Infloormation

Do you want to achieve a traditional look for your kitchen? How about a European country feel for your living room? Or how about a casual room for your kids?  You can easily achieve these looks by installing Tigerwood Natural Global Exotics wood flooring by Armstrong.

Armstrong has been in the business of manufacturing wood flooring for more than a century now so you can trust them for all your hardwood flooring needs. And one of their latest products is the Tigerwood Natural Global Exotics collection which you can use to create many styles of wood flooring for your home.

Tigerwood Natural Global Exotics can be of different grain and origin. If you want a subtle touch to your wood flooring, then the Tigerwood made from Sakura will best suit you. But if you want a red-brown effect to your wood flooring, then the Tigerwood made from African mahogany maybe the one for you. Whichever you choose, your flooring will have a sophisticated look as which is what Tigerwood Natural Global Exotics is all about.

Aside from the beauty that comes with the installation of Tigerwood Natural Global Exotics to your home, this wood flooring will also give great value to your money as it is very durable and will last for many years because it is made of a hearty hard wood.

So stop dreaming about having the perfect wood flooring. Check out Tigerwood Natural Global Exotics on our Pierce Flooring website and find out how to get tasteful, stylish, and enduring wood flooring for any room in your home.

Rustic country decor has always been a part of American home style decorating. This type of home decorating has a comfortable and warm setting that is why homeowners can’t resist having this setting in their home. Wouldn’t you love to be welcome in a home decorated with natural wood in rich shades? It does feel warm and inviting, right?

One way to achieve a rustic country style to your home is by using rustic wood flooring. Rustic wood is available in various textures, patterns, and species. What is nice about rustic wood is that it has unique rustic characteristics that you won’t find in new wood.  It is also very durable, thus making it one of the best choices for wood flooring.

There are a lot of species of wood that you can choose from if you want rustic wood flooring for your home. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Hickory. Is a good choice when you are looking for rustic wood as it is a very durable hardwood. What is best about hickory is that it comes in many spectrums of colors and has very unique natural designs thus creating a vibrant and distinctive look for your home.
2. Oak. One of the best characteristics of oak is its look of sophistication. Oak also comes in many different types: Natural Oak, White Oak, Natural Dark Oak to name just a few.

Luckily, these types of wood are readily available online just like the following rustic wood flooring from Bruce: American Originals Hickory, American Originals Oak and American Vintage.

Rustic wood flooring is not limited to country and cottage style homes. Whatever type of home you have, you can always use rustic wood flooring if you want to create a warm, unique and distinctive look to your abode. Visit the Pierce Flooring website to find out more about Bruce rustic hardwood flooring.

Are you ready to upgrade to wood floors but aren’t sure where to start? One important decision is to determine whether solid or engineered wood floors are best for you.

In certain circumstances, engineered wood floors are really the only good option. If you have a concrete subfloor, solid wood is more likely to buckle or warp. Engineered wood is designed to hold up under the changes in temperature and humidity that occur with concrete.

Another important consideration is whether you want to add radiant heat when you move to wood. It’s an energy efficient option and particularly comfortable in cold weather. Once again, engineered floors are the right choice to handle the temperature shifts as radiant heat needs change from season to season.

Another issue to consider is installation. Solid wood floors require more installation time at the home because they are positioned and only then sanded and stained. Engineered wood is already stained and finished, so the only requirement is the actual installation on your floor. This makes engineered wood both faster and cleaner to install.

Choosing engineered floors today really doesn’t limit your options. You can select from a large number of types of wood, wood tones and finishes. As you can see from this photo, engineered wood is also available in wide plank styles.

When it’s time to step up to wood, take a good look at your options. You may find that engineered wood floors are the right choice for you and for your home.

Cork is not just for corkboards anymore. The emerging trend in flooring second to bamboo floors are cork floors. Cork flooring is environment friendly and aside from looking terrific, it also feels good underfoot. Using cork floors in any room will give it a warm and inviting look.

Since the call for saving our environment is fast-rising, cork flooring makes a perfect choice for those looking to do their part. Cork is a renewable resource that comes from the bark of trees. Hence, they do not have to be cut down in order to obtain the cork which renews itself within nine years.

Cork flooring is ideal for homes with family members who have allergies. For one, it is hypoallergenic and does not harbour dust mites and it can easily be mopped in order to remove remaining allergens. One of the best qualities of cork is that it is resilient. It provides cushion while standing or walking over it. This makes for excellent kitchen floors because working in the kitchen requires standing for long periods of time compared to the other parts of the house. And since it is also water-resistant, it is ideal to use where spills are very common.

Additionally, it is also an insulator and can be a useful temperature regulator. It is also “self healing” meaning that if you drop a knife or any sharp object, the “wound” heals and can go undetected.

Cork patterns come with light and dark swirls so it helps hide dirt and imperfections well. It can go with any design style while maintaining its beauty and warmth.

We’re seeing more wood floors in darker stains being used throughout the house.  Whether it is a maple, cherry or oak floor, customers are requesting it be stained as dark as possible. Are you buying new wood floors or refinishing existing floors in your home? Think about going with a dark wood floor too.  You’d be surprised how much it will change the look and feel of your space.

Dark wood floors work great with lighter, neutral walls.  Dark floors anchor the space visually.  A dark floor can make a room feel larger, especially when paired with light colored furnishings or cabinets.  If you have darker colored furniture, consider balancing the dark with a light colored area rug and accents. If your room is darker by nature, dark wood floors can make it feel cozier.  A dark wood floor with warm leather furniture and earth tone accents would be nice for a home theater or family room.

A dark stained wood floor in the kitchen looks fantastic with white cabinets. This is a nice reversal of the trend of dark cabinets with a light floor that has been popular for a while now.  Or consider dark cabinets in a similar color to the floors, and then balance it with light granite or marble countertops and backsplash.

Dark wood floors can work well with most architecture styles, from modern to sophisticated traditional to country. Consider a flat finish and wider planks if you want more of a farmhouse feeling. A higher gloss finish would give a polished feeling to either a traditional décor or a contemporary space.

This room’s magic comes from a sense that much of what’s in it was handcrafted.

The fireplace is rustic and charming, with logs serving as a frame for a hearth large enough to hold cooking utensils. Hand-turned bowls and pottery containers sit on the farmhouse table and on the open shelves at the back wall. Even the ceiling has exposed beams that look like they’re needed to hold up the roof.

One critical feature to the overall effectiveness of this room is the floor. The wide planks were common in earlier days, and this floor provides the perfect foundation for this room’s style. Also, the wider planks work better when running with the long narrow shape of the room.

If you want your home to have a flavor of yesterday, consider a wide plank floor such as this one. You can also choose the hand-scraped option, which maintains that rustic feeling. This pine floor has a perfect look for a folk-country style. Other options such as hickory or cherry will provide a wealth of tones and grain options to match your design goals.

Wood floors like this may have a look of yesterday, but you can find more choices today than ever before. We invite you to visit our showroom and work with one of our salespeople to discover just the right wood for your home.

Question: Our baby is due in a few months, and I want wood floors throughout the house. Is wood a good choice for a nursery?

Answer: Wood works very well in a nursery. From a design perspective it is a nice counterpoint to the pastels or bright colors generally found in a nursery, and it is a workhorse when it comes to playing.

Babies learn to walk with lots of falls, but wood is considered a soft flooring option, with much more natural cushioning than something like tile or stone. It is also smooth, making walking easier. There is even evidence that giving a baby “tummy time” on a hard surface helps develop cognitive abilities.

If you want to create a soft spot for playing consider a nice area rug such as the one shown in the photo. Add a well-cushioned pad underneath and you have created the perfect space for spending time on the floor. There are rugs made for nurseries, but you may want to select one like this that will last long after the changing table is gone. If you match colors you can be pretty flexible on style.

Another short-term option is to select carpeting that would work well with your decorating plans, and have a piece bound for your nursery. You want to size it so that there is at least a six to eight inch edge of wood floor showing at the borders. This enlarges your selection for both color and pattern. Ask about any remnants available and you may get a good deal. Binding is also generally pretty reasonable.

Think versatility as you select your nursery flooring. After all, the flooring will still be there long after your baby is old enough to ask for the car keys and gas money!

On the surface, this room breaks many of the basic rules of combining colors. Although the room is small, the tones are dark upon dark upon dark, with maroons and browns predominating. But when you put it all together, the room invites a cozy grouping for dinner parties that last well into the evening.

A strong emphasis on dark colors can lend an intimacy to a room, particularly a small room. The secret is to balance with some light tones, and to keep the furniture and accessories in proportion with the space. This room brings in light tones with the ceiling and window trim. At the same time, the brown beams and roman shades keep everything connected.

This is not a large room, but the table, benches and chairs are a perfect fit. There is no carpet on the dark wood floors, which works well because a rug would add another line to the space. Using benches also keeps the line breaks to a minimum. The strong lines of the table combined with the benches make the room feel more spacious.

The color scheme is also simple. The pattern on the benches is the only pattern in the room, but it is strong enough to carry the space with the solids. Altogether, the room makes one statement – dark and intimate – and that’s all it needs to say.

Do you think about the environmental impact of your purchasing decisions? Many people today have modified their approach to buying a product by exploring the company’s approach to sustainability.

As consumers pay more attention, suppliers do too. One good example of this is a research project started recently by PE International, a consulting firm specializing in environmental consulting. They are investigating the environmental impact of American hardwoods, from the initial extraction to the final delivery at wood import firms. This analysis will eventually help you make more informed decisions when you purchase wood floors and furniture.

Choosing a hardwood floor involves many choices: style, budget, wood tone, type of wood, manufacturer and installer. Today, many consumers also want to know about a product’s carbon footprint. As a result, many suppliers and distributors are working hard to get that information for you. When you make important purchasing decisions, it’s worth your time to ask about any environmental information available.

Wood flooring adorns many homes and hearths worldwide. Let’s take a look at its history and usage through the centuries.

In the Baroque era (1625-1714), wooden floors became the flooring of choice, replete with beautiful patterns and French parquetry. It is surprising that hardwood’s flooring potential hadn’t been recognized till the 17th century. Hand scrubbed, sanded, stained and polished, it graced the homes of only the rich and affluent.

The latter part of the colonial era (1607-1780) in America witnessed a more common usage of wooden planks as flooring material which unlike those mentioned above were not sanded or polished. Function rather than style was important in this situation. Wood planks replaced dirt floors, warming a cabin and allowing pioneer women to keep their homes cleaner.

The tongue and grove hardwood flooring configuration began to make an appearance around the early 19th century, though only in homes which could afford them. Most homes simply sported wooden planks of varying widths nailed together.

It wasn’t until quite late in the American Victorian Era (1840-1910) that wooden floors began to be mass produced in factories. Ads by factories at that time claimed that “Any one familiar with the use of a saw, hammer and varnish brush can lay and finish them. A servant of average intelligence can keep parquetry floors as if they were newly laid with but little effort.”

The tongue and groove pattern of installation became quite popular by the Edwardian era (1901-1914) and wood reigned the flooring circuit till the late 1920’s-early 1930’s which was when other flooring options such as linoleum and cork floor began to make an appearance. Newer varnishes to increase hardwood durability, a characteristic hardwood flooring manufacturers used to emphasize its use, came into the picture.

World War II brought the wood flooring industry to its knees and worker pay dropped drastically. For nearly 30 years the industry fought for survival. When it could gain a foothold, it came back into the flooring arena with a vengeance. Today, wood flooring is often a major selling point for a home.

The floor which bears your weight at the moment may or may not be wood, but there is no denying the fact that wood floors are a rich addition to the flooring industry. The next time you step onto a hardwood floor, take a minute out to appreciate its connection to the past.