Not to Toot Our Own Horn, But...

We love our customers. That's a FACT. It makes sense, then, that we're always excited to hear how our hardwood flooring products have helped them build or remodel the home of their dreams.

Here is one of our more recent customer reviews:

"I have attached some photos of the finished floor for you. It looks better in person than the photos. Thanks for your help with the flooring. I will be looking for flooring in our addition in about 2 to 3 months.
Thanks, Allan"

No, thank YOU, Allan! We always appreciate a nice word (and a repeat customer, of course!). We look forward to helping you with your next flooring project!

Get the Facts: Sustainable Forestry in North America

Welcome back, dear readers! As you probably know, Fantastic Floor is dedicated to only working with hardwood flooring suppliers that our certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, observe local and international timber harvesting laws, and keep up-to-date on the latest sustainable forestry trends. That’s why we’re always interested whenever new information about sustainable forestry comes forth.

Today, the Wood Products Council, a cooperative of major wood associations and research organizations in North America, released a document titled Sustainable Forestry in North America. This eight-page document provides interesting new statistics regarding modern day forestry practices in North America and how they relate to the environment.

Photo courtesy of www.woodworks.org.

It’s true – many of the species of wood we carry are exotic, meaning they are imported from overseas logging operations. But we do carry an extensive line of domestic hardwoods as well, such as oak, fir, and ash. For those interested in learning more about the timber harvesting practices that go into obtaining these fine hardwood species, read the full report here or take a look at the following excerpts:

Wood is the only building material that has third-party certification programs in place to demonstrate that products being sold have come from a sustainably managed resource. North America has more certified forests than any other jurisdiction.

Up until the early 20th century, settlers coming to North America cleared an average of 2.1 acres of forest per person to survive and grow food. The establishment of industrial agriculture and other changes in land use have mitigated forest clearing in North America since that time, and forest acreage has been stable for over a century. The rate of deforestation in the U.S. and Canada has been virtually zero for many decades. The U.S. reported an annual increase in forest area of 0.12 percent in the 1990s and 0.05 percent from 2000 to 2005, while Canada reported no change.

Providing it comes from a sustainably managed resource, wood has many attributes that make it an inherently ‘green’ building material. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies show that wood requires less energy across its life cycle than other structural building products, and is better for the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, and other impact indicators.

Visit our website for more information on Fantastic Floor’s environmental practices.

Solid Flooring Installation – Part 2: Proper Acclimation Techniques

Welcome back to our exclusive blog series, Solid Flooring Installation. This week we’ll be taking a look at an important part of the installation process: acclimation. Hardwood flooring acclimation is a process that helps prevent boards from bending, warping, and buckling in their new home. This post will walk you through the basics of properly acclimating your hardwood floor.

Remember: Hardwood flooring installation should be left to professionals or very experienced DIY-ers. If you have little to no experience with the process, call a professional.

1. Check Moisture Contents – Boards and Sub-Floors
Moisture content is key when acclimating hardwood flooring. If the board moisture content and the sub-floors aren’t within a specific range of each other your boards won’t acclimate properly. That range of moisture content varies depending on the size of the boards, but it tends to stay within a 2%-4% range. If you are attempting to install your own hardwood floors and don’t know the proper moisture content for the type of boards you’re using, chances are you shouldn’t be installing your own flooring at all.

2. Rack the Boards
Remove your new flooring from the box and rack it in the room in which it will be installed. This lets the wood properly adjust to the room’s humidity and temperature – a critical part of the acclimation process.

Appropriately acclimated hardwood flooring will last much longer than flooring that is hastily installed.

3. Maintain Appropriate Temperatures
Keeping your new flooring at an appropriate temperature during the acclimation process is crucial. The wood should be warm, but not at a temperature significantly higher than the normal temperature of the room. Maintaining appropriate temperatures will make the acclimation process much more effective and will lead to a more stable floor.

4. Wait
For some, this step in the acclimation process can be the hardest of them all. It’s not unusual to want to install your new hardwood floors as soon as they arrive, but proper acclimation takes at least one to two weeks. The waiting period is all dependent on the boards’ moisture content, but most species don’t take less than seven days.

Neglecting to acclimate your new hardwood flooring can lead to buckling, bending, warping, and other major floor problems. Repairing or replacing a hardwood floor can get very expensive. If you aren’t installing your floors yourself, make sure the installation company you hired observes these basic acclimation techniques.

And the (Green) Winner Is...

At Fantastic Floor, we take environmental practices very seriously. After all, we only have one Earth, right? That's why we're happy to congratulate this year's National Wood Flooring Association's Environmental Craftsmanship Award winner, the Woodwright Hardwood Floor Company of Dallas, TX.

A fast-growing species like bamboo is a great environmentally friendly hardwood flooring option.

Every year, NWFA bestows the Environmental Craftsmanship Award on one professionally installed hardwood floor that "most exhibits creative and responsible environmental stewardship in its method of installation, raw material sources and/or contribution to human well being in the indoor build environment."

All wood floor installations are eligible for the award, but NWFA looks specifically for ones that meet and exceed criteria based on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED format and help raise awareness about the flooring industry's roll in protecting the environment.

This year's winner, Woodwright Wood, is a great example of the sustainable hardwood flooring industry. Woodwright uses resourced, recycled, and regional hardwood species, as well as fast-growing species like bamboo.

For more information on the NWFA Environmental Craftsmanship Award, or to enter next year's contest, visit the NWFA contest page.

FCICA Chairman Steps Down

Christopher Capobianco announced yesterday that he is stepping down as Chairman of the Flooring Contractors Association Board of Directors, a position he has held for the past six years.

Capobianco's elected successor, Gerry Swift of Potomac Floor Covering, says he is excited to fill the position that Capobianco has held "unselfishly and honorably" since 2005.

"During the worst economy in decades, [Capobianco] successfully kept our membership base unified and strong, while being FCICA's ambassador to the commercial floor covering industry," Swift said in a press release. "I realize that I have some big shoes to fill and challenges ahead as I prepare to take over as FCICA's chairman on July 1st."

Capobianco will continue to work on the FCICA Board of Directors as immediate Past Chairman.

The FCICA is headquartered in West Bloomingfield, MI, and provides expertise and networking opportunities to members of the commercial flooring industry. For more information about FCICA, call the main office at 877-863-2422.

New Home Sales Rise in April - Come Celebrate with Fantastic Floor!

According to the US Census Bureau and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, sales of new single-family homes increased last month, making April the second straight month of gains and price increases for the otherwise stagnant housing market.

According to a report from Reuters.com, the Commerce Department said sales increased 7.3 percent, the highest rate since December of last year. While all four regions of the country saw an increase in new home sales, the West reported the highest rise - a whopping 15.1 percent.

We're excited about these promising statistics, and we want to celebrate with you!

New home sales often mean new remodeling projects, and to help families get the most out of their new remodeling ventures Fantastic Floor is offering a 5% discount on all remodeling purchases of 500 square feet or more!

Simply enter coupon code "r11" when finalizing your online purchase at www.fantastic-floor.com, or mention the code to your sales representative if ordering by phone.

This offer expires on June 1, 2011, so visit www.fantastic-floor.com today or call one of our qualified representatives at 1-888-448-9663.

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.