How to Prevent Chairs from Scratching Hardwood Floors

Did you know your chairs could be scratching your hardwood floors every time you use them?  Luckily, there's an easy fix to prevent chairs from damaging your hardwood--felt pads.  Felt pads come in a variety of sizes and shapes to accommodate all furniture pieces and are available at any home improvement store.  While felt pads come with an adhesive backing, we recommend enhancing their adhesion by adding a dab of construction or super glue.  Once the pads are applied, turn the chair upside down and allow to dry for at least three hours.  For a demonstration, please see our eHow video below:

How to Stop Chairs From Scratching Hardwood Floors -- powered by ehow

What’s the Difference between Laminate and Engineered Wood?

Laminate, engineered, unfinished, prefinished…oh my!  With all of the options in hardwood available today, selecting the right wood for your home can be a little overwhelming.  The classics, unfinished and prefinished solid wood, are no longer the only type of flooring that falls under the hardwood umbrella.  Two new players, engineered and laminate floors, have entered the hardwood arena in recent years, giving more homeowners the ability to afford and enjoy the style and sophistication of hardwood floors.  If you’re considering one of these flooring options, but aren’t quite clear on the difference, here’s some information that might help.

Let’s start by giving a brief overview of traditional solid hardwood.  With this flooring, each plank is made from a single piece of wood and is generally ¾” thick.  Solid hardwood floors tend to expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity.  In summer, increased humidity causes the planks to expand and buckle.  While in the winter, when humidity decreases, the planks contract, leavings gaps.  For this reason, solid hardwood is not recommended in basements or on top of concrete floors.  While solid hardwood is the most expensive option, it also adds the most value to your home.  Homes with hardwood sell faster and at higher price points.  Not to mention, it looks beautiful in any room and can be refinished to change the look. Solid hardwood also offers the widest selection, with many different wood species available (ex. bamboo, Brazilian cherry, maple, etc.) and endless color options.

Laminate flooring is produced by attaching a photograph to a high density fiberboard through the use of heat and pressure.  The photograph is covered with a layer of polyurethane to protect the floor from scratches, fading, and wear.  Higher quality laminates use a form of urethane infused with aluminum oxide, which further increases its resistance to scratches.  Laminates are often textured through an embossing process for a more realistic look and feel.  Higher end laminates can also use high definition imaging for more authenticity.  Laminate floors offer several advantages to homeowners.  First, they are extremely versatile and can be installed on virtually any solid surface.  Because of laminate’s construction, the concern of buckling and gapping is nonexistent.  They are also significantly less expensive than solid hardwood.  Laminate floors never have to be refinished (and in fact cannot be refinished).   They are incredibly durable and have a greater scratch resistance than most hardwood and engineered floors.

Engineered flooring refers to multi-layer, cross grain constructed hardwood.  Despite its somewhat misleading name, engineered hardwood is 100% real wood.  It is made by taking multiple layers of hardwood (between 3 and 5 layers, depending on quality) and fusing them together at 90˚ angles to create a strong, durable hardwood.  The top layer of engineered floors is made from the species of wood that defines its look (ex. oak or cherry).  The inside layers are made from hard, but less expensive, species of hardwood.  The advantages of engineered wood are that it is often less expensive and more stable than traditional hardwood.  Because of the multiple layers, it is also less likely to expand and contract with changes in temperature, decreasing the likelihood of it warping or buckling.  This also allows it to be installed on concrete and below grade subfloors.  Engineered wood can be refinished up to 3 times, depending on the quality.

No matter what your flooring needs, a Pizazz design consultant can help you choose the type of hardwood that is perfect for you and your lifestyle.  For more information on laminate, engineered wood, or any other hardwood inquiry, call Pizazz Floors at 678-687-8693.

Pizazz Installs Custom Georgia Bulldog Hardwood Floor

Are you the ultimate sports fan?  Then you’re gonna love this!  Pizazz Floors just completed the first phase of a custom Georgia Bulldog hardwood floor.  This 5’x3’ Georgia logo was installed into an office with pre-existing hardwood floors and is composed of all select, exotic woods.  The white boards are hard maple, the black boards are African whengee, and the red boards are blood wood.

Phase two will be adding an intricate French knot border, also using the red blood wood and the black whengee.  And the final step will be refinishing the floors to bring out their brilliance.  Whether you’re a Gator fan a Steelers fan or anything in between, Pizazz Floors can take your devotion to your favorite team to the next level.  A custom collegiate or pro team logo is perfect for any office, basement, bar, or “man room.”

But you may be thinking, what if we move?  Not everyone may like a giant Georgia logo in the middle of their floor.  No worries, you can take it with you when you go.  Your hardwood masterpiece can easily be removed and replaced with your pre-existing hardwood boards or new boards.

Check back with us for updates as we complete the project or call 678-687-8693 if you want more information!

Disclaimer:  Pizazz Floors does not support the promotion of other sports teams like the Florida Gators or Pittsburgh Steelers, but hey, we don’t discriminate.

8 Ways to Get Your Home Ready to Sell

1. Plant flowers. You’ve always heard first impressions are the most important.  Well the same holds true with your home.  Pull those weeds, trim those bushes, and plant some flowers!  Flowers can add a pop of color and make your home more appealing from the onset.

2. Limit the number of personal items you have on display. You want buyers to be able to envision themselves in your home, and too many pictures of Grandma Jean or drawings from little Johnny can make that more difficult to do.

3. Paint. A fresh coat of paint can take a drab room and make it beautiful for less than a hundred bucks.  When selling your home, try to stick with neutral, earth tones that will appeal to a wider range of buyers.

4. Make use of ambient lighting. Get rid of any fluorescent or bright lighting and replace with softer, more inviting light.  Make use of your natural light by pulling back curtains or opening blinds, and light a few candles for a calm and warm ambience.

5. Update with home improvements. This of course is a little more costly, but can really enhance your home and pay off in the long run.  The two improvements that yield the highest return on investment are granite countertops and hardwood floors.  Homebuyers see the value in these updates, and they can make your home stand out from comparable houses that are lacking.  If granite and hardwood aren’t in the budget, consider a tile backsplash or adding trim, like crown molding or a chair rail.  These can make a room look grand without even spending a grand!

6. Organize and Clean, Clean, Clean. This one is a given, but nevertheless very important.  Always make sure your home is clean and tidy before a showing, and remove any clutter.  You want potential homebuyers to see the beauty in your home, and unorganized clutter can cover that up and give buyers a sense of anxiety when viewing your home.

7. Change out any outdated light fixtures. Outdated light fixtures can make a room look and feel old and dingy.  This is an affordable and quick update that is especially important in bathrooms, where it’s hard to miss a light fixture that’s been around since the 70’s.

8. Add some indoor plants. Plants are an easy and affordable way to decorate.  They are a great way to fill space, and they add life and color to any room.