Alternately you can visit our show room at 1050 Airport Road in Peterborough during regular business hours, Monday to Friday (7:00am - 5:00pm), and between 9:00am and Noon on Saturdays. 

Any questions that we are not 100% certain about, we consult the National Wood Floor Association, of which we are a member.

Q:  Should I paint before or after the floors are done?

A:  This is a matter of opinion.  If you wait until after the floors are done, you will need to clean the walls, etc before painting and you will need to be certain that no paint gets on the floor because it is difficult to remove without marring the finish.  You will need to cover the floor completely with a drop sheet -all the way to the edges of the room.  Do not apply any kind of tape to the floor.

If you choose to paint before the floors are done, it's a good idea to leave the baseboard and 1/4 round unpainted because the edging machine usually leaves a small mark near the floor along the edge, and this could be covered when the baseboards and 1/4 round are finally painted.  If your 1/4 round (or baseboards) are not yet installed, it is actually a good idea to leave them off during the installation or sanding and finishing to allow sanding of the entire floor right up to the walls providing a nice flat base for the trim to sit on.  At the least, leave the painted 1/4 round until after the floors are finished.  You will end up with a cleaner appearance.

Keep in mind if you paint before hand that you will have to wipe everything down after sanding, even though we clean up after we have sanded there is usually a fine dust that clings to walls etc.

Q: What is the best time of year to do our floors?

A: If you have a forced-air furnace system with a humidity control, this is the ideal situation and you can successfully do floors at any time of year.  Because wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the use of the humidistat kept between 35-45% will minimize this movement.  If you do not have a humidistat, then the contraction of the wood is most noticeable in the winter when the air is dry.  The resulting gaps in the joints of the boards will close up again in the summer months when humidity is slightly higher.  It is for this reason that you are probably better off installing hardwood in the winter when the pieces of wood are at their minimum dimensions, they'll go together tightly when they expand in the summer time.  They should go back to their original positions, without much indication of movement to occur.  Sometimes gaps result in some of the joints that do not completely go away.  This is not the fault of the installation or a defect in the material, but a normal condition of the behaviour of wood.

If you are building a new home, it is important to have the heating system installed (and the humidistat set at 45%, if applicable)  before the flooring is delivered to the job site.  The wood should be introduced into conditions similar to those of the living conditions.  Wood that is installed in a house without heat, especially in cool months will not behave properly once heat and humidity levels are changed (upon moving in).  This is something that is quite often overlooked by builders and can play an important role in the performance of the completed floor.

Q: Can I install hardwood in my kitchen, laundry room and bathroom?

A: We do not recommend installation of hardwood flooring in laundry rooms.  There exists the possibility of water coming in contact with the wood that will result in problems.

We have successfully installed hardwood in kitchens and bathrooms, but there are some important factors to keep in mind.  Because wood in kitchens and bathrooms could possibly come into contact with water, it is important to understand the relationship between wood and water and home owners need to make sure any water does not sit on the floor for any length of time.  While a mere drop of water is harmless, even 1/2 cup of water spilled and left to absorb into the floor will cause cupping of the boards.  If severe enough, the boards have to be replaced and the floor resanded.  Minor cupping will usually go away after the wood gradually releases the moisture.  Any water that gets spilled on hardwood should be wiped up as soon as possible to minimize damage to the wood.  Even though there is a protective finish on the floor, expansion and contraction leaves an open joint between some boards and any standing water will eventually find it's way between boards and the dry wood underneath will absorb the moisture like a sponge.

Understanding the relationship between water and wood will result in the successful use of wood.  Water can be used in small amounts with white vinegar to clean the floor, but any standing water or the use of too much water may result in damage tot he floor.  As long as you keep this in mind, you won't have any problem with doing wood in your kitchen or bathroom.

Most of the damage occurring in kitchens results from dishwashers with faulty seals or leaks, so check this before and periodically after your installation.  Small drips that occur when some dishwasher doors are opened can eventually discolour the finish or the wood so this should be corrected as soon as possible.

For bathrooms that have hardwood, exercise the same caution regarding water that may get on the floor.

Q: During new home construction or major renovations, what is the best time to install/finish wood floors?

A:   Sometimes wood floors are installed at the wrong time during construction either from unawareness or behind schedule, rushed situations where too many things are going on at once at the job site.  Hardwood can be installed long before it must be sanded and finished, which is actually an ideal procedure provided the floor is adequately protected from dirt, water, mortar and grout, etc.  This allows the flooring to physically get used to its surroundings.  The building should be at the same temperature and humidity levels as comfortable living conditions, 61-71 degrees and 45% humidity.  Flooring installed before these conditions, can be damaged.  When building is finally lived in the floor may 'move' dimensionally due to the drastic swing in temperature or humidity and may have to be resanded etc.  It is not always practical or possible to have flooring installed this far ahead of finishing.  Flooring can be successfully installed and finished in less time provided the conditions exist before flooring is delivered to the job site.  Often these factors are overlooked by the hurried contractor, and can result in an expensive lesson to be learned.  Knowing this ahead of time will assure the best possible performance and life from your hardwood floor.

Leaving wood floors done while there are other tradesmen in the area usually creates havoc and should be avoided.  The conditions the floor man must ensure to do a proper, dust free job can be altered by vibrations in the walls (from hammering etc)  That can dislodge particulate that lands on wet finish.  Simply opening a door when it is windy outside can ruin a freshly finished floor, even if the door is nowhere near the floor.  Tradesmen walking across the floor, using ladders, etc on the floor.  Tradesmen's extension cords across the floor.  These can not be overemphasized.

The best time to do most of the work on wood floors is after everyone else is finished, except for maybe the final coat of paint on trim.  1/4 round should be left off until after the floor is sanded so that it is not marked by our machines and the paint line is nice and clean.  Obviously in the case of prefinished floors, all other work in the building should be finished to reduce any damage to the finish.