| |
| |
|
Home Improvement Information |
|
|
|
How To Select Scraped//Distressed Hardwood Flooring
Hand-scraped and Distressed hardwood floors are becoming a popular choice in today's upscale homes and commercial buildings. These floors are a newer trend but are rooted in history. Before today's modern sanding methods, floors were hand scraped on site to make the floors flat. Today's hand scraping is done to add texture, richness and uniqueness. Distressed hardwood flooring is done by machine or by hand. In an effort to reduce high labor costs, manufacturers have created machine-made distressed/scraped looking floors. These are cheaper imitations of the real thing. The problem with machine distressing is repetition of the pattern. As you look across the floor you see the same pattern repeating across the floor. This lacks a natural feel to the floor. True hand scraped is exactly that - done by hand. When properly done this method creates a truly unique floor. These floors differ greatly in the amount of the texture added to the floor and the skill of the person scraping the floor. Some manufacturers are just denting, scooping, or roughing the floor. Others are sanding the floor unevenly to create a worn look. Still others are scraping the entire surface of the flooring creating the most unique hand made look. Some product lines allow the customer to choose between heavy, medium and light scraping. True artisans can create a reclaimed look complete with wormholes, splits and other naturally occurring character markings. The labor used in hand scraping varies greatly. Some floor installers simply have their crew scrape the floor after it is installed in the home. Results vary widely based on the skill of the person or persons doing the scraping. Lack of control and expertise can lead to disastrous results. Scraping is a plant environment is also varied. Some are using illegal immigrants for the scraping labor; one company uses the federal prison system, smartly not advertised as such. Yet another uses Pennsylvania Amish craftsman to create their Amish Hand-Scraped collection. Some homeowners are buying scraped floors unfinished and applying the finish on site, but most are choosing prefinished. These floors require special methods to prepare the floor for finishing. Regular on site sanding can destroy the texture of the floor that the customer is paying for. The most expensive lines are being finished by hand sometimes referred to as "hand rubbed". Most of the prefinished floors are excellent and create convenience and speed of installation for the contractor and homeowner alike. One of the great benefits of a prefinished floor is the ability of each plank to move independently with the changes of humidity in the home. On site finishing bonds the finish between planks requiring the finish to split as the floor contracts at dry humidity levels. These cracks rarely create a problem and are natural in hardwood floors, they are less noticeable in prefinished microbevelled floors. Scraped floors that have darker finished tend to show the scraping more than natural finished floors. This is due to the finish pooling in the scrapes causing shadows drawing your attention to the character in the floor. Most hardwood flooring manufacturers have web sites showing the consumer what the floors look like. Many have displays at dealers near your home so you can actually see and touch what you are buying. Hand scraped floors are not cheap. They are for those looking for a truly unique look. The cheaper machine made distressed hardwood floors material can retail around $10 per square foot. You will pay $15 and up per square foot for hand scraped. With most things in life, the real thing is hard to imitate and most people know a fake when they see it. A true hand scraped floor will give a unique, warm, rich look to your home and will be an absolute guaranteed conversation piece with your friends and guests. About The Author Doug Bolton is the owner of Homerwood Hardwood Flooring, located in the heart of the Pennsylvania hardwood region - Titusville PA. You can learn more by visiting their website at http://www.homerwood.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Laminate Flooring Is Attractive And Long Lasting Laminate flooring is perfect for people who want to install a floor covering that is easy to install and combines the rich look of hardwood with the easy care of a laminate counter top. Laminate floors that have been constantly gaining popularity since their creation a few years ago. Choosing A New Floor Is it time to give that tired kitchen floor a face lift? Are you looking for just the right finishing touch for your new living room? The floor you choose can brighten a dark room, make a small one appear larger, or set the mood and tone for the rest of your decorating. There are so many flooring options available on the market these days that you're biggest problem will be deciding which floor you like best! Here are a few suggestions to ease your decision process. Thinking of Remodeling Your Kitchen? If you like to cook, or even if you just do it from necessity, having a homely, organized, and modern kitchen is probably important to you. Although, the traditionally kitchens are still out there, there are so many new, modern elements that can add luxury and class and convenience to any home. Choosing a Home Construction or Remodeling Contractor Choosing the right Contractor is the most important aspect of any home construction project. You must take your time and do your research to find a good qualified contractor if you want excellent quality at a fair price. Removing Your Old Sliding Glass Door Last week I explained how to measure your existing sliding glass door so you can order the vinyl replacement door. This week I am going to go over the steps required to remove the old sliding door before installing the new door. Bakers Racks Add Flair And Style To Your Kitchen Many items a person can add to the kitchen are stylish and functional. Bakers racks fit this description nicely. Interconnects for Your Audio/Video System - Choosing The Proper Cables Research & DevelopmentI began designing audio and video interconnect cables in 1988. I was asked to develop custom interconnects for discriminating audio and videophiles, who wanted to see and hear the quality of their components and the source material without added personality from their interconnects. Use Air Filters and Common Sense for Allergy Relief Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? If you are one of the millions of people that do, air filters and air purifiers provide much needed relief. Do you have smokers in the house? Air filters or air purifiers get rid of smoke and odor in your home. Deck Design - Why Firm Foundations Are Essential Preparing a deck design for your backyard is all the rage as a home improvement project for this summer, however there is great temptation to build a pallet like structure that just sits on the ground outside your back door.Yes there are many ways to prepare the ground so that an unconnected deck design structure will sit level to the ground, for example by using concrete slabs in four corners. Feng Shui Your Home, Work and Life For Balance and Harmony Feng Shui describes the communication that takes place every day between you and your environment, be it your home, garden or work. This discipline investigates the universal feelings and reactions of human beings to all environments, including our world. Replacing Your Sliding Glass Door Rollers If the sliding glass doors in your home are more than 10 years old, you might notice that they are becoming harder to slide open. This problem is even more common on aluminum frame dual pane doors. 3 Great Reasons to Shop for Home Lighting Online If you are a consumer who knows just what brand or style of lighting fixtures you are looking to buy, the internet can save you money. Conversely, if you are just learning about what lighting fixtures, interior and exterior, are available for your home, the internet is a great place to get educated. Acting As Your Own General Contractor When Building Your Dream Home This article is intended for the DIY (Do It Yourself) home builder; however, it is very useful information for the new home buyer to understand what processes you can monitor even if you are not acting as the general contractor and hiring a general contractor. For the inexperienced DIY home builder, acting as a general contractor is one of the most stressful things anyone can undertake. Electrical Safety and Power Tools Power tools are one of the greatest conveniences for getting handyman jobs and professional jobs done quickly, but since power tools often run on electricity, it is essential that safety instructions are followed.Here are a few quick power tool safety tips. Duct Cleaning - Proper Principals and Practices As a qualified duct cleaning contractor I have discovered that most homeowners feel that they are very uninformed when it come to the principals and practices of proper air duct cleaning hygiene.Let me begin by saying that the EPA as well as the National air duct cleaners association have stated that residential duct cleaning should take no less than between 4 and 8 hours to complete, anything short of that and you are probably not getting a thorough job. How to Paint Your Own Artwork - And Save Money Everyone wants to save money. Don't you? Well, painting your own, color matched art can be a lot easier than you might think!Usually the picture that you want for your room will have an outrageous price. What To Look For In USPS Mailboxes High quality residential and commercial mailboxes areavailable in styles that meet the new standards set by theUnites States Postal Service. Postal certified mailboxesare becoming a necessary addition to your home or business. Change The Style Of Your Interior With A Minimum Of Costs The style of your interior depends for a great part on the decoration on the walls. Using the right picture on the right place can make your room look bigger. Selecting Color Schemes Choosing a color scheme for a room can be a daunting task at times, especially if nothing about the room initially jumps out at you. If you find yourself without a particular color preference for a room, you might begin by picking color combinations that are inspired by a favorite fabric pattern. Building Permits and Inspections Probably the most intimidating part of building your own house is the permit process. Not only do the the requirements vary from township to township, but at times the decisions made seem so subjective that we find ourselves seething in frustration.
|
|
// ********************************************************************
// Paste this block of code on your web page where you would like text
// links to be displayed. This code will dynamically add and remove text
// links on your web page according to your BackLinks.com settings.
// ********************************************************************
// The following variable defines whether links are opened in a new window
// (1 = Yes, 0 = No)
$OpenInNewWindow = "1";
// ********************************************************************
// Please DO NOT modify anything below
// ********************************************************************
$BLKey = "XLLR-V044-KFSV";
$QueryString = "LinkUrl=".urlencode((($_SERVER['HTTPS']=='on')?'https://':'http://').$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'].$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']);
$QueryString .= "&Key=" .urlencode($BLKey);
$QueryString .= "&OpenInNewWindow=" .urlencode($OpenInNewWindow);
if(intval(get_cfg_var('allow_url_fopen')) && function_exists('readfile')) {
@readfile("http://www.backlinks.com/engine.php?".$QueryString);
}
elseif(intval(get_cfg_var('allow_url_fopen')) && function_exists('file')) {
if($content = @file("http://www.backlinks.com/engine.php?".$QueryString))
print @join('', $content);
}
elseif(function_exists('curl_init')) {
$ch = curl_init ("http://www.backlinks.com/engine.php?".$QueryString);
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, 0);
curl_exec ($ch);
if(curl_error($ch))
print "Error processing request";
curl_close ($ch);
}
else {
print "It appears that your web host has disabled all functions for handling remote pages and as a result the BackLinks software will not function on your web page. Please contact your web host for more information.";
}
?>
Fatal error: Cannot redeclare class TNX_l in /home/wwwdoct/public_html/ifoundacontractor.com/inc/bottom.inc on line 53 |