Benefits of End-Matched Hardwood Flooring

If you're researching hardwood flooring you've probably come across the term "end-matched hardwood flooring" in your search for the perfect floor. End-matching is standard on most flooring shorter than eight feet as well as strip or narrow-width flooring. But what is end-matching, exactly? Glad you asked. The following is a brief explanation of end-matching, as well as some of the benefits of choosing end-matched hardwood flooring. Enjoy!

What is end-matched hardwood flooring?
End-matched is a term that describes the process of double-end trimming a plank of wood and, through a special process, precision milling a tongue-and-groove on the plank ends. It is an industry standard for boards under eight feet in length. There are a number of benefits to end-matched hardwood floors, such as:

1. Cuts down on installation time.
End-matching eliminates the need to cut each plank end during installation. Instead, the plank ends fit together nicely in their pre-cut tongue-and-grooves, saving a lot of time on the installation process.

2. Cuts down on labor costs.
When you're having new hardwood flooring installed, time is money. Since end-matched hardwood floors take less time to install than planks that have not been end-matched, you save both time and money.

3. Allows for a more consistent appearance.
The tongue-and-groove edges of end-matched hardwood floors allow the boards to fit together very snugly. This, combined with micro-bevel edges, makes the floor appear flatter and gives it a more consistent color and grain appearance.

Still have questions about end-matched hardwood flooring? Give us a call at 888-448-9663, or email us at customer.service@fantastic-floor.com. We can't wait to help you pick the perfect floor!

Luxury Laminate Flooring Sale - Take 50% Off!

Laminate flooring has gained popularity amongst homeowners over the past ten years or so, and for good reason. It's beautiful, durable, and it's one of the least expensive flooring products you can find. Here at The Fantastic Floor, we pride ourselves in the many high-quality luxury laminates we carry, and for a limited time we've got some of our best-sellers on sale for up to 50% off!

Here are just a few of the gorgeous and long-lasting luxury laminates we have on sale:

Want to learn more? Visit our Luxury Laminate Sale page on our website, or give us a call at 1-888-448-9663. We can't wait to help you pick the perfect laminate floor!

Fantastic Floor Presents: Bloodwood

Welcome to this month's Fantastic Floor Presents, where we direct our spotlight on the finest hardwoods in the industry! Our last installment focused on the highly versatile Morado, a beautiful hardwood known for its use in everything from guitars to flooring. This month we turn our thoughts to another gorgeous and durable flooring product: Bloodwood!

Ranging from a subdued and grayish red to much darker reds, Bloodwood hardwood contains some of the deepest crimson tones in flooring. With these shades comes a luster that is sure to enhance any setting, as well as compliment to almost any fixture or piece of furniture in the room. To the touch, this South American hardwood is smooth as can be, but it's also one of the most durable. With a Janka hardness rating of 2,900, Bloodwood is nearly 140 percent stronger than Red Oak. This spectacular combination of beauty and invincibility makes it one of the best species of flooring to turn to when you're looking for a long-lasting, attractive new addition to your home.

Want to learn more about this attractive hardwood flooring species? Visit the Bloodwood hardwood flooring page on the Fantastic Floor website, or give us a call at 1-888-448-9663. We can't wait to help you pick your perfect floor!

Hardwood Flooring Grades Explained [INFOGRAPHIC]

"Just what are hardwood flooring grades, anyway?"

It's a question we hear a lot at Fantastic Floor, and the answer surprises a lot of people who hear it. Most people assume hardwood grades refer to the quality of the wood in question, but that isn't the case. Instead, hardwood flooring grades refer to the overall color variation in the wood. The higher the grade, the more consistent the color. No one grade is better than another; the "best" grade for you is the one that you like the most.

At Fantastic Floor, our boards come in one of six varieties. Here is a great graphic showing examples of the various kinds of grades and explaining the differences between them. Enjoy!

The Best Rustic Hardwood Flooring Options

Rustic hardwood flooring has been a rising trend in interior design for years, and for good reason. The slight imperfections common in distressed and rustic hardwood flooring add character, beauty, and a specific history to your floors. Rustic floors are also surprisingly complementary, both matching a similarly rustic design scheme or giving a striking counterbalance to a more modern room decor. At Fantastic Floor, we have a huge collection of rustic hardwood flooring products in a wide variety of styles, colors, and species of wood. Here are five of our favorites:

Distressed acacia flooring features a beautiful assortment of colors, from dark brown heartwood to vibrant orange and yellow accents. The wood is streaked with an exotic grain pattern that seems to swim through the boards, giving the floors an almost fluid feel.

A more subtle rustic flooring choice, antique maple hardwood features bright yellow-brown heartwood that is occasionally tinged with reddish-brown accents. It has a very subdued grain pattern and a fine, uniform texture, making it a great complement to pretty much and room design scheme.

Dark, rich, and mysterious, Apache walnut hardwood flooring adds a stylish, dramatic flair to any room. The chocolate brown heartwood is offset by an even darker grain pattern that whirls and flows gracefully across the boards.

Smoked white oak is a rustic spin on the traditional white oak flooring that has been popular in America for centuries. A bit darker than its traditional counterpart, smoked white oak still features light tones and a crisp, tight grain pattern.

Distressed hickory hardwood embraces all the different shades and grain patterns featured in traditional hickory and proudly puts them front and center. The varying shades of brown in hickory make it a visually-striking flooring option that can still be paired with a wide variety of interior design schemes.

Visit the Fantastic Floor website to view our entire Rustic Hardwood Flooring Collection. What is your favorite variety? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Fantastic Floor Presents: Morado

Welcome back to Fantastic Floor Presents, the best hardwood spotlight series on the web! Last month we took a look at African Cedar, one of our lesser-known hardwood varieties. This month we're featuring a South American beauty that has a wide variety of applications: Morado!

Morado hardwood flooring, also known as Brazilian Rosewood, is known first and foremost for its beauty. Its dark violet heartwood is often streaked with striking ribbons of rich chocolate browns and creamy tans. It has an interlocked grain that is sometimes wavy, sometimes straight, and a texture that ranges anywhere from very fine to quite coarse. It is so beautiful, in fact, that it used for many decorative applications, such as veneers, cabinets, and specialty items such as guitars:

bowls:

and tissue boxes, apparently:

But Morado hardwood isn't just about beauty. It's also quite tough. It boasts a Janka hardness rating of 2,400 lbs., making it similar in hardness to Para Rosewood, Brazilian Cherry, and Santos Mahogany. The wood is of  medium density - about 880 KG/m3 - which is denser than almost all of the Fantastic Floor domestic hardwoods and a few other exotics as well.

Want to learn more about this sexy South American hardwood? Visit the Morado Hardwood Flooring page on the Fantastic Floor website or give us a call at 1-888-448-9663. We can't wait to help you pick the perfect floor!

How Should I Clean My Prefinished Hardwood Floors?

A lot of homeowners with newly-installed hardwood floors have the same question: How can I clean my new prefinished hardwood flooring without damaging the wood or the finish? Well, luckily for homeowners, cleaning prefinished hardwood floors is a lot easier than some people imagine it to be. The following are three simples steps you can take to make sure your new prefinished floors look great for years to come.

Vacuum/Sweep
This is the easiest and most commonly overlooked way to keep your prefinished floors looking great. Dirt, dust, and debris can build up on hardwood flooring and leave unsightly scratches and scrapes. Sweeping or vacuuming on a regular basis may be a pain, but it's the best way to protect your new floor's finish. Sidenote: If you're going to vacuum, make sure your vacuum has rubber wheels, otherwise it might cause more scratches than it prevents.

Clean Spills Immediately
Standing water (or any other liquid, really) is one of the biggest threats prefinished hardwood flooring can face. If not properly dealt with, a spill can seep through the floor's finish, damaging it and discoloring the wood. Making sure you clean up spills as soon as they happen will help preserve your floors' finish and avoid stains and discolorations.

Use Appropriate Cleaner
Sometimes sweeping just won't cut it. We get that. If you must mop or scrub, make sure you use an appropriate cleaner. We like DuraSeal's Hardwood Floor Cleaner - it was specifically made for use on prefinished floors, including floors with polyurethane and waterbased finishes. Using such a cleaner on occasion can help get rid of dirt, grime, and other times of built up without leaving a cloudy soap residue. Make sure to check with your hardwood manufacturer before using, though - they may have product suggestions of their own.

Here's a great video demonstrating some of the ways you can keep your floors clean and looking like new:

 

Do you have problems keeping your prefinished hardwood floors looking like new? Leave us a comment and tell us your story!