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"The continuing health and vigor of our democratic system depends upon the public spirit and devotion of its citizens which find expression in the ballot box.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

'Nuff said!

Our Top Green Certified Hardwoods

As you well know, Fantastic Floor takes a strong stand on environmental practices in the timber industry. We pride ourselves in selecting only legally harvested hardwood flooring products. We're certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and require our suppliers to be the same. We believe selective harvesting in tropical forests can be a benefit to local economies, and we're firmly opposed to the real source of Amazon deforestation - forest clearing (or clear cutting) for farming and ranching purposes.

That said, we often get asked if we have a favorite green-certified hardwood flooring product. While everyone at Fantastic Floor has a personal favorite, we all agree that the following five hardwood varieties are the best-of-the-best. Enjoy!

1. Brazilian Cherry
Also known as Jatoba, Brazilian Cherry is the most popular exotic hardwood flooring material in America. It features reddish-brown heartwood and beautiful dark striping, giving the wood eye-catching depth and contrast. It is also incredibly durable, featuring a Janka hardness rating of 2,350 lbs. and a density of 800 KG/m3.

2. Ipe
Ipe is the toughest exotic hardwood flooring material you can find. It has a cell structure so dense that it boasts a Class A fire rating, the same class of fire-retardant materials as steel. Its density makes it naturally resistant to moisture and wood-boring insects. It's also quite beautiful. The natural variations in color give the wood an eclectic yet sophisticated look.

3. Purpleheart
For those wanting a one-of-a-kind hardwood flooring material that is also green-certified, look no further than Purpleheart. With its deep purples and rich browns, Purpleheart flooring is definitely one of our most talked about hardwood varieties. It also has a high level of durability, with a density of 1,057 KG/m3 and a Janka hardness of almost 2,000 lbs.

4. Tarara
Tarara hardwood flooring is a colorful exotic that features bright yellow and orange heartwood with streaks of brown, red, black, and even purple. It has a tight, irregular, interlocked grain pattern and has hardness and density ratings similar to other durable exotic hardwoods.

5. White Oak
White Oak has been a standard flooring material in U.S. homes for years, and for good reason. Its light, crisp tones and complementary deep brown heartwood make it suitable for nearly any flooring purpose. Its versatility is matched only by its durability - a Janka hardness rating of 1,360 lbs. and a density of 900 KG/m3.

What is your favorite green-certified hardwood flooring material? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Questions? Contact us today to speak to one of our knowledgeable flooring representatives. We look forward to hearing from you!

Fantastic Floor Presents: Acacia

Welcome back to Fantastic Floor Presents, the one and only hardwood spotlight series of its kind. Last time we shone our spotlight on the rustic reclaimed Heart Pine. This week we're taking a look at the ever-popular Acacia. Enjoy!

Acacia is one of the most popular hardwood flooring varieties in the country and around the world, and for good reason. It's strong, sophisticated, and carries a reasonable price tag. The Acacia hardwood at Fantastic Floor is a tasteful flooring choice that features a beautifully blended assortment of dark browns, light yellows, and vibrant reddish oranges. Its deep, smooth grain pattern gives the wood an alluring appeal, sure to draw the attention of any houseguest. It's also quite versatile - the combination of tones, colors, and grain pattern makes it complementary to nearly any design scheme.

But let's stop gushing over how beautiful Acacia is for a moment and discuss how tough it is. Because it's tough - really, really tough. It has a hardness rating of 1,750 pounds, which is almost twice as hard as some domestic alternatives. It also has one of the best densities you can find in a hardwood, meaning it will stand up to every day wear and tear and last longer than other species.

Fantastic Floor offers many different types of Acacia hardwood flooring, including distressed, handscraped, prefinished, and engineered. View more pictures of our beautiful products on our Acacia Hardwood Flooring Pinterest page, or read more about the species at www.fantastic-floor.com/acacia-hardwood-flooring.

How to Prepare Your Wood Floors for Winter

By this time of the year you've probably prepared your yard, deck, and car for the nasty winter weather that is just around the corner, but what about your hardwood flooring? Yes, even something as durable and long-lasting as wood floors can take a real beating during the winter months. From rain, snow, and dirt to dramatic changes in temperature and humidity, hardwood floors are up against a lot this time of year. Luckily, there are a number of simple steps you can take to prepare your floors for the winter. The following are 5 of our favorite ways to make sure your hardwood looks as good next spring as it does right now. Enjoy!

1. Keep the climate consistent.
Dramatic changes in temperature and humidity can cause your floor boards to shrink and swell, causing buckling, warping, and gaping. Keeping the inside of your home warm and dry during the winter months can cut back on a lot of climate-related problems facing your hardwood floors.

2. Keep it clean.
Next to temperature and humidity fluctuations, dirt and debris are the next biggest threat against your hardwood floors. Mud, dirt, dust, leaves, and other seasonal debris can build up on your floors and cause scrapes, scratches, and even wood rot. Keep your floors clean by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping when necessary.

3. Know your floors.
Another great way to prevent winter-related problems is to know the specifics of your hardwood floors. How long ago were they installed? Do they have a warranty? What species of wood are they? Are they prefinished or engineered? What have they been treated with? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you make decisions about how much time and money you want to invest in protecting your floors during the winter.

4. Use floor mats.
They're not just to welcome guests anymore! Floor mats help trap all the nasty dirt and debris that you and your family will inevitably track in during the cold winter months. Use them at every entrance.

5. Train your pets.
Dogs don't often know to wipe their paws on floor mats when they enter your house. Use treats and plenty of loving attention to train your four-legged friends to stay at the door until you get a chance to wipe their paws clean.

How are you planning on preparing your hardwood flooring for the winter months? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Questions? Contact Fantastic Floor today to talk to one of our knowledgeable representatives. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Fantastic Floor Presents: Heart Pine

Welcome back to your favorite hardwood flooring blog series, Fantastic Floor Presents. This week we're taking a closer look at a variety of wood that is extremely popular with modern residential and commercial interior designs - Heart Pine. Enjoy!

Heart Pine is a very sought-after variety of pine hardwood flooring. It is quite rare; in fact, a lot of the Heart Pine sold today is reclaimed from older sources. Many of the Heart Pine flooring products at Fantastic Floor are reclaimed from sources dating as far back as the Industrial Revolution. While reclaimed heart pine flooring is most often used in rustic design applications, the material can also be used for more formal or professional spaces as well.

One look at our collection of Heart Pine products and you'll see why it is a species in such high demand. The beautiful brown-orange complexion is mixed with soft yellows and tans. It has a tight vertical grain and occasional bluish-black sap stains that add a nice pop of visual intrigue to the floors.

Heart Pine is also a very dense hardwood flooring material and is naturally resistant to wood rot and boring insects. It has a Janka hardness rating of 1,225 pounds, slightly harder than similar species like Red Oak. Its hardness and density are major factors in making it one of the most durable floors you can buy.

Fantastic Floor features many varieties of Heart Pine, including reclaimed Antique Heart Pine, Wide Plank Pine, both Site Finished and Oil Prefinished, Distressed, Handscraped, Engineered, and Solid. View more photos of our amazing Heart Pine products on the Fantastic Floor Pinterest page, or visit our website at www.Fantastic-Floor.com/Hear-Pine-Flooring.

Questions? Give us a call at 888.448.9663 or leave us a comment below. We look forward to hearing from you!

4 Ways to Reduce Winter Floor Gaping

Cold, dry winter weather can really take its toll on hardwood flooring, causing most species of wood to dry out and shrink. This shrinking inevitably leads to gaps between boards, and despite the fact that it is naturally occurring, it's still pretty unattractive.

While there's no way to prevent hardwood floors from gaping entirely, there are a few precautions you can take to limit the frequency and severity of the gaps. The following are four simple steps you can take before and after installation to reduce the amount of gaping you'll see during those dry winter months:

1. Use the right wood.
Not all hardwood flooring varieties handle fluctuations in temperature and humidity the same. Solid hardwood flooring is generally much more susceptible to these seasonal changes than engineered flooring. Additionally, narrow boards tend to shrink less than wider boards, as does quartersawn flooring. Dimensional stability - the measure of a wood's tendency to expand and shrink - varies from species to species, meaning some hardwoods are going to experience gaping much less than others.
The best way to avoid massive floor gaps in the winter is to pick the right flooring for your climate. If you're really trying to avoid the problem, choose engineered flooring from a dimensionally stable species that has narrow boards. (Visit Fantastic-Floor.com to view engineered flooring products that fit this description.)

2. Reduce ventilation.
A well-ventilated house may be cool and fresh in the summer, but during the winter it means more chances of flooring gaping. When cold air from the outside is brought into a house and heat it loses quite a bit of moisture, drying out your floor and increasing the likelihood of gaping. By reducing your house's winter ventilation, you reduce the chances of gaping.

3. Increase moisture.
But what if we can't reduce our home's ventilation? Good question. The answer to that, of course, would be to increase the moisture levels in air. This can be done by using humidifiers. There are two common types of humidifiers - stand-alone units and units that are attached to central air systems. Because hardwood flooring is sensitive to overly-humid environments as well as overly-dry, you need to be careful when using a humidifier. Contact a hardwood flooring professional before attempting to regulate your home's humidity levels.

4. Plan for gaping anyway.
Sometimes the best way to avoid disappointment is to accept the inevitable. Yes, your hardwood flooring will gap in the winter. Aside from the above-mentioned steps, there isn't a lot you can do to prevent it. You can, however, plan for the gaping. If you have a room that experiences gaping more than others you can add a rug or move some furniture around to cover the gaps. You can also just learn to live with it, resting in the knowledge that come spring your floor boards will expand again and the gaps will close up.

Have you experienced winter floor gaping before? How did you deal with the problem? Leave us a comment and let us know!

4 Common Molding Types [INFOGRAPHIC]

At Fantastic Floor, we pride ourselves in our beautiful, high-quality hardwood flooring products. From prefinished to solid to engineered, we carry only the best hardwood flooring materials available. We also pride ourselves in our extensive knowledge of the hardwood flooring industry. We can answer questions about installation, maintenance, and, of course, the products themselves.

One of the common questions we get from homeowners - especially DIYers - is which type of hardwood floor moldings are the best. There are many different types of hardwood moldings, and each serves a specific purpose. In fact, there are so many different types of moldings that picking the right one for the job can be a confusing and frustrating endeavor!

Well, never fear. We've put together a beautiful new infographic that explains the four most common types of hardwood floor moldings. We hope you like it!

Right click and select "Open in new tab" to view full-size.