Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hardwood Floors 101

Simas Floor and Design Company was established in the 1950's as a hardwood installation company. We began by installing 2 1/4" x 5/16" oak strip flooring in homes throughout the Sacramento area.

Simas is now an all purpose flooring company working with retail and remodeling customers, builders, commercial property owners and managers and commercial management companies. Our products have expanded to include carpet, tile, solid countertops, window coverings and LVT.

Hardwood flooring remains one of our specialties. There are 4 types of hardwood and hardwood-looking floors to consider for your next project:

Engineered
Engineered Hardwood is the most commonly installed hardwood product in the Sacramento region. It's the best hardwood floor solution for a home that's built on a concrete slab. Engineered hardwood is made of wood layers that are glued together. The thickness of the top layer will vary from a peeled 1mm to a sawn 4mm product. Engineered hardwood performs best when it is glued to the concrete creating a solid feel under foot. It can also be floated or nailed.
Anderson Engineered Hardwood Vintage 5" Width installed in a Roseville Home
Mannington Engineered Hardwood, Walnut Inverness installed in a Roseville Home

Laminate
Laminate is not a hardwood. Laminate is a pressed board that has a photo of hardwood on the top and a hard coating over the photo paper. Laminate is a floating floor that clicks together and is recommended for active families with children and/or pets since the surface doesn't scratch or dent as easily as hardwood. It can also be a more economical choice than real hardwood floors.
Mannington Laminate Restoration Collection installed in a Roseville Home
Mannington Laminate Restoration Collection installed in  Modesto Design Center


Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)
The latest in the hardwood floor look is LVP. This product is excellent for both residential and commercial and can be either floated or glued directly to the floor. When this product was first introduced we installed most of it in commercial buildings. Most recently we are installing the LVP in residential homes with excellent results!
Shaw LVP Fremont Plank installed in a Sacramento Apartment

Simas Showroom full of the latest brands, styles and colors of LVP installed in our Sacramento Showroom.
 
3/4" Solid Hardwood
Solid hardwood is installed on a plywood or particle board raised foundation and is installed using nail down installation. Solid hardwood is purchased from the factory either pre-finished or unfinished. Unfinished hardwood is sanded, stained and coated in place after installation. The prefinished hardwood is ready to walk on right after installation.

Our Simas team includes experienced designers and estimators available to help you make the right decision for your home or office. Give Simas a call today and get a FREE in-home consultation.