You might have heard the term “floating wood floor” before—but is it an option you should look into? What exactly is a floating wood floor and when is it the best choice? This answer varies depending on your budget, timeline, and style requirements, among other things—but we’ve outlined some ways to help you make the right decision for your home. Keep reading to learn more or schedule a consultation with our flooring experts for a customized flooring plan that meets all your needs!

What Is a Floating Wood Floor?

A floating wood floor is an engineered wood flooring style that, like other engineered woods, consists of multiple thin layers bonded together to produce the final result. Where it differs is in the installation. Rather than being glued or nailed down, a floating wood floor simply floats above the subfloor and is never attached during installation. Instead, it rests on underlay, which prevents excess noise but also allows for some movement in your floor boards as you walk.

When to Choose a Floating Wood Floor

Are you on the fence about getting a floating wood floor versus a glued or nailed down model? Consider floating hardwood if you’re looking for flooring that is:

• Cost-effective
• Eco-friendly
• Quick to install
• Good for soundproofing
• Low-maintenance
• Easily installed over any type of subfloor
• Available in many different species and colors
• And more!

These qualities make a floating wood floor the economical choice for someone who’s looking to raise the height of their floors or needs a quick, clean installation job in any room of the house.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the best option for everyone. It’s also important to consider that a floating wood floor may move when walked on and it’s not necessarily going to feel as strong as a glued-down floor. So if you’re going to call your house “home” for a while, you may want to consider glued or nailed down wood floors instead—our flooring specialists can help you decide if it’s worth the extra expense!

Making the Best Wood Flooring Choice

In order to make the best decision for your home, be sure to take into account the following factors:

• How many people typically walk on your floors
• What the purpose of the room is
• Your budget
• Your deadlines
• Your style requirements

Don’t be shy about asking our flooring experts for help through the selection process—that’s what they’re here for! Just call us to schedule a consultation in the D.C. metro area today and we’ll help you choose the best wood floors for your home, expertly install them, and continue to provide refinishing and repairs as they age.

Are you looking for a wood flooring choice that will improve the aesthetic of your home and last for years to come? Engineered hardwood flooring may be just the thing you need, recognized by homeowners for its long-lasting beauty and durability.

Whether you need new floors for a living room or a kitchen, the benefits of engineered hardwood flooring are endless! But don’t just take our word for it—keep reading to see all that engineered floors have to offer.

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Before we get into the many benefits of engineered hardwood flooring, you may want to know what exactly this type of floor is. It differs from solid wood flooring mainly in its construction. More specifically, engineered hardwood flooring is built using multiple 3 – 12 in. layers of wood that are placed in different directions and bonded together using heat and pressure. The result is a very strong piece of wood that’s resistant to warping in high-humidity environments.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring Benefits

Engineered hardwood flooring can help you accomplish your goals for style and functionality, within your budget. More specific benefits include:

• Durability. It’s long-lasting and can withstand multiple repairs.
• Resistance to warping. Because of its design and construction, engineered hardwood flooring is resistant to warping and swelling in high humidity environments.
• Many style options. From oak to maple to hickory, nearly any wood species can be used for engineered hardwood flooring.
• Easy installation. Engineered hardwood flooring can be installed in any room of the home and even on concrete subfloor.
• Easily refinished. This type of flooring can be refinished and sanded many times, making it easy to repair scratches.
• Eco-friendly. Because engineered hardwood floors are built with layers of plywood and a hardwood veneer, they are an eco-friendly investment.

Not only is engineered hardwood flooring a stylish choice, but it will work in any room of the house and last you for years to come!

Ready to Install Engineered Hardwood Flooring in MD, DC, or VA?

Now that you’ve seen what engineered hardwood flooring can do for your home, are you ready to get started? If you live in Maryland, Washington, DC, or Virginia, the flooring experts at Elegant Floor Service can help you select the best species and style options to meet your needs and expertly install your new floors for you, transforming the look and feel of your space. So schedule a consultation today to see the benefits of engineered hardwood flooring for yourself!

Hardwood floors are recognized for their beauty, elegance, and practicality, transforming ordinary rooms into sophisticated ones time and time again. But in order to retain their sleek, beautiful look, it’s important to have wood floor finishing done, a process that works to seal up your floors and prevent stains and excess dirt. With the right finishes, your hardwood floors will keep their rich color and sheen for years to come—and you can have wood floor refinishing done as they age to keep their brand new look!

But what is the best finish for your floors? Read our tips to find out or call us to schedule a personalized consultation in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC!

Types of Hardwood Floor Finishes

When you’re choosing hardwood floor finishes for your home, consider your preferences for color, shine, and durability, as well as the type of flooring you have (or are installing). Popular types of hardwood floor finishes include:

• Water-based finishes are clear and known for being very durable, as well as having a fast dry time.
• Oil-based finishes are the most popular type, recognized for their amber color. They have a moderate odor when they’re first applied, but they’re very durable and are available in different sheens.
• Moisture-cured finishes also appear amber and are known to have a strong odor when applied. However, they also tend to resist moisture more than other surface finishes and retain the durable quality of the hardwood floor finishes mentioned above. This is most common in commercial settings.
• Acid-cured finishes are slightly amber in color and also have a strong odor when applied, but they are known for their durability.

When you’re choosing finishes for your wood floor finishing or refinishing project, it’s also important to consider the sheen options. High-gloss hardwood floor finishes can be stylish, but be aware that they tend to reflect light and make scratches and marks more apparent than low-gloss or satin options. Satin finishes, on the other hand, are more traditional in residential settings.

Hardwood Floor Finishing & Refinishing in Maryland, Virginia & Washington, DC

Do you need help choosing the best hardwood floor finishes for your home? Whether you already have an idea of what you want or need the help of an experienced flooring specialist to get started, Elegant Floor Service can provide you with the assistance you need. Serving homeowners in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, we help all types of clients accomplish their goals for the perfect flooring with our wood floor refinishing, installation, and maintenance services. Contact us to schedule a consultation today!

If your hardwood floors have lost their shine or formed scuffs and scratches, it’s probably time to schedule hardwood floor refinishing. And fortunately for homeowners on a budget, a new cost-effective alternative has been developed that can help you achieve similar results at a lower cost: dustless floor refinishing. The question is, will dustless floor refinishing work on your floors? Or is it worth the extra money to stick with the real deal?

What Is Dustless Hardwood Floor Refinishing?

In order to determine whether dustless hardwood floor refinishing is a good choice for you or whether a full refinishing job is a better fit, it’s important to understand the difference. Dustless floor refinishing is a less invasive, low-cost alternative completed in a few easy steps. The process involves softly scuffing your floors and applying a chemical to etch it. Then, minor damage is repaired and a finishing coat is applied to protect your floors from future damage and bring back that shine they’ve been missing.

The Advantages of Dustless Floor Refinishing

Dustless floor refinishing is ideal primarily for the budget-conscious customer with dirty or dull floors. Instead of completely stripping and refinishing your existing flooring, this is a less invasive process that brings you the following benefits:

• It’s speedier, so you won’t have to worry about having remodelers in your home for more than a day.
• It’s more affordable.
• It’s better for those with allergies since, as the name implies, there is little wood dust when this process is used.

The Disadvantages of Dustless Floor Refinishing

But despite the benefits that come with dustless floor refinishing, it also has its disadvantages. More specifically:

• It only works on hardwood floors that have minor damage or need the finish restored. Floors with significant damage, gaps in floor boards, etc. require full-blown refinishing.
• Although there is significantly less dust, the process is never 100 percent dust-free.
• Despite being less invasive, this process can still decrease the lifespan of your floors because it involves sanding off a layer of wood each time it’s completed.

So while dustless floor refinishing can be a great alternative for someone with hardwood flooring that looks dull or worn out, you’ll find that it won’t be as successful on floors that have sustained damage and need more than just a little extra shine.

Schedule Wood Floor Refinishing in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC

Whether you’ve determine which type of refinishing is right for you or you need help coming up with a decision, Elegant Floor Service can help. Our technicians can assess the condition of your current flooring and help you make a final choice based on the extent of any existing damage. Then, we’ll proceed with hardwood floor refinishing to bring back that finish and restore the rich wood colors you love.

If you live in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, contact us to schedule a consultation today!

So it’s time to refinish your hardwood floors. But what can you expect from the project? And what can you do to prepare and stay stress-free as you plan and begin the process? We’ve outlined some tips below to help you stay a step ahead and avoid too much hassle as you restore that fresh look to your wood floors.

Do Your Research & Hire an Experienced Contractor

This probably goes without saying, but, like any home remodeling project, you’ll want to do your research before you start refinishing hardwood floors. Visit various showrooms to get an idea of how properly refinished floors should look and take the time to compare several contractors work—we recommend looking at a minimum of three.

To make the best choice:

• Ask for references
• Look at a portfolio of previous work
• Make sure whoever you hire is fully licensed and insured
• Make sure there is a written contract and that every detail is included
• Check Angie’s List for reviews
• Get price quotes and look for anything out of the ordinary—either much lower or much higher than the competition

Preparing for Your Hardwood Floor Project

Once you’ve hired a wood floor contractor, it’s time to start preparing to begin the project. Consider the following:

• Where should you relocate your furniture?
• Will refinishing the floors limit access to the restroom?
• Do you have children or pets? Where will they be during refinishing?
• Will you be home during the process or do you need to plan to go elsewhere?
• How long will it take before you can walk on the newly refinished floors?
• Which room will this project take place in and how will this impact your daily life?

When you’re making these decisions, keep in mind that refinishing hardwood floors can be quite noisy—so if you typically work from home, you may want to plan accordingly. Any sealants will also need time to dry, typically around 24 hours.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors in Maryland, Washington, DC & Virginia

Choosing a contractor with experience and a reputation for excellence is critical to getting the best results—and Elegant Floor Service has gained such distinction for refinishing hardwood floors in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. Whether you have oak floors or maple floors, we can help you bring back the shine and make your flooring look new again.

Contact us today to see the Elegant Floor difference for yourself!