Flooring Facts

GENERAL WOOD FLOORING INFORMATION

Wood flooring is beautiful, timeless and natural. When buying a floor produced by NORTHERN MICHIGAN HARDWOODS, you can rest assured that your floor was processed in an environmentally conscientious and efficient manner. NMH performs the entire process from the forest to your home (harvesting, milling, kiln drying, flooring manufacturing), ensuring you the best quality control.

FACTS ABOUT YOUR NORTHERN MICHIGAN HARDWOODS FLOORING

Wood flooring is very sensitive to its environment, expanding or contracting according to the relative humidity of the room it is in. Narrow width floors show the least amount of movement, whereas wider width flooring will show the most movement. In order to keep your wood floor as stable as possible, the relative humidity of the house should ideally stay at 50%. If the relative humidity drops below 50%, the floor will shrink, causing cracks between each board in the floor. This is not a milling defect, but rather the result of low relative humidity. Over a period of time the wood floor will correct itself and expand to fit together tightly again if the relative humidity returns to and stays constant at 50%.

Cupping, or "washboard," is another problem that can occur from unregulated humidity. The cause of this is moisture imbalance throughout the thickness of the wood. Cupping occurs only if the moisture is greater underneath the flooring than on top. To correct cupping, find the source of the moisture and eliminate it. Given time, the floor should correct itself once the relative humidity is stabilized. If the damage done was extensive, the floor might need to be re-sanded and refinished after the relative humidity is stabilized. Expansion, or buckling, is also a result of high humidity and may cause the flooring to push tight against vertical surfaces. To relieve, allow up to 3/4" expansion space along walls.

To get the best wear out of your flooring finish, sweep and vacuum the floor regularly. Do not use strong soaps when mopping. Other preventative measures to keep from excessive wear is to put felt pads on the bottom of all furniture and make sure dog toenails are clipped. Vacuum all area rugs and the floor space underneath the rugs frequently.

All woods will darken during the six to twelve months after installation. Flooring under area rugs and furniture will not change at the same rate as the exposed flooring as long as it is covered. Moving rugs and furniture will correct any variations. All wood dents. High heels, dropped heavy objects, pointed furniture legs and the unprotected rolling of appliances can dent or gouge your floor.

SUGGESTIONS FOR INSTALLATION

1. Flooring should be installed on grade or above. Do not install below grade.
2. To avoid damage, make sure the floor is installed after all other construction is completed.
3. Before installation, check the moisture content of the sub-floor. The moisture of the sub-floor should be within 2% of the moisture content of the flooring to be installed.
4. A moisture barrier should be applied between concrete and the sub-floor.
5. Make sure the sub-floor is clean, flat and dry. Sand all areas that are not smooth and nail any loose boards. It is recommended that flooring acclimate to the environment of where it will be installed for approximately two weeks prior to installation.

If you have any questions about hardwood flooring or flooring installation, please feel free to contact us (888-629-5120, or 231-347-4575, or sales@nmhardwoods.com). Given the proper care, your NORTHERN MICHIGAN HARDWOOD floor will be a timeless treasure to enjoy for a lifetime.

Northern Michigan Hardwoods