All about Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Flooring

Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring is one of the most beautiful and practical hardwood floors in the world today. It is also very popular and can be utilized in a variety of different applications.

Here are the basics of Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring and what you should expect from it. 

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Flooring

Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring is not actually a cherry species. It is actually called Jatoba, but it is more commonly referred to as Brazilian cherry.

As the name suggests, this tree is native to South America. It has a variety of different uses, but it is most commonly used in hardwood flooring.

Hardness

One of the biggest benefits of Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring is that it is very hard. When you compare it to other common types of hardwood flooring, you are going to get a much harder product.

To the consumer, this means you will not have to worry about dents or scratches as much as you do with other hardwood products.

The industry standard test for measuring hardwood flooring hardness is the Janka scale. The value for Brazilian cherry on the Janka scale is 2350. By comparison, red oak has a rating of 1290.

This means it is much harder than red oak, white oak, and many of the other commonly used hardwood flooring species.

Durability

Most hardwood is considered to be a very durable flooring option. However, Brazilian cherry is going to be even more durable than your traditional hardwood floor.

This type of flooring is extremely durable and it can stand up to traffic for many years. It is not uncommon to see 50 year warranties on Brazilian cherry hardwood.

Therefore, this is considered to be a flooring you are going to have for the rest of your life unless you decide to change it for aesthetic reasons.

Looks

Brazilian cherry also has a look that is very sought after. The look it provides is one-of-a-kind and you really cannot get it from any other species.

Brazilian cherry is known for its deep red and brown tones throughout. The grain is unique and is extremely attractive. This is a look that is commonly utilized in high-end residences in today's society.

Advantages

This type of hardwood has several advantages when compared to other hardwood options. It is going to be much more durable than your average hardwood floor.

It also has a look many people prefer over anything else. Another advantage is that it is very versatile. You can use it in many different rooms in your house and applications.

Disadvantages

Although this wood has a lot going for it, there are also some drawbacks you will want to consider. The biggest disadvantage is going to be the price.

This type of hardwood is going to be more expensive than most of the other species of hardwood that are available. For reference, you could end up paying somewhere between $10 and $20 per square foot for this product.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Remove and Ineffectual Sealer

We were asked to restore a large 70m2 riven Sandstone floor in the historic market town of Boston where the customer had been sealing with an impregnator sealer but the stone just kept absorbing the daily dirt despite repeated cleaning. The Sandstone was now very dull with ingrained dirt and mopping just seemed to make it worse. Unhappy with the appearance they decided to call us in to resolve the issues and add a resilient finish with a slight sheen.

 

Something clearly was not right so after discussing the issue on the phone I arranged to visit the property and survey their problematic stone floor. I concluded that the sealer the client was using was not effective at sealing the floor properly and had let dirt get into the stone. This could be because the floor had not been cleaned well enough prior to sealing, insufficient sealer had been applied or perhaps the sealer wasn’t suited to Sandstone. Either way to resolve the problem the solution would be to deep clean the Sandstone stripping off the old sealer in the process and then use something more suitable for Sandstone such as Tile Doctor Seal & Go which would also give the subtle shine appearance they were after.

I worked out a quote to renovate the floor, which was accepted and a date agreed to do the work which would take two days, one to deep clean the stone and the second to seal.

Deep Cleaning a Riven Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first day started preparing the area which in this case was simply a case of removing the kickboards from under the kitchen units. Next, I created a strong cleaning, sealer stripper solution by combining Tile Doctor Pro-Clean with Remove and Go and then working in sections sprayed it on to the Sandstone and left it to soak in for ten minutes.

 

The solution was then scrubbed into the stone using a brush pad fitted to a rotary buffer machine with added weight to improve contact. Using a brush pad is an important factor when cleaning riven stone as a normal flat pad would struggle getting into the grooves of the stone and works well on the grout lines as well.

The scrubbing action generated a lot of slurry which was extracted using a high pressure Rotovac system which is a great time saver. The Rotovac works by applying hot water under high pressure onto the floor to further force out ingrained dirt and muck from the stone whilst simultaneously extracting the soil back to a tank on our van.

 

The results were amazing leaving the stone both clean and free of the old ineffectual sealer. After this the floor was inspected and stubborn stains were spot treated and the floor given a final rinse. Now satisfied the Sandstone was clean I left a couple of air movers in place to assist with drying overnight.

 

Sealing a Riven Sandstone Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day the moisture levels in the floor were checked with a damp meter, its important the stone is dry before sealing otherwise the results can be patchy. Fortunately, the air movers had done an excellent job and I was able to start applying the sealer.

   

Seal and Go is a water-based sealer (so no smell as it dries) that works by protecting the stone with an impermeable layer. It takes multiple coats to fully protect the stone but does give the Sandstone a lovely appearance and will protect the floor from everyday wear and tear as well as making it easy to clean. 

The customer was over the moon and said it was better than when they first had it installed and mentioned they would definitely recommend our services going forward.

Source: Riven Sandstone Tile Cleaning and Polishing Service in Lincolnshire

4 Common Laminate Floor Repairs

Laminate floor repair is not difficult, and will save you the time and expense of replacing the entire floor. Laminate floors can be damaged in a number of ways including scratches, mold,water damage, and warping.

What You'll Need:

• Laminate floor repair kit
•  Extra laminate floor boards
•  Screwdriver
•  Hammer
•  Spacers

Step 1 - Fix Scratches

Scratches can be repaired without removing boards. If you have small children or pets you may want to keep a laminate floor repair kit on hand. Most repair kits come with a paste, a few pigments to match your color, and a spatula or putty knife. Just follow the directions on the kit to cover up the scratch.

Step 2 - Fix Warped Boards

Most warping occurs because the walls have expanded and there is no place for the flooring to go. The solution is to remove the spacers between the boards and replace them with smaller ones. This can usually be done without removing the floorboards, but the molding and trim will have to come up.

Once that is taken care of, swap out the spacers that were put in place during the original installation with smaller ones. Then, go around and press the warped boards back into place. Replace the molding.

Step 3 - Replace Cracked and Broken Boards

If you have a board that is cracked, broken, or in general disrepair, you will need to replace it. Fortunately, this isn’t a difficult job, either. Start by removing the molding or trim that is nearest the damaged board by prying it up with a screwdriver or back end of a hammer.

Be careful not to damage the molding as you will need to replace it.

Step 4 - Remove Damaged Boards

The next step is to remove the damaged boards. Since laminate floors are constructed of interlocking pieces, you will need to remove more than one board to replace any of them, unless the damaged board happens to be flush with the molding. Pull the boards up one at a time until you reach the damaged one.

Be sure to keep track of the order in which you removed them because you will want to return each board to its original position. Replace the damaged board with a new one and then work your way back replacing each board. Finish the job by replacing the molding.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Butt Floor Tile against Wall Tile

Putting floor tile and wall tile up against each other can seem like a difficult proposition. However, if you do it properly, you should not have any problems with this process. Here are the basics of how to butt floor tile up against wall tile.

What You'll Need

•  Floor tile
•  Wall tile
•  Tile cove base
•  Adhesive
•  Grout
•  Spacers
•  Trowel
•  Tape measure

Getting the Right Materials

For this job, you are going to need to get the right materials. Ideally, you would like to be able to install the wall tile and the floor tile around the same time. This way, you can get the tile that matches or complements each other. When you are purchasing your tile, you want to make sure that you get the tile cove base that is made for this application. This type of tile transition looks like a piece of wall tile with a curve on the bottom. The wall tile will fit directly on top of it and the floor tile will go up against it on the floor. This is the best way to butt wall tile and floor tile up against each other. It provides you with a finished look that is very professional.

Measuring the Job

Before you make a purchase, you need to measure out the room. Take your tape measure and get the dimensions of the wall and the floor. Multiply the length and the width of each space together to get the square footage. Add 10% to each value to give you enough for waste.

You will then need to measure the linear footage of the area where you are going to put the cove base. These are typically sold by the piece so you need to know how many to purchase.

Lay the Floor Tile

Start off by laying the floor tile. Apply the adhesive to the floor and then press the floor tile down into it. Using tile spacers, you will be able to space the tile appropriately. When you get up to the wall, you want to allow enough space in which to fit the tile cove base.

Install the Cove Base

At this point, you should install the tile cove base. Apply adhesive to the wall and then press the tile cove base into place. Make sure that the bottom of the cove base lines up with the floor tile nicely by using tile spacers here.

Apply the Grout

After letting the area dry overnight, you need to apply the grout. Use your grout float to install the grout in the grout joints. Then let the grout dry overnight before moving forward.

Install the Wall Tile

At this point, you can start installing the wall tile. You should be able to lay the tile directly on top of the tile cove base that is already installed. Lay the wall tile and then allow it to dry overnight. Grout the tile and then you should be ready to use the space.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com