We know it’s easy to get addicted to hardwood flooring. It’s like plastic surgery. Once you have one part of your house fixed up, you keep wanting to do more and more so it all matches. However, it’s important to understand that not all locations in the home are wood-floor friendly. Solid hardwood is gorgeous and has a very long lifespan (since it can be sanded and refinished several times over a 100 year period). Sadly, it typically can’t go in every single room in your home. Engineered wood won’t have the same longevity, but it has a wider range of applications. This type of flooring features a nice hardwood veneer layer over some form of composite wood (basically plywood). Composite material is engineered to be stable even in environments that have more moisture. In Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. metro area homes that have basements, engineered wood flooring over a moisture resistant barrier is the way to go. No matter how much you try to keep out seepage, below-ground floors are going to be damp compared to ground level floors or second story floors. The same holds true for coastal properties that get a constant supply of moist air from the ocean. Fortunately for you, we take the same great care in installing engineered floors as we do with solid hardwood. That means no one has to know the beauty of your hardwood floor is only skin deep!

If you walk through the various parks and buildings in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland, you should really look down once in a while. Chances are you’re walking on some wonderful artwork. Floor medallions made of stone, marble, metal and wood grace many tourist attractions in and around our nation’s capital. If you’ve ever been to the World War II Memorial, you might recognize this one. The National Zoo has brass inlays showing the animals in the various enclosures (see the elephants here). We can make your floor just as memorable with wooden medallions made from a wide variety of gorgeous exotic woods. The colors and grains are pretty amazing and we love working on classic or brand new designs. Learn more about our custom inlays and get some ideas for your very own floor artwork here.

What? Never walk on your beautiful hardwood floor? Are we crazy? Are we expecting you to levitate around your house like David Blaine? Nope, we’re actually just making a point about the importance of the finish on your floor.

Typically, a properly maintained floor never has the wood fiber itself exposed to foot traffic. What you are actually touching with your feet as you walk is the protective urethane coating on top. When this layer starts to wear off, it’s time to get a screen and coat job done to restore or replace it. You should have this done every 4 to 5 years – or sooner for high traffic areas that are showing wear.

The advantage of doing an “S&C” on a regular basis is that you can avoid having your floor sanded and refinished (a process that will wear out your floor if it is done too often). If you take good care of your hardwood floors with regular maintenance, you might not need to have them sanded for 20 years! Learn more about our hardwood floor refinishing services for customers in the D.C. metro area here.