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Natural Hardwood Floors has been serving the entire Merrimac Valley for over 25 years.

 

 

Customer expectations !


 

 

Dear Valued Customer,

 

As with the purchase of anything new or the restoration of something old, we often carry within ourselves, certain expectations that should be met.  Although it is all right to have high expectations of your completed floor work, no matter how hard we try, or how well-experienced we are, there are some things the customer should not expect.

 

·         A table top finish.  Each piece of oak flooring sands differently depending on its grain type (plain or quartered) making it virtually impossible for a completely flat surface.

·         Dust-free finish. Since your floor is being finished in your home it is not possible to achieve a “clean room” environment.  Some dust will fall onto the freshly applied top finish.

·         A monochromic floor.  Wood, as a natural product, varies from piece to piece.  Remember it is not fabricated--it is milled from a tree and will have grain and color variations consistent with the grade and species of flooring selected.

·         A floor that will not indent.  In spite of the term “hardwood”, Oak flooring will indent under high heel traffic (especially heels in disrepair).  The finish that is applied will not prevent the dents.

·         A floor without cracks between the boards, or within the parquet pieces.  Although your new floor may start tight together, as a natural product it will continue to absorb and release moisture.  This natural process will cause the flooring to expand and contract from season to season--resulting in cracks between some of the pieces in your floor.  Some stain colors, such as white, will show this process more than others.

 

Let’s understand that furniture, cabinetry, doors, etc., are fabricated in a factory under ideal conditions and that they contain 1-10 different pieces of wood.  Your floor is fabricated in your own home and is made up of 300 to a thousand individually different pieces.

 

     Your floor will never be duplicated--it is truly a custom floor of your own.


Hardwood Floors... All that they're 'cracked' up to be.

 

     Well, 'tis the season...the season for cracks in hardwood flooring. When the temperature drops, the heat goes on, and the humidity goes bye bye, that's when the phone calls start coming in: "This floor is brand new, why am I getting cracks?” "Can you send someone from the factory out? I have gaps everywhere" The calls will continue until the heat goes off and the humidity returns.

     Let me reassure you that not only are the gaps common at this time of year, but they are almost welcome. If you have a tight floor now, there's a good chance you'll have compression this summer, and that's bigger trouble. It has been said that hers in New Englang we have two seasons: July and winter, or in wood floor terms: heating and non-heating seasons. There are several other reasons for cracks in floors that have little to do with moisture, here are a few: foundation settlement, over-drying above forced air heating ducts, and improper sub-floor materials. The truth of the matter is that conditions vary greatly from site to site, but for certain, the heating months bring about the most significant changes in wood flooring and here's why as taken from the NWFA Technical Manual.

     "Wood is a hygroscopic material. When exposed to air, it will dry or pick up moisture until it is in equilibrium with the humidity and temperature of the air in its environment. Absorption of moisture causes wood to swell. Loss of moisture causes wood to shrink. Shrinkage begins at 25-30% moisture content, the fiber saturation point. Shrinkage continues to 0% moisture content, an oven-dry state. Swelling occurs as wood gains moisture. Swelling occurs from 0% to 25-30% moisture content, the wood saturation point. Wood does not shrink or swell equally in all directions. Wood changes approximately: 0.1% along the grain (longitudinally). 2% - 8% across the grain and annular rings (radially) quarter sawn and 5% to 15% across the grain and parallel to the annular rings (tangentially) plain sawn". Knowing that the majority of flooring used is plain sawn, you can see why we have so much gapping here in New England.

     "If a 2 1/4" X 3/4" oak strip is exposed to an environment which changes the moisture content by 4% (i.e. from 7% to 11%) the strip may swell as much as 1/32 of an inch. The opposite is true, if a 2 1/4" X 3/4" begins at 11% moisture content and loses moisture to 7% moisture content, the strip may shrink as much as 1/32 of an inch".

     Moisture changes such as those here in New England can range upwards to 8%, a change as drastic as this could cause strip flooring to lose a full 1/16”! As humid as summer can be in New England, you can understand why gapping this heating season will be nearly unavoidable without some form of humidification system. The National Wood Flooring Association recommends installing a humidifier to furnace controlled by a humidistat set at 50% Relative Humidity. The bottom line is live with normal cracks or add humidity - its' the homeowners choice.


Caring For Your Wood Floors:
Caring For Your Wood Floors:
Contact Information:
Contact Us
Contact us using the information below to learn more about how you can benefit from our services.

Main Contact:
John Farnkoff
Natural Hardwood Floors
Methuen, MA  01844
Dracut, MA  01826
United States
Office Number: 978-689-9830
Office Number: 978-957-4700
Fax Number: 978-689-9830
Cell Number: 978-621-7676
john@naturalhardwoodfloors.com
natrl@verizon.net
E-mail Natural Hardwood Floors.


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