Hardwood Floors

Wood is expensive, right? Actually...No! Carpeting lasts between seven and ten years under normal residential use.

Hardwood floors can last a lifetime and are always in style!

Here's a 30 year comparison test you can use when trying to decide between carpeting and hardwood flooring. Say, you installed a hardwood floor. It would typically last for 30 to 50 years. During that same period you would probably have to install new carpet four to five times. At this rate, the hardwood flooring actually costs less than the cumulative cost of all the carpeting you would have to install.

Another thing you need to consider is the cleanliness of your home. As a company that recycles old carpeting processing contains at least 35% of its weight in household dirt. The families who owned this old carpeting were actually walking or crawling on dirt. Hardwood flooring is simply cleaner. If it is dirty, the dirt is plainly visible to the eye, not hidden within carpet fibers!

Hardwood flooring may be your best buy, most solid investment and all around smart choice.

Comforts of Wood

Temperature comfort

Wood floors keep your feet warm on cooler days and refreshingly cool on warm days. That's because of their natural cellular structure. Woods cellular structure or "oxygen pockets" create ease walking and sport activities as well as of Wood was designed by Mother Nature to be a great insulator with thousands of air chambers per cubic inch. So take off your shoes and relax.

Wood offers seven times better insulation than ceramic/porcelain tile and is much warmer than plastic laminate or thin vinyl...naturally! Wood always feels good on the feet because of the little known fact called the "K" Factor, better known as the coefficient of thermal conductivity.

On a cold winter morning, have you ever walked on your bare feet across a wood floor to a ceramic or marble bathroom floor? Did one floor feel colder? It wasn't your imagination, it was real. Marble/ceramic will pull the heat from your skin at a rate more than 15 times greater than that of a wood floor. As your feet lose warmth, you feel colder all over. The coefficient of thermal conductivity--the "K" Factor--in dictates the relative rate of heat flow through various material. Wood is your best hard surface choice when it comes to the "K" Factor. "Heat is conducted out of your skin and into cool metal hundreds of times faster than with wood. That's why gun stocks and tool handles are made of wood."

• Conductivity and your skin - A comparison
• Material           "K" Factor        "K" Factor
• Steel                 310.0               .003
• Marble                17.0                 .06
• Concrete               7.5                 .13
• Wood                     .4                2.50
• Fiberglass               .2                1.30
• Air                       .16                6.25

{BTU flow/hour inch X 12 X12 surface} Air appears to be the best insulator. Pound for pound, wood is the ideal material. The denser the wood, the harder the surface. Pine is soft, while hickory is twice as dense and twice as hard.

Walking Comfort

Dancers love wood floors! Basketball wouldn't be basketball without wood floors and factory workers prefer wood floors because they are firm and resilient. Wood floors are like putting on a pair of Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes. They both relieve foot fatigue.

Sensual Comfort

Nature and mankind were born to be together, wood floors are a product of nature. We frequently reference the emotional senses of the warmth of wood to the warmth of nature. Yes, wood is physically warmer, but there remains an aura of comfort and friendliness. It could be the sound resonance or the texture and color of the grain of the wood floor. No synthetic or plastic carpet, vinyl or plastic laminate flooring can compete with the spirit of wood floors. They are indeed superior.

Other natural floor surfaces are dirt, stone and animal hides. To choose a natural surface on which to live in today's world, we will ordinarily exclude these three. During the Middle Ages, people began to use wood flooring--rough hewn planks. Many examples still exist, throughout the world, of floors that have been in daily use for more than 800 years.

Quick reasons why you should choose real wood;

• Simple, yet decorative for any room in the home
• Rugged, yet charming
• Durable, yet easy to care for
• Beauty that's hard to tire of
• Lifetime guarantee
• Adds real value to a home
• Easy on your feet and legs
  

Wood flooring is the all around best choice!

Unlike other floor coverings, solid wood is a living material. That means you have to be particularly careful of the humidity level in your home before, during and after installation. To avoid stressing your solid wood, {furniture and cabinets included} you should always keep the average relative humidity level below 45%.

Tip: Never turn the air conditioner off as it acts as a dehumidifier. It is best to keep your interior temperature regulated year around within 6-8 degrees. For added protection, try adding a separate dehumidifier. {For solid wood only; though engineered wood requires the a/c it's use of tempature variance can be wider as engineered hardwood is 8X's more stable than solid hardwood or laminate flooring}

It's a well known fact, within the flooring industry, that engineered wood flooring is much more stable than solid hardwood flooring in environments where moisture is of concern. Especially, in humid climates like that of Houston and it's surrounding areas {as well as other humid regions.} Wood and water DO NOT mix! Damp conditions undermine all types of floor coverings. Oak lumber floors, for instance, can have many problems in the presence of moisture, including gaps between the planks, squeaking, cupping, buckling, darkening and cracking. Engineered planks are eight times more stable than solid wood planks, so there is no need to worry about squeaks, buckles or faults of any kind in normal  {low humidity} environments. Manufacturers have taken wood flooring technology to a place it's never gone before--in durability!

Woodlands Flooring and Granite specialists have been working with hardwoods for generations. Consistently seeking manufacturers that are product oriented in their efforts to reinvent and improve the performance and beauty of flooring. Setting a goal to sell only superior products--the best performing engineered wood floors on the market. At the Lowest written price!! 

Hardwood floors offer the unparalleled character and beauty only found in authentic hardwood. It is in contemporary fashion and adds real value to your home. Interior designers commonly choose hardwood floors as a foundation for designing a room coupled with paints, area rugs and furnishings to incorporate a chosen color scheme for their design.

Hardwood floors and Woodlands Flooring and Granite allows you to choose this high quality, long lasting foundation at pricing only available to clients of ours = LOW Overhead = Super LOW prices for client's! We are a full service fine flooring, design and remodeling company which has the ability to buy direct from manufacturers saving you a bundle of money.

Hardwood Flooring is A Specialty

Hardwood flooring has become more preferable as a choice flooring for homeowners. Through improvements in hardwood manufacturing and finishing processes, hardwood flooring manufacturers are able to produce wood floors that are more durable and appropriate for a variety of indoor environments.

Pre-finished Engineered hardwood floors allow homeowners to use hardwood floors in areas of the home that they would never have considered in the past, such as basements and bathrooms where traditional hardwood flooring products would not retain their quality over the lifetime of the home. Eight times more stable than Solid Hardwood Engineered Hardwoods are an excellent choice for stability and longevity. 

Hardwood Floor Varieties

Your new hardwood floor must be chosen from a wide variety of wood species, colors and widths. In addition to the classic North American hardwoods, such as oak, maple and ash, many manufacturers now offer exotic hardwood floor species from wood suppliers around the world.

Exotic hardwood flooring gives designers and homeowners the chance to better express their own personal tastes with less traditional wood appearances. At Omni Remodeling, you can choose from a wide variety of hardwood flooring products with which to beautify your home.

Dancers and basketball players enjoy Hardwoods with which to dance and play on. Hardwood has oxygen pockets within it's cellular structure and this is what makes it easy on the feet and a great insulator. Though not as insulating as carpeting, Hardwoods are the next best choice when it comes to insulating of cold or warm air and ease on  joints, whether walking, standing or dancing.

Solid VS Engineered


Real wood floors made of maple, oak, hickory, pine, elm and pecan should be as familiar to you as the countless city streets that are named after these trees. Their rich natural colors and handcrafted quality are what we have come to expect in American homes.
Unlike other floor coverings, solid hardwood is a living material. That means you have to be particularly careful of the humidity level in your home before, during and after installation. To avoid stressing your solid your solid wood, furniture and cabinets as well, you should always keep the average relative humidity level at or below 45%.
Tip: Never turn the a/c off as it acts as a dehumidifier. It is best to keep your interior temperature regulated year around within 8 degrees. For added protection, try adding a separate dehumidifier.
It's a well known fact, within the flooring industry that engineered wood flooring is much more stable than solid hardwood flooring in environment where moisture is of concern. Especially, in humid regions like that of Houston, it's surround areas and other regions of the US. Wood and water do not mix! Damp conditions undermine all types of floor coverings. Oak lumber floors, for instance, can have many problems in the presence of moisture, including gaps between planks, squeaking, cupping, buckling and cracking. Engineered planks are eight times more stable than solid hardwood planks, so there is no need to worry about squeaks, buckles or faults of any kind in normal indoor environments. Manufacturers have taken wood flooring technology to a place it has never gone before--in durability.

==Working with hardwoods at Woodlands Flooring and Granite we have been consistently seeking manufacturers that are oriented in their efforts to reinvent and improve the performance and beauty of flooring. Our goal is to sell only superior products, with distributors which are accountable for their claims. Woodlands Flooring and Granite offers the best performing engineered hardwood floors on the market.

Strengthening of the WOOD

Alternating Grain Direction Adds Stability
When the thick lumber sheets are dried, they are ready for the cross-locked engineering process. First, by alternating the direction of the grains, manufacturers are able to balance the hardwood's natural tendency to warp. Second, they use hardwood core materials that have been subjected to tremendous heat and pressure. Third, four independent glue lines fuse various plies together in a case hardening  process. Fourth, this combination of ingredients and techniques increases the hardness of planks up to 20% resulting in no de-laminating and less marring of the floor once it's installed in the home.

Engineers designed one of the first cross-locked, anti-splitting systems in the 1930's. since that time much has been learned about stress cracks. If the stress is great enough, it can split apart any plain solid oak lumber, but engineered plank, will not split even if you drive a large spike through it!

Precision Milling

Once the lumber is engineered, the focus is on precisely cutting the the tongue and groove. Plank milling offers consumers many choices in pattern profiles. Milling lumber is consistently easier when working with cross-locked engineered lumber, which is eight times more stable than solid hardwood lumber.

Tongue and Groove System

The downward sloping Eagle Tongue and Groove is a breakthrough in technology.

Professionals prefer it because it creates a consistent snap fit during installation and offers additional strength to the floor for improved lifetime performance. This unique system helps reduce "edging" or "over wood" when installing over uneven substrates. for installers who prefer using staple-down/nail-down methods, this tongue and groove system provides a convenient nailing pocket directly above the tongue for faster and tighter installation.

Wood Preparation

Once planks are milled with the tongue and groove system, it's time to carefully grade the physical structure and top wood surface. The manufacturer's secret to providing quality planks is in the degree of preparation of the wood prior to finishing. Wood is a porous materials well as being hygroscopic (absorbs moisture). The engineering process stabilizes the plank's structure. Solid- lumber flooring will change dimensions (mainly across the grain, depending on wood moisture content) sometimes causing the finish and the wood to crack open, banana or bow and twist Not so with engineered products. Factory finishing systems are very consistent because of the quality of people employed, high grade materials, and tightly controlled manufacturing process.

They start by smoothing and removing milling marks and defects from each plank. The freshly sanded planks then move into a special light chamber where quality control professionals review the micro structure of each plank. They know that sandpaper must always be sharp to reduce "woolliness" or wood whiskers. Such undesirable conditions are actually frayed or broken out cell walls. (Job site finished floors often have frayed or broken wood cell structures which will absorb finish stain inconsistently, leading to poor, blotchy appearance).

Fine flooring manufacturers' wood sophisticates, who use the high tech sanding equipment , reject any board with micro structure flaws. Any wood sophisticate knows that the surface of wood is one of the most complex surfaces in the world to finish and that each species of wood accepts a finish differently. The best sandpaper, sanding equipment and dust collection system plus the best quality control professionals can't eliminate cellular damage at this point. It takes a complete arsenal costing millions to build the best finishes on the market today. (In contrast, old fashioned job site finishes cause dust and fumes that are bad for your family to breathe. Smelly, messy and all sorts of things can go wrong while job site finishing.)

The next step is moving all planks graded as prime into the stain chamber. This type of system amplifies the figure and grain of the wood selected. Color added in this fashion to the unfinished wood imbues the finish  with a better depth but unfortunately also highlights sanding flaws. (That's  why some  cheaper manufacturers resort to using factory glazing stains or parent systems. They mix the stain directly into the finish which helps mask sanding flaws and reduce production times).
After staining the wood, planks move down the finishing line to the stain drying oven. The  surface is lightly sanded and finished.

 Added Strength of Hardwood Core

The floors we recommend have substance; they are harder, more stable, better milled, and are finished better than most on the market. There are multiple differences between engineered wood planks that have three plies and those with five or seven.

Overall performance is improved by the use of engineered wood planks with five plies due to increased stability, hardness and and greater moisture protection. Engineered wood planks  also have better log yield.  Compare the core. The core is defined as the layers of wood beneath the top ply or face and the bottom ply. Some manufacturers look at savings costs when it comes to the core structure.

The Science of Aluminum Oxide

Chemists never want to rest on their laurels; they consistently look ahead to ways to improve their products. While premium finishes set a standard for wear-resistance, aluminum oxide (which is heavily used in computer chips, abrasives, sandpaper, and space shuttle's heat shield coatings) is now setting new standards in premium flooring finishes. In 1996, scientists developed and began marketing products with finishes utilizing AL2 O3 crystals. These finishes are extremely durable and offer excellent finish retention and stain resistant. Cinders, stones and general wear will not damage the protective aluminum oxide crystals but would scar a polyurethane finish.

The wood is homogenized and suspended in acrylic monomers, polymers and photo initiator compound. Once applied over the finish, the compound is bombarded into the wood with the intense ultraviolet rays that cross-link the finish into aluminum oxide and create the most durable, long lasting, finish available on wood flooring today. Manufacturers are able to offer warranties for up to 30 years.

Aluminum Oxide Protection

Manufacturers offer three levels of sheen or luster. Sheen is the amount of gloss in the finish. Achieving a rustic or a more natural texture depends upon the size and distribution of the pores of the wood. You can protect and preserve this texture by keeping the finish clearer and thinner. They fill or partially fill the wood pores with many thin coats of aluminum oxide and sand the planks between coats to provide a more natural wood look. It creates a significantly smoother surface which is twenty percent thicker and has a superior resistance to wear, scratching, dirt, liquids and staining. They are impervious to nail polish, wine, acetone, bleach, lipstick, ice and most other household spills. They all just wipe away keeping your floor looking newer longer.

These finishes reflect today's popular trends in texture and sheen. Both stain and matte finishes have a hand rubbed appearance. Today, the lower the gloss, the greater the popularity. That's unlike the 1980's when the wet look was "in."

There are three advantages to the color system:

1. Color systems are more transparent
2. Color systems are environmentally friendly with no VOC's
3. Color systems are more UV stable
   

 Again prefinished engineered floors define the benchmark in finish technology. Manufacturers are providing premium finishes with an exclusives gloss retention layer. It is so unique that it is advancing industry standards. Aluminum oxide floors are up to one hundred percent harder than oak lumber. They won't buckle, they are stain-resistant, wear-resistant and carry up to a twenty five year and even fifty year finish warranty.

Tip: Be careful moving pointed or sharp objects across the floor. Hardwood flooring will scratch!

  Questions? CALL NOW ~ 936.828.8649

                             Install it Anywhere!

Unlike solid floors, engineered planks can be installed anywhere in the home. Most engineered floors can be used at all grade levels and over concrete slabs. Solid wood floors are limited to on or above ground installations. Solid wood floors require installation over screeds or over a wooden sub-floor when installed on concrete slabs in humid or wet regions. A single board or section of engineered boards can be removed if damaged and board replacement will cost you much less than the refinishing of the entire floor as with the solid wood.     

History Of  Engineered Hardwood     

The emphasis has been on what we call "engineered" plies. This method of alternating the grain structure of three, five, seven or more separate wood plies has been a huge success. This technology was rediscovered during World War II, when waterproof bonding was perfected for use in lightweight, fast attack vessels successfully deployed by the U.S. Navy. Their hulls were made of cross locked wood, bonded with special water-resistant glue. Manufacturers worked closely with the U.S. Navy's design and procurement teams. Cross-locked wood pound-for-pound rivals the strength of steel. That's the reason why the U.S.S. Constitution got it's name- "Old Ironsides" back in 1797. America's most winning warship (42 battles) was designed with a cross-grained oak hull. A British sailor once watched as 24-pound cannon balls bounced off her hull and he thought the ship must have been made of iron. 

It was obvious to many builders during World War II, that this cross-grained construction could be used to manufacturer many things, including hardwood floors that would not cup, warp, swell or buckle. Within weeks of the war's end, Modernwood Co., in Cincinnati, Ohio, started selling block flooring made of alternating plies with the grain layers running at right angles and bonded with waterproof glue.

At first, simple parquet blocks were manufactured for use in tract homes with poured grade-level concrete floors. Concrete slabs were the perfect test-sites for engineered floors because it went against sound logic to install wood flooring over a potential moisture-laden sub floor. However, returning war veterans thought if the process produced PT boats that could with stand the damaging effects of the ocean's salt water, it certainly would be ideal for their floors at home.

Further experience and experimentation led to the development of longer length planks. These had the same durability and stability as block floors, attributes that had made the earlier floors so popular.

As time progressed and wood floors improved, what was once a commodity product became a fashion statement for discriminating homeowners of all income levels.

Woodlands Flooring and Granite is committed to it's environmental friendly line of real hardwood floors, which can be recycled through forest regeneration. Through the Hardwood Forestry Fund, trees are planted on public land and regenerated at a faster pace than what is used in the U.S. for flooring manufacturing. Belief in the value of forest regeneration and support for the non-profit organization and it's endeavor to establish forests for future generations natural resource needs. Even the floors themselves can be recycled by merely refinishing them for a lifetime of beauty and warmth, along with the potential of saving hundreds of yards of carpeting which might be used in it's place. You will have then done your part in environmental recycling.

Quality is a long tradition for the flooring professionals at Woodlands Flooring and Granite. Competitors have come and gone. Some were giants while others weren't really equipped to compete in a meaningful way. Few competitors have experienced the long-term success that the Woodlands Flooring and Granite family has enjoyed.

Unique history, super low prices and proven track record allows confident words saying, "Nobody knows fine hardwood floors like Woodlands Flooring and Granite."

How Wood Is Used Today

Each year the world uses more than four billion cubic yards of wood. About fifty four percent of all the wood is burned, mainly for heating and cooking. About forty six percent is made into such things as building materials, furniture, paper and other products.

Are Our Forests Endangered?

Hardly! Forest land in the United States has remained remarkedly consistent since 1880, approximately six hundred million acres. This is still true even as our population has more than tripled in size. One difference, however, does stand out. Through proper forest management practices, the United States is growing twenty eight percent more standing timber volume per acre and eighty two percent more hardwood today (335,722,000,000 cubic feet) than in 1952 (184,090,000,000 cubic feet). Our reforestation , which in the 1980's exceeded the combined efforts of Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Korea, has more than kept up with the harvesting and mortality (loss to fire, insects, etc.) of our nation's forest.

In 1991, more than 1.7 billion trees were planted in the United States. That averages 4,500,000 new trees planted each day, not to mention the additional millions of trees that regenerate on their own. For example, in 1991, growth of hardwood exceeded harvesting and mortality by 19 percent.

What Can We Do To Improve Our Nation's Forests?

• Continue allowing the 1.7 million people in the forestry industry to manage and harvest our new growth forests.
• Reduce pollution by car pooling, recycling and making environmentally sound purchase decisions in the market place.
• Purchase natural products, when available, that their renewable and biodegradable (i.e., hardwood flooring, hardwood furniture and wool carpets).
• Support the Hardwood Forestry fund. Their goal is to promote hardwood timber growth, management education and environmentally sound uses of forest timber resources. 

Upon receiving your hardwood floor warranty card, the manufacturer plants a hardwood tree in your honor in one of America's Heritage Forests through the Hardwood Forestry Fund. Can other flooring manufacturers, such as carpet and sheet vinyl, guarantee renewed resources from which their products are made?

Environmental Trends

• Eight out of 10 Americans claim to be concerned about the environment.
• Eighty-three percent of consumers would prefer  to buy environmentally safe products.
• Sixty percent claim to have by passed products within the last year due to environmental concerns.
• Seventy-nine percent consider the company's  overall environmental reputation when making a purchase.
• Leading allergists recommended  pre-finished hardwood flooring over other types of floor covering for improved indoor air quality.
  

Definitions and Frequently Asked Questions