |
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| Laminates |
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| Q - What exactly is laminate flooring? |
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A - Laminate flooring offers a wide selection of design that offer the look and feel of beautiful hardwood, ceramic tile, and slate. It is actually a composite that's designed to endure more-than-average wear and tear. A direct-pressure manufacturing process fuses four layers into one extremely hard surface. The four layers are from the bottom up: The back is reinforced with melamine for structural stability and moisture resistance, then a dense fiberboard core to provide impact resistance and stability. It also features an edge sealing treatment that provides even further structural stability. Next a decorative layer, this provides the floor's beauty and design, the decorative layer is actually a highly detailed photograph that gives the laminate the appearance of wood or tile. Then the top, a tough melamine layer with a clear finish reinforced with aluminum oxide, one of the hardest mineral compounds known to man, to resist staining, fading, surface moisture, and wear.
The resulting floor is a technological breakthrough. There's no staining, no fading, and no wear through. Some of the noteworthy features include: a floor that is incredibly durable and stain resistant. Such problem spills as nail polish, grease, and mustard simply wipe off. Patented tongue-and-groove locking technology eliminates unsightly gaps at the seams. No waiting, you can walk on your floor immediately after installation is complete.
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| Q - What is meant by the term versalock? |
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| A - This is a glueless flooring system by Shaw Industries, for installing their laminate floors. VersaLock allows your floor to be installed quickly and without glue so there's no messy clean up and you can walk on it right away! This is made possible by a patented locking technology that reliably secures the flooring panels on all four sides without adhesive. As an added bonus, a VersaLock floor is warranted against moisture damage and can be easily taken apart and reassembled if need be. |
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| Q - Is there a warranty for laminates? |
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| A - Yes, limited warranties apply. |
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| Q - Can a laminate be installed over cement or wood? |
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| A - Yes, either. There are a variety of underlayments for the laminates that are determined by the type of sub-floor. These underlayments include: Silent-step, provides superior sound absorption and the most realistic hardwood walk-sound available. 2-in-1 foam, for use over concrete or wood substrates on all grade levels, Shaw foam, for use on or above ground level over a wood subfloor, and VersaLock with Silent Step Plus, for the ultimate underlayment, it's a premium ATTACHED underlayment on Shaw's Natural Sensations Plus products. |
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| Q - WILL YOU HELP ME CHOOSE WHICH IS BEST FOR MY HOME? |
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| A - YES! Our Design consultant is an expert on the types of woods and knows how to best fill your needs. |
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| Click here to see our Designer Specials |
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| DESIGNER SERVICE WITHOUT THE DESIGNER PRICE |
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