Madera Floors provides professional quality wood flooring services including installation, sanding, refinishing, repairs, maintenance, and custom design. At Madera, we only use the highest quality materials/finishes and are always up to date on technological advancements in the wood floor industry. We target contractors, designers, corporate clients, and homeowners in the Northern VA, MD and D.C. areas. Madera’s goal is to meet our client’s budget and timeline while exceeding expectations, thus resulting in repeat business.

Madera Floors specializes in custom finishing, installations and material sourcing for all of your hardwood flooring needs. As flooring contractors, we are always abreast of new techniques and materials in the industry, which allows us to grow while remaining environmentally friendly. As a certified CMP installer we can also perform self-leveling concrete installations. Every project represents our organization; hence our great strides to achieve perfection on each individual project.

Hardwood floors are an investment that will last for a long time with the proper installation and care. There are different modes of installation for engineered wood strips, solid wood strips, and parquet. With all modes of installation moisture testing is imperative to ensure proper installation. Installation can be a painstaking process but we take pride in leaving your home or business looking as beautiful as we found it. Our expert technicians have seen every situation and are proficient in the three different types of installation for hardwood flooring.

Nail Down/Staple Installation In this method we nail down or staple solid or engineered wood strips to the sub-flooring (usually either plywood or plank wood). The floor is done with random length strips. A few strips are placed down and arranged prior to fastening to ensure proper placement and tautness.Glue Down Installation In this method we glue down engineered wood strips or parquet directly to the sub-floor. In these cases the subfloor is usually concrete, so we pay extra attention to moisture.

With glue down installations, it is important to consider any kind of allergies and sensitivities to smell. We use an acrylic based glue which is more mild than some of the other options. Glue down installations can be walked on the next day and furniture can also be moved in.

Floating Installation In this method we glue together the tongue and groove of every plank and the floor floats over a foam cushioned padding. If the flooring has a locking system we can lock the pieces together without glue. This can be used with either laminate or engineered wood floor, but either way the flooring is pre-finished. Not all engineered surfaces can be floated. Floating installation can also be placed over sub-flooring of questionable quality unlike the other two modes. Also, floating floors are a great option if you have multiple layers of flooring and do not want to remove them all. With floating installation the wear layer is important to consider as the thicker the layer the more times it can be refinished. Generally, laminate flooring gives a hollow feeling underfoot with this mode of installation. Remember that floating floors expand and contract as a unit because the pieces are fused together. Allow for as much expansion area as possible.

Refinishing and sanding your hardwood floors is necessary to preserve their quality and beauty. Any refinishing is done solely to enhance the woods natural color and protect it from the elements. The best time to sand and refinish your hardwood floors is when you move into a new house or apartment as all of the furniture, rugs, etc. need to be removed from the area during the process. Proper refinishing should last about 10 years. However, high traffic rooms will need to be done more often.

Pre-finished Hardwood Floors These are the new main stream products in hardwood flooring. They can be acrylic impregnated, engineered, or solid. They have a tough factory finish, which is the main reason for its popularity. They are also extremely easy to install and eliminate the need for messy sanding. Most pre-finished floors done within the last ten years are urethane finished. Test this by placing a couple drops of water on an obscure area. If the area turns white after 15 minutes, you have a waxed finish. Older floors are likely to have shellac or varnish finishes. Unfortunately these do not work well with the newer urethane finishes and must be completely removed if you want a urethane finish. There is also likely to be some amount of aluminum oxide in the newer prefinished floors.

 Unfinished Hardwood This type of flooring comes in solid and engineered, and both must be job site finished. They come in varying lengths and widths. Sanding and finishing can take anywhere from a few days to a week depending on size, stain, and number of top finish coats. Generally the finishes are oil or water based. Our first priority is to protect the beauty of your home so whether you have finished or unfinished floors, we section off other areas and furniture to prevent sanding dust from spreading throughout your home. Our expert technicians also use dust containment systems to limit the amount of dust in the air. And with refinishing, it is important to have as little air flow as possible in the area as airborne particles can become embedded into the newly applied finish. Something as simple as foot traffic or turning on the air conditioner/heating system can kick up dust. So it is better to allow more time to dry to avoid problem areas in your floors.

Many things can happen to a floor over the years. Termites, cable holes, leaky roofs, sink overflows, cats, dogs and reconfigured spaces can leave holes or very odd-looking stains in your hardwood. All is not lost!

Boards can be replaced in such a way that no one will be able to tell that new wood has been added to the floors. When replacing boards, we take care to lace the new boards in with the old ones, so there is not a square or rectangle shape where the boards have been replaced.Other precautions are taken to match up the wood as best as possible. As wood ages, it darkens. This is why we purchase reclaimed wood in various sizes and species. If aged wood is not available for your floor, we take care to stain the boards that we are replacing to match the color of your existing floor as close as possible.

Custom Wood Floors are a medium of specialty floor coverings that includes, but not limited to these Types of Custom Wood Floors: Accents, Borders, Domestic Species, Exotic Species, Feature Strip, Inlays, Marquetry, Mixed Media, Medallions & Crest, Painted or stenciled, Parquet, Parquetry, Plank, Reclaimed & Recovered,Distressed, Specialty Products, Stained-Tinted or Colors Developed during the middle ages in Europe, elaborate designs, borders, inlays & medallions were crafted for significant buildings such as castles, & monasteries. Today these wood flooring styles are reflected in the modern day manufacturing and can be enhanced with something as simple as a strip border around the perimeter of the room or as ornate as a coat of arms in a foyer or a great room. Using exotic woods from around the world, these custom designs & patterns can add to and become the center focal point of any room. Giving each room a Custom-one-of-a-kind wood floor. Custom designs can give a homeowner a “one-of-a-kind” floor and is a wonderful way to put your personality and individual character in a home. The choices of pattern, design, exotic woods sources and an artistic flare can provide a limitless number of possibilities.

Floors with oil and urethane-type finishes are extremely durable. With just minimal care your floor will look beautiful for years to come. The key to preserving your floor is protecting its finish. Hardwood floors require minimal care, but it is important that you provide regular care.

Visit us online at: www.maderafloors.com

Visit our blog at: www.maderafloors.blogspot.com

Thanks

Madera Floors. Fairfax, VA.

Unfinished or prefinished hardwood floors?

It is not easy task to  decide what kind of hardwood floors install in your house. There is a lot of different kinds of floors, there are domestic floors like oak, cheery, maple, walnut and exotic such as Brazilian cheery, bamboo, teak and much more. You can see samples of hardwood floors in the showrooms or order one online and compare the look. Make sure you take in consideration the hardness of the wood.
Here is the list, the higher the number the harder the wood:

Ipe / Brazilian Walnut /  Lapacho                        3684
Cumaru / Brazilian Teak                                   3540
Ebony                                                                       3220
2900
Red Mahogany, Turpentine                                   2697
Brazilian Cherry  / Jatoba                                   2350
Santos Mahogany, Bocote, Cabreuva           2200                                                       
Cameron                                                           1940
Rosewood                                                           1780
Kempas                                                           1710
Wenge, Red Pine                                                   1630
Zebrawood                                                            1575
Hard Maple / Sugar Maple                                   1450
Natural Bamboo (represents one species)            1380
White Oak                                                           1360
Ash (White)                                                           1320
American Beech                                               1300
Red Oak (Northern)                                              1290
Carbonized Bamboo  (represents one species)      1180
Cocobolo                                                           1136
Teak                                                                       1000
Douglas Fir                                                           660
Larch                                                                       590
Chestnut                                                           540
Eastern White Pine                                               380

After you have chosen which species you like you have to decide from unfinished or prefinished hardwood floors.

Unfinished floors are very much like prefinished the only difference is that the actual wood is sanded and finished after install at your home. If you decide for prefinished, the floor boards will be finished at the factory so after installation you don’t need to deal with sanding, dust and long wait.
If you remodel your home and don’t live in it, sanding is not a problem, you might consider unfinished wood. Unfinished hardwood floors are considered the top quality product on the flooring market. Unfinished wood can be installed with all kinds of design; boards can run in different directions, unfinished floors can have borders. You can have the medallion installed when you decide for unfinished floors. You can choose from different shines of the finish: satin, which nowadays is very popular and gives contemporary look to your house semi-gloss or high-gloss. You can choose water based finish which is environmentally friendly and creates better air quality in you home ,oiled based finishes are widely used for hardwood floors and are considered little harder then water based. After the process of installation, sanding and finishing the floor will be smooth, the seams between the boards will be tight and most importantly there is not going to be a bevel of any kind on the seams. This is an important difference between unfinished and prefinished floors. Unfinished floors will not have a bevel so there is no place for debris to collect. If the unfinished floors are incorrectly installed or wood is exposed to extremely big difference of moisture and temperature, floor boards will shrink and expand this will create a gap between boards. This is why it is important to hire experienced ,licensed hardwood floor contractor.
Prefinished floors are fast to install and your floor contractor will not sand it at your house so if you live in the house while during the project. You can get eco friendly prefinished floor such as bamboo or cork. Remember you will be limited to linear design and there will be a bevel between the boards so if you get light wood you might have dirt collecting inside the bevels of the floor boards.
Prefinished hardwood floors have finish already on the boards, make sure you are getting the floor that has hard finish, aluminum oxide it very commonly used and is in most cases harder then the regular finish that your floor contractor will apply at home. Prefinished floors are usually more affordable and the selection is very wide, there are exotic species, boards come with the variety of colors and width, can be smooth or hand scraped.
Both unfinished and prefinished floors can be refinished in the future, make sure to  ask your hardwood floor installer how many times you can refinish the floor he is suggesting. Solid unfinished floors can be refinished in general 5 times. Prefinished floors come in a different thickness, some prefinished floors are very thin and there is not enough material to refinish. This is an important factor when you decide because it is always good to be able to refinish hardwood floor. You might think it is expensive to go with unfinished floor but think that you can refinish it 5 times this gives you at least 20 years, so if you save a little bit and go with prefinished floors you might end up replacing it in 5 years and if the floor you have chosen can not be refinished you will have to pay again for a new floor. Refinishing is of course more affordable then new floor.

In the wood flooring industry, the term ‘old growth’ continues to be the subject of interpretation and controversy. At Madera Floors we make it our business to know more about wood than any other company, and to educate our customers so that they can make more informed purchasing decisions. We frequently address questions about ‘old growth’ trees, especially in relation to reclaimed timber. In fact, we have talked with many consumers who thought the terms meant the same thing and were misled into thinking their old growth flooring was the same as our antique reclaimed flooring. Here we define some of the terms and address questions surrounding the mystery of ‘old growth’.

Old Growth refers to established forests that, up until the time trees are cut, have had little or no disruption. Advocates of cutting old growth timbers suggest that pruning selected trees is good for the forest. We disagree. Old growth forests maintain themselves through a natural process that does not include cutting into the delicate fabric woven by nature.

How Old is “Old” Growth? The actual age that determines “old” growth varies depending on the specie, but it refers to the age at which a tree has reached its maturity. For an eastern white pine, it is between 130-150 years, while many of the hardwoods reach maturity at 80 years. But, what is most important is that at maturity and thereafter the old growth tree is still contributing to the ecosystem in which it lives.

Virgin Growth refers to dense stands of various species of hardwood or pine trees that are indigenous to their habitat; they have never been harvested. Many virgin forests are protected, but tragically there are also many that are still being cut today for purposes that include mass-produced wood flooring. Essentially, virgin timber is old growth that has never been cut, while old growth may or may not be virgin timber.

Reclaimed Wood is also referred to as Antique wood, and for us the terms are interchangeable when describing the wood we use to make our floors. We agree that old growth flooring is beautiful; however, we prefer to reuse this majestic timber that was originally cut to build structures that have shaped our history in the United States and in interesting places all over the world.

“Deconstruction” is the core of the reclaimed wood industry. The emphasis is on utilizing materials that have outlived their usefulness and would otherwise be demolished, discarded or left to decay. Deconstruction helps to close the resource loop that we now realize is so valuable in this world of finite resources.In recycling this precious material there is a significant positive environmental impact.

Deconstruction differs from ‘demolition’ in that it is a painstaking process involving the selective dismantlement of building components. We work with experts who carefully manage dismantling projects to preserve the grand dimensions of the beams, posts and floor joists; this will be reflected in your floor as we work to maintain the superior widths and lengths of these ancient timbers.

Demolition, on the other hand, is unfortunately the more common method of taking down a building. Implosion or ‘wrecking-ball’ style demolition is relatively inexpensive and offers a quick method of clearing sites for new structures. Consequently this process results in significant waste and unusable material.

For more information please visit our website at

www.maderafloors.com or our blog www.maderafloors.blogspot.com

Thanks

Epoxy coatings have been used successfully in swimming pools, laundries, warehouses, garages, and various types of shops for decades. Now they are being used increasingly in kennels with fine skid resistant textured surfaces that are still easy to mop and squeegee clean.

Kennel epoxy floors can be flooded, pressure washed and scrubbed back into service in minutes. Mold, bacteria, and contaminants can be rinsed off. The surfaces are impervious to penetration by liquid-born contaminants. Even diesel, gas, and oil will not penetrate them and can be washed or wiped up. Old technology floorings, including paint, carpeting, vinyl tile, linoleum, and wood, are subject to such severe contamination and damage if flood cleansing is used.

New designs in kennels offer beautiful flood-proof epoxy coated flooring from wall to wall, often including coated vertical surfaces to help further contain liquids. The beauty of kennel epoxy flooring can be enhanced and personalized by using colors. Colored chips, glitter, decorative stains, and artwork and decals can be laminated into these attractive floors. Kennel epoxy flooring is a solid choice when building or remodeling kennel spaces.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials that are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

You’ll take the checker flag every time when you show off your collector cars on a checkerboard floor.

Now the Internet can get you complete quotes with step-by-step instructions on how to put down the checkerboard floor you have always dreamed of. By being artistic, you can make concrete floors develop character and give you easy maintenance. All too often collectors fail to take full creative advantage of their facilities largest single surface, their floors. Epoxy coatings can not only give you the ease of maintenance associated with a class III laboratory floor surface but great individualized looks as well.

Your project will start by measuring your floors, length and width. Then decide on the size and color of the squares that you want. 24″ x 24″ squares will be less work than 12″ x 12″ and will not give that tile look. The color can be traditional black and white, but if you have a blue car, dark blue might be the answer. Naturally, if you’re going to do the work to achieve a custom checkerboard floor you want it to last. Just as with that glowing car finish, we all know that it is prep, prep, and prep that make the difference between a good job and a great job.

Ever notice how when you walk across concrete in your socks they get all dusty on the bottoms. That’s because concrete continuously deteriorates and breaks apart leaving the garage dusty like your socks. A few dips of oil on concrete might still be seen years later as the oil soaks into porous concrete. But if you seal the floor with an epoxy coating that adheres well to the concrete because your prep job was good, you can just wipe off oil, gas, and dirt with a rag. You can hose out and squeegee that garage floor to a clean shiny surface in minutes.

Your prep should include a high alkaline cleaner used with a rotary scrubber and a black pad or stiff Nilo grit type concrete brush. Your prep should include a high alkaline degreaser to bring the pH of the floor up to nearly 12 as it removes the left over adhesive and contaminants. Then you shock the concrete and contaminants into letting go by switching to scrubbing with an acidic cleaner containing water softeners, detergents, and rinse agents that bring the floor down to a pH of 3.5. This jump in pH will force contaminants and vulnerable cement particles to release from the floor. The acidic cleaner also opens the floor up to allow the epoxy top coats to create a strong long-lasting bond. A final scrub rinse and the floor is ready to dry and start accepting repairs and artistic coloring.

First you should coat the entire floor with two coats of your light color. You can screen between coats with your scrubber to remove any sand, bugs or contaminants that fell into the first coat. Next pull a chalk line diagonally through the widest part of your floor to set your pattern. Now lay down any size template squares side by side in two rows along the chalk line, and remove every other one. Using blue tape, place paper that is cut one inch smaller than your templates, setting them in the open squares. Tape the paper masking down with blue tape and move on. Once complete, you just walk on the paper and use a roller and brush to fill in the open squares. Note that for best results, brush from the tape towards the center to avoid getting epoxy leaking under your tape. One coat of your dark color should be sufficient. Once you have filled in all the open squares with your dark color be sure to remove the tape and masking paper. You don’t want to glue that tape to your floor.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials including checkerboard templates in 24″ x 24″ size that are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For high-resolution photo examples, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/checkerboard

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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As companies attempt to retrofit floor spaces walls, carpeting and vct tile are often removed or repositioned. As a result renovations often end up exposing large areas of adhesives, under laments, and spauling holes form anchors, studding and equipment. Now there is a solution with step by step instructions and help.

Often remodels can see no alternative but to reinstall similar adhesives and floor coverings like carpet and tile. Not only is this often expensive but provides pour ware and clean ability compared to hard Epoxy, Urethane and Glass emulsion services.

Even the most devastated floors can be brought up to level easy to maintain surfaces with hard long lasting seals that are attractive and cost effective. Renovators are often surprised how holes from old walls, and equipment stands can be made do disappear when filled with 100% solid epoxy and ground flush. The process is quick, easy and long lasting. Why would you fill with cheep cement products when you can get lasting results with the same or less labor, using epoxy fillers.

If concrete is exposed to ware it will eventually deteriorate. Friction ware, erosion, and contamination all can play a role in seeing a serviceable floor create problems. Dust, cracks, crumbling, ruff surfaces, and the inability to keep the environment clean are symptoms of a floor that has not been protected and is moving towards an unserviceable condition. Carpeting often hold your contaminants in place and can be a growth medium for mold and mildew. Vinyl tile can not hold up under heavy wheeled traffic, is subject o lifting when wet, and has a soft finish which too often is contaminated by solvents and dies.

Laminated coatings can create a ware barrier between a floor and its environment. These laminated services not only keep the concrete from warring but also provide a protective plate between it and its environment. Contaminants, and hazards, like PCB’s heavy metals, toxic chemicals and the like are kept out to porous concrete with a protective plastic layer. If applied well these laminated surfaces can provide decades of protection and service.

Durall Industial Flooring has installed floors that have provided over a decade of ware in high activity industries like Printing. Multi million dollar presses need to run 24/7 to pay for their high investment costs. There is no opportunity for shut downs and repairs or resurfacing. Companies like Japs Olson Printing have decade old Durall floors that are used 24hours a day, an are still protecting the concrete from ware, and are providing a clearable slow dust environment. The same is true for Airlines, Food processing plants and Breweries served by Durall Industial Flooring.

If your industry requires long ware and service you need to do the job right the first time. You need to protect your investment in your floors, and your long-term ability to keep in production.

Professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor. Visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at www.concrete-floor-coatings.com. This full-service concept allows anyone to enjoy the benefits of industrial strength floors successfully.

Durall Industial Flooring is different than others that make industrial flooring products. Instead of advising you to “apply to a clean surface” we are in the business of helping our clients to achieve that surface. Durall Industial Flooring, can provide adhesive removers, oil removing detergents, durable long lasting epoxy fillers for holes, joints, cracks, and crumbling surfaces. Durall provides factory-direct support for these products. Kits of materials are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts. Durall Industial Flooring helps its clients restore floors to a smooth easy to maintain surfaces with over 500 specialty chemical cleaning and application products.

For photo examples and more detail, visit www.concrete-floor-coatings.comFor more information, contact Harvey Chichester at harvey@durallfmg.com Phone: 800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)