Have You Seen the Fantastic Floor Website Lately?

We are proud to announce the complete redesign of our website, www.fantastic-floor.com.

With the help of the talented crew over at RAIN Agency, the new Fantastic Floor website has burst onto the scene with more power than a steaming locomotive.

Featuring a streamlined user-interface, beautiful product photos, and a clever new online identity, the new site is a fun, easy-to-use work of art. Visit us at www.fantastic-floor.com to see how we're still Saving the World From High Prices.

Solid Flooring Installation – Part 1: Pre-Installation Concerns

Installing solid hardwood flooring isn’t for beginners. If you have no previous experience with hardwood flooring installation you should call a professional. Also, hardwood flooring manufacturers include detailed installation instructional materials with their products. All manufacturer instructional materials should be followed exactly and take precedence over this or any installation guide.

That being said, hardwood flooring installation can be an exciting and rewarding project for the experienced DIYer. This series will take a look at the many steps involved in solid flooring installation. This week we will focus on all the preparations you will need to take before you begin your project.



1. Inspect the wood.
Most flooring materials undergo a rigorous inspection process before they ever wind up in your home. So why should you inspect the wood before installation? Good question. Hardwood flooring is a natural product, meaning there are natural color, tone, and grain variations. It also means that products can warp, bend, or change appearance after they leave the factory. Never install defective flooring materials – not only will it be a pain to remove or replace, it may even void certain warranties.

2. Gather the tools.
There are a number of tools you will need to successfully install new hardwood flooring. They include:

• Blue tape
• A broom
• Chalk
• Power nailer
• Pry bar
• Square
• Table saw
• Tape measure
• Towels
• Hardwood cleaner
• Hand saw
• Flooring nails (check manufacturer’s instructions for the correct size)

Remember to check with the manufacturer's instructions for a complete list of tools and supplies you will need.

3. Save the best for last.
Construction projects often come in groups. If you find yourself doing other renovations other than new floors, install your flooring last. This ensures that no damage is done to the wood during other construction work. If your flooring is acclimating in the same area as other construction projects, make sure to cover the materials so they don’t get scratched, scraped, or dirty.

That’s it for this segment of our Solid Flooring Installation series. Come back next week when we will discuss proper acclimation techniques, crawl space vapor barriers, and securing wood sub-floors. If you just can't wait, visit our website for more information on solid hardwood flooring installation.

Celebrate Earth Day With Fantastic Floor!

Earth Day is almost here – April 22, to be precise – and we here at Fantastic Floor invite you to take a look at the many ways we are committed to the environment. The following is a summary of our environmental practices, examples of articles from our blogs that touch on eco-friendly topics, and links to important industry resources regarding the environment. Enjoy!

Fantastic Floor Standard Environmental Practices
We pride ourselves in selecting only legally harvested wood products. We require our suppliers to be Forest Stewardship Council certified or to be certified under the source country's laws.
We offer more certified flooring than any other retailer on the web. Both our Paraguay Collection and our Engineered Collections are certified.
Our Brazil Collection is certified by government rules through the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and National Parks (IBAMA). The Brazilian government has made enormous strides in the fight against illegal logging. And now with recent passage of The Lacey Act by the US government, all imported products must have proof that they came from legal sources.


The following are articles from our sister blog, EngineeredFlooring.org:

Green Certified Hardwoods
You love the look of cherry or oak flooring, but how can you be sure that the material you’ve chosen isn’t harming the environment? Luckily, there are certain certifications that wood flooring materials can receive to prove that they have been grown, harvested and distributed in eco-friendly ways.
The Forest Stewardship Council, along with third-party conservation organizations and local governments, help ensure the sustainability of many types of wood species. The following are the top five “green-certified” wood flooring materials. Go Earth!

How Buying Local Can Help Save the Economy and the Environment
There is a lot of talk about sustainable forestry and responsible timber harvesting techniques, but how can you determine just how green wood flooring material is? Buying locally-sources varieties such as oak flooring can help lessen the environmental impact your new floors will have on the world. How? Glad you asked. Here are the top three ways locally-sourced products help you go green.



Aiming for That NWFA Seal of Approval
Think all hardwood flooring distributors are the same? Think again! According to a recent press release, the National Wood Flooring Association has started offering what’s called the Accepted Product Seal Program. This completely voluntary program will help manufacturers and distributors earn recognition for meeting certain industry performance standards. It will also help consumers identify companies that meet these standards and, most likely, offer high quality hardwood products.

Have questions about the impact hardwood flooring has on the environment? Call Fantastic Floor at 888-448-9663 today!

Hardwood Flooring Maintenance – 5 Quick Tips You Can’t Afford to Miss

Most home owners install hardwood flooring because they know it will add aesthetic as well as financial value to their home. With this in mind, many people go crazy trying to keep their newly installed floors looking brand new. Unfortunately, this can lead to a stressed mind and a distressed floor. The solution? Keep it simple! The following are five quick tips you can’t afford to miss if you want to keep your hardwood flooring in tip-top shape.'

1. Clean spills immediately.
Uh-oh. Aunt Lucy just finished her third glass of red wine and is refilling her glass when – CRASH! She spills, she cries, and red wine runs all over your new oak flooring. But Auntie’s tears won’t clean up that spill. You should, however, and as quickly as possible. The best way to avoid a nasty stain on your new flooring is to clean it up as quickly as you can. Use a soft, slightly dampened cloth and pat, don’t wipe.

2. Vacuum often.
Vacuuming is the best way to get rid of dirt, gravel, sand, and stones that can build up over time and cause major damage to your finished hardwood flooring. Use a vacuum with a soft-bristle brush and vacuum as often as you need to keep your floors free of debris.

3. Use the right cleaner.
Many people think that when it comes to washing or mopping hardwood flooring, any ol’ cleaning solution will do. This is not true. Many common floor soaps are oil-based and can dull or damage your floor’s finish. If you have to mop (and you should do so as infrequently as possible), use a water-based surface cleaner or whatever type the manufacturer recommends.



4. Wax on, wax off…your finish?
Polyurethane finishes don’t mix well with paste waxes. In fact, waxing a polyurethane-finished floor can create a sticky film that will attract dirt and debris. If you’re unsure what your floor’s finish is made of, contact the flooring manufacturer or installation company.

5. More cushion, less pushin’.
Big, heavy furnishings or appliances can wreak havoc on hardwood flooring. The best way to avoid this is to place small felt glides under heavy furnishings. This includes tables, chairs, sofas, pianos, cabinets, refrigerators, and much more. Putting glides under your furnishings may seem like a hassle, but it is much less of a hassle than getting your entire floor refinished.

Spot Refinishing - Is It Possible?

Sometimes bad things happen to good hardwood floors. Stains, scrapes, and scratches are all a very real possibility, especially in high-traffic areas. One relatively quick and inexpensive way of avoiding having to replace your hardwood flooring is to simply refinish it. But what if only a portion of your floor is damaged? Is it possible to spot refinish the damaged area without ruining the rest of the flooring? The following are some FAQ about spot refinishing damaged hardwood flooring.

Q:
1) Is it possible to refinish only a portion of my hardwood floors, or will I have to do the whole room?
2) Is spot refinishing a DIY project, or should I get a professional?
3) Is there any risk that the refinish will look worse than the original floor looks now?
4) Is there any type of finish you'd recommend?



A:
1.) It is definitely possible to refinish only a portion of a room. However, there is a good chance that the floor stain won't match the color of the original floors, especially if you weren't responsible for installing or finishing them.
2.) While spot refinishing can be a DIY project, we recommend you go to professional for the same reason you'd go to a professional to re-shingle your roof. You can probably do it, but that doesn't mean you will be able to do it well.
3.) This is THE BIG risk of refinishing partial floors. The good news is that if you try to spot refinish and it doesn't look good, you can just refinish the rest of the boards and it will look fine.
4.) There isn't any one finish that works "the best" - each type has its own pros and cons. Oil-based urethanes are the easiest to work with since they are slow-drying, but they can amber significantly. Water-based urethanes won't amber quite so much, but they are fast-drying and therefore often leave brush marks if you're not careful. Solvent-based finishes are somewhat dangerous; if you're using a solvent-based finish, get a professional to do the work.

Essentially, there's little harm in trying to do spot refinishing yourself. The worst that can happen is you will ruin the part of the floor that is already damaged and you will have wasted your time and resources. If you have any questions, or don't feel comfortable with the project, call a professional.

Acacia Flooring - The Modern Choice for a Rustic Look

Contradictory, you say, the modern/rustic coupling? Pish-tosh; true tastemakers break all the rules, and that's what we do here at FF every day when it comes to tracking down new, gorgeous looks for homes, offices, palaces, lairs, and what-have-you. Acacia flooring has become incredibly popular as a dynamic rustic floor, both in smooth and handscraped varieties. There are a million things to like about this wood, which is why keeping it in stock is always a bit of a challenge, so here are just a few: First of all, it's got striking coloring, ranging from rich, dark browns to light russets, all intermingled in dramatic streaks and radiating waves. Take a look:

Our Acacia hardwood flooring is also available in a variety of stains. The bronze blend stain amps up the golden browns and yellows of the wood, while the fruitwood stain tones it down to a rich red-brown.

Oh, and did we mention Acacia was the wood they used for the Ark of the Covenant? Just thought we'd throw that in there. That's right: Who else can name drop GOD when it comes to how awesome their products are? Count it.

This is a wood that is very well worth checking out, not only because of its dramatic beauty and rustic good looks, but also for the affordable price, starting at just $4.99/sf!

Prices like that are why being an e-tailer is nice: You don't have to feel bad about people getting violent outside your locked store front right before a big sale. So play nice out there in cyberspace, but do what you have to to come see our Acacia! We've got samples available for order, too!

Kempas - A Little Known but Incredibly Beautiful Exotic

I think part of the fun of running a blog that has to do with your field is being able to introduce new and interesting products to readers who might not otherwise have been aware they even existed. Today, I want to highlight a favorite of mine, a yellowish-orange wood that is native to Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia called Kempas.

Kempas hardwood flooring brings a lot to the table in terms of being an all around great hardwood choice. First of all, its gorgeous. Don't take my word for it, take a look at the photo: You won't find many domestic species that feature such striking color and distinctive graining. That vertical strand-like grain combined with the light coloring of Kempas help any room to appear brighter, warmer, and expansive.

Kempas goes great with any light colored decorum, particularly those that choose yellowish accents along with browns. It's also fairly hard, coming in at 1,700lbs on the Janka Hardness scale, a little over 300lbs higher than Red Oak, which is often used as the standard "average hardness" species.

On top of it all, Kempas is wonderfully affordable. We offer Kempas in both 3.6" and 4.8" widths, with the 3.6" priced at $3.79/sf and the 4.8" at $3.99/sf! Stop by the site and check them out!