3 Reasons Hardwood Floors Are Great For Families

Hardwood floors and families are like two peas in a pod. We've seen all kinds of families with hardwood floors, and we've yet to see an instance where hardwood floors were a bad idea. From families with toddlers to families with pets, hardwood floors are a great idea for any family.

Easy To Clean

Hardwood floors are easy to clean as long as you're relatively quick to get to any stain. Hardwood floors that are properly installed are going to be very resilient to all kinds of spills. As a responsible homeowner, you have to make sure to get to spills quickly and dry them. This goes double for pet stains. The acidity in pet urine can permanently damage a floor if not handled in a timely manner. 

A simple pass with a cleaning solution every week or so is going to ensure that your hardwood floors are going to look great for years to come. Your floors are also not going to smell bad like carpet does after a few years. If you have a pet, your carpets will smell up until the moment you replace those carpets. There really isn't anywhere for that smell to sit in a hardwood floor. If weird smells are a concern, hardwood floors are your answer.

Kids with Allergies Will Thank You

Carpeted floors are going to collect dust no matter how many times you vacuum. It's not uncommon to see children with allergies suffer in homes that are predominately carpeted. Hardwood floors can alleviate the problem as the dust is not going to have anywhere to collect. It's very easy to spot any dust sitting on the surface. A quick pass with a Swiffer and you're done.

Flexible

Do you need something a little "warmer" for the winter? A rug is a great temporary solution. Your toddler is beginning to crawl around the house? a rug here and there is going to make his world a little softer. You can enjoy the benefits of softer floors without having to commit to them permanently. A hardwood floor is going to look elegant all times of year and for years to come. A hardwood floor can be refinished and re-stained if you feel like a different color.

We hope we gave you a few ideas to consider. Hardwood floors and families can work very well. We've run into a few customers that wanted to carpet the entire home because they were worried about temporary problems. We're here to tell you that it's only temporary. As alway, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to contact us. Have a nice day.

3 Myths About Hardwood Floors

There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the topic of hardwood floors. It's natural for half-truths to form around a topic like hardwood floors because it's not something that most homeowners deal with a lot. By that, we mean that most homeowners seek out professional help when they need some work done to their hardwood floors. When we talk to our customers for the first time, a lot of the same types of myths come up. We'd like to mention some of them in the hopes that you can avoid falling in some of the most common traps.

Hardwood Floors are Expensive

Sure, the initial upfront cost can be a little bit of an eye opener for some, but there's a little but more to the price of a hardwood floor than meets the eye. Hardwood floors are going to last years - decades even. Proper care and maintenance are going to ensure that hardwood floors last a typical family for the majority of their life there. Wood is incredibly durable and can be refinished many times during its life. 

Hardwood Floors are Difficult to Maintain

We often hear from customers that they fear the care and maintenance that goes into owning a home with hardwood floors. There really isn't much to worry about. The biggest thing to avoid is going to be pet stains. Pet stains can permanently damage wood, so make sure to take care of those as quickly as possible! Other than that, simple hardwood floor cleaner will ensure that the finish on your floors is looking incredible for years to come. 

Hardwood Floors are a Money Sink

We often hear from potential customers that they are worried that hardwood floors are a money sink. Hardwood floors are an incredible investment. Homes with hardwood floors sell faster and get higher offers. We occasionally work on homes that were recently involved in a real estate transaction. We like to talk with real estate agents because we're fascinated with the housing market and we've never had an agent tell us that hardwood floors are a bad idea. Sure, they can be expensive up front, but you get to enjoy them and then recoup a decent amount of the cost when you sell your home. 

We hope we were able to shed some light on some of these topics for you. If you have any questions or you'd like to request a free estimate, don't hesitate to contact us.

Hardwood Floors vs Carpet - 3 Things You Should Know

Homeowners will often have a choice between hardwood floors and carpet at some point during their ownership. Carpet and hardwood floors are two very different products that can completely change the look and feel of a home. We think there are a few things you should know before you make a decision.

Hardwood floors and nice carpet are similar in price.

We often hear people tell us that they were thinking about going with carpet in a certain room because they thought that it was going to be cheaper. Low quality carpet can definitely be cheaper. The problem is that it's low quality. High quality carpet requires high quality padding to go underneath the carpet as well. The price can quickly escalate if you factor in the price of the padding. 

Hardwood is easier to maintain.

Carpets need to be vacuumed constantly. Dust build up can make your family sick over time. Dust becomes a serious problem if you have pets in the house. Hardwood floors are fairly easy to maintain. A simple hardwood floor cleaner will keep your floors looking great for years to come.

The return on investment for hardwood is higher than carpet.

We see it time and time again - a customer puts new hardwood floors in a home or refinishes the old floors, and they put it on the market soon after we're done. Hardwood floors demand higher prices when you put that home up for sale. Buyers immediately notice hardwood floors when they walk into a room. Nice carpets can work in certain rooms, especially basements, but don't forget about the "wow" factor that a hardwood floor is going to give your home.

Hardwood Flooring Disasters: Pet Stains

A lot of our customers have pets. It's a common thing in the United States. We even have pets ourselves! Unfortunately, pets and hardwood floors don't necessarily mix well. To be more specific, we're talking about urine stains from pets. It doesn't seem like it would be a huge deal, but it could wreak havoc on your hardwood floors. Read after the break to see why.

It's not uncommon to see a pet become a member of the family. Our customers love their pets that much. We're here to tell you that you're going to have to be careful if you have a pet, but it's completely doable. Follow these simple instructions to make sure that your beautiful hardwood floors stay beautiful.

Keep that floor clean!

Pets can have accidents that aren't brought to your attention right away. Try to take care of the accident as soon as possible. Time is going to be of the essence here. Clean up whatever you can with a paper towel and then crack out the vinegar and baking soda. These will help with and residual urine and also help with the smell. 

Time is going to be the most important factor here. If you can get to it quickly, you're going to have a chance to fixing those floors. If the accident sits too long, you're going to have a decision to make. Pet stains are acidic and will soak into the wood for eternity. No amount of cleaning solution is going to help you. Believe us. Sanding it down won't even help. You're always going to see it. In these cases, you have to replace the individual planks and then sand down the entire floor.

As a little side note, lots of our customers have carpet covering their hardwood floors. We're usually asked to come in and remove the carpet and refinish the old hardwood floors. We can't even tell you how many times we pull up the carpet to see a completely ruined floor.

A carpet will not stop pet urine and it will soak through to the hardwood. It's also going to leave a nasty smell, but that's another story. 

We hope these tips help you with your hardwood floor maintenance. Cats and dogs are awesome, but you're going to have to be a little vigilant with them if you want to have pristine hardwood floors in the same home.

Plus Hardwood Flooring - NWFA Member

It's been a special week at Plus Hardwood Flooring. We are official members of the NWFA. The National Wood Flooring Association is an incredible organization dedicated to making sure that hardwood floor companies across the country maintain a level of excellence that is respected by the best that the hardwood flooring community has to offer. 

There are all types of hardwood floor companies. Some are a little more professional that others. Membership with the NWFA is something that only the most dedicated hardwood flooring companies in the country take the time to sort out. We're excited to finally be a part of the one hardwood flooring group in the country that is nationally respected.

The National Wood Flooring Association offers some incredible resources on their website. We always encourage our customers to go there if that have general hardwood flooring questions as the NWFA is a valuable resource. They run the website - woodfloors.org which is a consumer facing hardwood flooring resource that anyone can use to learn about what goes into proper hardwood flooring.

We're excited to finally be apart of this group, and we're excited to meet other hardwood flooring men in the community through this group. We are looking to travel to the Hardwood  Flooring Convention April 2016 to experience some of the latest techniques in hardwood flooring so that we can stay ahead of the competition. 

5 Reasons To Finally Refinish Your Hardwood Floors This Year

At Plus Hardwood Flooring, we take hardwood floors very seriously as you can imagine. Feel free to look at some of our past work to see what we mean. We love what we do and we love doing this work for our customers. We often have our customers remark on how enthusiastic we are about hardwood floors, and we tell them that we're only like this because we know that we're some of the top professionals in the Chicago area. We're giving you some reasons to consider refinishing or installing new hardwood floors this year.

Increase The Value Of Your Home

Hardwood floors are incredibly valuable if you plan on selling your home sometime this year. Hardwood floors are the first thing that someone is going to notice when they walk into a home. Make that first impression a great one with newly refinished hardwood floors. With the real estate market picking up, now is the time to get this done if you've been thinking about it for a while.

Do It For Yourself

A lot of our customers tell us how long they've been putting a project like this off. We understand that it's a big decision in any homeowners life, but it's about time that you had floors that you're proud of anytime you look at them. With any big decision in your life, make sure you choose a vetted professional that will work with you to get the floors that you've been dreaming of.

Spring Time Is The Beginning Of Our Season

We start to get really busy in the next few months. We always hate turning down work, but it has to happen sometimes. We get booked very quickly once Chicago gets a hint of Spring. We know that we're not the same either. If you call a a hardwood flooring professional in the middle of the summer and they're not busy, that may be a sign that they're not in high demand. The best hardwood flooring professionals are going to start getting very busy so get a hold of them while you still can!

You'll Have Beautiful Floors For Years

Newly refinished hardwood floors are going to last you years. If you take proper care of them during that time, you're going to have floors that look great for years to come. It's definitely an investment, but it's an investment nearly everyone we speak to is happy they made.

Hardwood Floors Look So Much Nicer Than Carpet

This is obviously biased, but you're going to be hard pressed to find someone that thinks hardwood floors don't look better than carpet. Carpet has it's place, but we've always been proponents of hardwood floors in homes with children and pets. Hardwood floors are so much easier to clean as well.

Hardwood Floor Profiles: Ash

This week, we continue our hardwood flooring profiles series with a new wood - ash. We like working with Ash because it's not something that is very common in the Midwest when it comes to hardwood floors. Part of this is simply because people don't know much about this wood. We can assure you that it's a great and we'd love to tell you why.

Ash is a naturally light wood that you'll know from baseball bats. That's right, baseball bats are almost always built using ash because it gives great "bounce" on impact. Ash is a nice and light wood that has many applications. 

In terms of flooring characteristics, ash is great when you want to use stains. Ash is very absorbent and blends well with a lot of stains. If you're thinking of staining your floors, then consider ash. Ash is naturally really light and we find it to be gorgeous without stain. It's personal preference, but ash allows for flexibility in this regard.

One of the downsides of ash is that it's a little on the expensive side. Most of the cost surrounding ash has to do with the fact that it's not a really popular wood. Ash isn't exactly exotic, so it's price is unfortunate. Still, you should always check first because we find that the price of ash can fluctuate a lot.

Spring Cleaning and Fresh Hardwood Floors

It's bitterly cold out there, but we all know that Spring is going to be here before we all know it. This could very well be the year that you finally do the hardwood floors you've been meaning to do for years now. Why not knock two birds out with one stone and get your floors done as well at clean the entire house?

We happen to be a professional hardwood flooring service if you haven't heard. We do some of the best floors in the Chicagoland area. Spring is all about new beginnings, why not start from the ground up?

Cleaning the entire house this Spring is a great way to welcome the warmer weather. There's going to be a ton of commotion at your house while you do this, so why not get your floors done at the same time? Fresh floors in 2016 is a gift to yourself that keeps on giving all year long.

Someone is ready for Spring. Are you?

We're starting to get busy, so if you'd like to work with us, start the conversation with us soon. Once the season ramps up. it may be hard to schedule a time slot with some of your favorite hardwood floor companies. 

These really are the final few weeks before we start to get really busy. Summer is nonstop work because people tend to like to do bug home improvement jobs during the warmer months. While this is very understandable, it makes it difficult to service everyone that would like their floors done. It's not just us, hardwood floor companies all over the Chicagoland are experience the same penomenom.

Hardwood Floor Profiles: Maple

Maple is a personal favorite of ours. Maple can be stained in various colors that are going to impress any guests you have in your home. We love Maple for its hardness and durability. We have it in our own homes and can wholeheartedly recommend it to any one of our customers.

Maple is great for any family that is going to beat on their floors. Maple has a Janka rating of 1450, which is pretty tough. Maple floors will be resistant to a pet such as a dog. Children can also have massive wear and tear effects on a floor, so Maple might be the right choice in that scenario.

Maple grows mostly in North America and Canada. These floors are going to have a pale complexion. Maple grain is very light, and it is actually difficult to see in most situations. This gives the wood a very "clean" attribute. Maple floors are not very busy, which is a look that some customers are going to prefer.

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It can actually be difficult to work with Maple because if its unique characteristics. A Maple floor can quickly turn blotchy if it not prepares adequately ahead of time. We recommend contacting a professional before you start working on this floor. It would be a tragedy to have such a gorgeous wood ruined due to lack of preparation.

Reclaimed Maple Floors

Plus Hardwood Flooring Saves The Day

Sometimes, it's our job to come into a home and fix a problem that we didn't cause. This happens all the time because unfortunately, many professionals in the industry simply don't have the skills that they advertise. It always pains us to see a homeowner wasting their precious time with someone who clearly isn't a professional, but that's the way this industry works sometimes. Read on if you'd like to make sure that this doesn't happen to you.

We recently got a call from some distressed homeowners who were not happy with the work that their previous floor man had done. We figured that it couldn't be that bad, but we were wrong.

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As you can see, it's not a pretty sight. No one wants to pay thousands of dollars to have their floors turn out like this. The uneven finish and visible scratch marks are awful. We can't imagine what kind of person wouldn't be ashamed of this. It makes the entire industry look bad.

We got to work as soon as possible and tried to fix it as best we could. Luckily for the homeowners, we could sand this down and apply a new stain. In a lot of instances, the floor will be so messed up by the previous floor man that we would have to literally replace the floor with fresh would. This only happens if mistakes are made during the sanding process and the floor is scratched deeply.

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We're really happy with how everything turned out. Most importantly, the homeowners were ecstatic. That's why we do this. We love coming into a home and making something beautiful happen. Each of our jobs is a different story and a new experience.

We hope you can see the difference between an average floor man who might have a low price and the professional company that makes sure everything is right the first time. If you have any questions or hardwood flooring needs, we are always here. We are true professionals and have the work to prove it!

New Year, New Floors

It may be cold outside, but we all know that spring is going to be here before you know it. With Spring comes a Summer that gets here before we know it. Now is the time to start making plans for any home improvement that you've been putting off for years. Home improvement is daunting for nearly everyone. Do your research and start now if you plan on doing anything construction related in your home this year.

Plan Now

This is the time to begin planning. It's still January, but the summer is going to get here before you know it. If wait until then to start anything large, you're going to be kicking yourself once it starts to get cold again.

Always Plan For More

Large projects like home remodeling always end up being bigger than your first imagine. That's simply the nature of it all. One things leads to another, and before you know it, you're redoing the hardwood floors in the whole house. Give yourself a buffer and don't anticipate getting everything done within the initial time frame you set.

Don't Trust Time Tables Contractors Give You

This is fairly straightforward. Contractors are notoriously bad at giving accurate time frames. It's nearly impossible to anticipate everything going wrong once a job gets big enough.

The Real Estate Market Is Coming Back

This may be the year that you want to sell your home. Lots of folks ended up staying in a place that they didn't think was ideal because of the economic downturn in 2007. The real estate market is back now, and we're seeing people moving for the first time in years. A new hardwood floor is going to make you stand out in a neighborhood once the competition gets going. Brand new hardwood floors leave an impression because it's usually the first thing people notice when they enter a home. Make your home stand out.

We hope these tips help you in your home construction efforts in 2016. If you'd like to begin the conversation, we're always happy to talk and help you with any hardwood flooring needs you might have. Remember, the first step if first contact.

Hardwood Floor Profiles: Maple

This week, we're going to be focusing on maple hardwood floors. Maple has a very distinct elegance to it that immediately attracts homeowners that are looking to add a level of seriousness to their space. We love working with maple as it is a "regal" wood. It definitely has a richness and fullness that you're hard pressed to find in any other type of wood.

Maple floors can be stained to be very dark which is a major seller for some people. We also love how easy maple is to maintain. You can easily sweep dust off of the surface to ensure a glowing floor all year long. This versatility is incredibly useful if you're looking for something that doesn't require constant care. Water and floor cleaner can make maple floors look brand new for an incredibly long time. Regular buffing is recommended so that the maple floors maintain their elegance for years to come.

There are some downsides to this elegant wood as well. Maple does not hold up incredibly well in heat and humidity. Rapid temperature changes can cause maple floors to warp and split. Admittedly, these tend to be extreme cases, but we have seen it happen from time to time. Midwest summers can be incredibly humid, so a dehumidifier may be a wise choice. A dehumidifier seems like an easy investment to make once you factor in the full price of a pristine maple floor. Protecting your investment is nearly as important as choosing to make that investment in the first place. 

Lighter maple floors tend to shows scratches more so than their darker counterparts. However, this can be said of most floor types. Darker stains are capable of hiding scratches should they ever occur. It can be a good idea to install maple floors in an area of the house that doesn't see a great deal of traffic. Maple floors can make any space look incredibly elegant. It only make sense to protect that investment to the best of your ability. Maple floors can also be pricey which turns some homeowners off.

Maple floors can last years if maintained properly. They really do add a "wow" factor to any space they are installed in. If you have any questions about maple floors, or if you've got questions about other woods, don't be afraid to ask. We're here to help.

Hardwood Floor Profiles: Bamboo

Bamboo is wood that many people are familiar with, but they forget about how it looks on a floor. In recent years, bamboo floors have gained traction in the market and they are now a major seller with those seeking to create modern looks for their homes. We find bamboo to be a particularly fascinating wood choice which has obvious upsides as well as downsides. Read on to see what we're talking about.

It's oozing with modernity.

Bamboo can instantly give any room a modern look. Due to its uncommon patterns and interesting stain blending, a bamboo floor is going to give every room a look that more traditional hardwood floor choices simply cannot match. We love bamboo for its uniqueness and modernity. We've had a few customers decide to go with bamboo floors in their homes, and they've been happy with the result every time. Mind you, they were hesitant throughout the installation because of how different a bamboo floor looks, but they were happy nonetheless. These floors seem to be a hit with the younger demographics.

Bamboo is extremely stable and long lasting. This is no exception when it comes time to putting bamboo on the ground. Many are familiar with how quickly bamboo grows, but many are quick to gloss over the fact that bamboo is actually and incredibly hard wood that with resist scratches for years to come. This is stark contrast to another floor that we profiled a few weeks ago - pine. 

Pros

- Bamboo is biodegradable which makes it environmentally friendly.
- Very durable and scratch resistant.
- Bamboo is easy to clean. 

If you're going for a more traditional look in your home, it may be best to steer clear of bamboo. It looks too modern for a lot of older homes, but we're all about pushing the human race forward here at Plus Hardwood Flooring. That being said, we've grown to understand that it's usually wise to be conservative when it comes to major home design decisions. It's every home owners nightmare to realize they've made a massive mistake when it comes to a design decision as these tend to not be reversible. 

Cons

- Bamboo can be expensive if you want quality wood.
- Bamboo can discolor easily, especially if exposed to prolonged direct sunlight.
- If bamboo experiences a spill, it needs to be taken care of quickly.

However, from our experience, we find that our happiest customers are the ones who take risks within reason. No matter who you are, we hope you found this informative and encourage you to contact us if you have any further questions.

We're So Close To 500 Facebook Page Likes!

The Plus Hardwood Flooring Facebook page is so incredibly close to acquiring 500 likes! It's been a long journey, but we're incredibly proud to have this many fans on Facebook. It wasn't too long ago that it would be normal for most small business to not have any online presence. The times have changed inconceivably over the past decade. Everyone is expected to have a website and some social media presence. We accepted the challenge and we're proud of what we've built.

2016 is going to be a year of growth. We want to expand our online presence and make it easier than ever for customers to interact with us via all forms of communication. A phone number alone isn't going to cut it anymore. So many of our customers prefer to use only email or text messages in order to complete a project. We like accommodating our clients because it makes the process more seamless than its ever been. 

Our web traffic grew orders of magnitude last year. We attracted more business via internet channels last year than every other year combined for as long as Plus Hardwood Flooring has existed. We look forward to more growth this year than ever before.

The fact of the matter is that small business owners have to be flexible. Every customer is going to want things done a little differently. Technology is a tool that lets us do that and we think that we use technology than anyone else in our business. 

500 Facebook Page likes may seem like small milestone compared to some of the businesses out there on Facebook, but this growth has occurred mostly over the past year. The best part is that it's accelerating.  We don't think this happen if the work didn't speak for itself. 

If you're reading this and haven't given our Facebook page a "like", then please consider it. It would mean more than you can possibly imagine.

Here's to a great 2016!

House Parties and Hardwood Floors

It's that time of year again. News Years Eve is just around the corner and we hope that you have your plans set already. Millions of Americans host partied in their homes every year. We'd like to give you some ideas when it comes to keeping your hardwood floors clean this year. 

Take those shoes off!

It's rather common in the United States to leave your shoes on when you enter a home. We're here to tell you it's ok to ask your guests to take their shoes off. Shoes carry all kinds of sharp things like rocks underneath them. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to scratch up a floor with a tiny pebble.

Not something you want to see.

Take spills seriously.

Most wood is fairly resilient to the typical spill. it's important to clean those spills up as soon as possible. Moisture over time can lead to some nasty rotting wood! Remember, rotted wood needs to be completely replaced in time, so do your best to avoid this scenario.

Warn people about a "no-shoe policy".

It may seem crazy, but trust us - people who always wear shoes can be afraid to give them up if you ask them to. Ample warning will ensure that women wearing boots or heels can account for the lack of shoes. It can be off putting or cold to walk around a home with no shoes or socks on. This is doubly true in the winter when it can get very cold although you wouldn't know it this year in Chicago.

The dreaded heel kills hardwood floors all over the country every year.

Have some slippers ready.

People alway come unprepared. It's your job as a host to make sure that everyone is comfortable. We find that having some guest slippers of ever guest socks is the way to go. This way, everyone is happy - your floors are safe and your guests' feet are warm.

These are just some tip we wanted to offer to anyone hosting a party at their home this year. New hardwood floors are beautiful. It only makes sense to want to preserve that beauty for years to come. We wish everyone a joyous holiday season and a fantastic New Years!

Hardwood Floor Profiles: Brazilian Cherry

Brazilian cherry is one of the most popular imported woods in the United States today. People love due to its exotic characteristics. Brazilian cherry can give any room in your home a look and feel that traditional woods simply can't.

Brazilian cherry is not actually a cherry species. It is also known as Jatoba in some circles. The cherry name comes from its natural look. Brazilian cherry carries a red hue that reminds everyone of a summer picnic with fresh cherries. It is stunning in person and leaves a lasting impression.

Exotic hardwood has interesting characteristics when it comes to color change over time. Brazilian cherry will gain richness over time. The most dramatic change will occur over the first six months after installation. It's a truly "living" wood that has a vibrant flair that other woods can't match.

Brazilian cherry is one of the harder woods that you can install in your home. This means that it will hold up well against most foot traffic. This ensures that your floors are going to look great over time. Pets shouldn't be a problem either. Brazilian cherry gives off a premium vibe, but has a dependability and robustness that makes it practical in the active home. It's truly a great choice for any family.

If you want to give your home an exotic, we can't recommend Brazilian cherry highly enough.  It combines practicality with beauty in a way that makes it desirable in all types of living situations. We'd be more than happy to help you answer any questions for your next hardwood flooring project. If you were looking for a unique look in your home, look no further - Brazilian cherry is what you were looking for.

Real Christmas Trees And Hardwood Floors

The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone. If your family celebrates Christmas, you're going to have to worry about a Christmas tree. We love live Christmas trees. There's nothing like waking up to smell of pine every morning. There can be a problem though. Live trees can wreak havoc on hardwood floors. We've put together a step by step guide to help you this holidays season so that your Christmas tree is something you enjoy instead of dreading.

- You're going to need a blanket folded into quarters and some plastic to place over that. Place the blanket where you intend on placing your tree. The plastic goes over the blanket. Finally, place your tree stand over the plastic.

- Before you bring your tree into your home, shake it in order to get rid of all the loose pine needles. Pine needles can cause damage to your floors. They are very easy to track throughout a house. They are small and sharp enough to scratch your hardwood floors.

- Have a bath mat or something similar at your door. Place the tree on top of this and drag the bath mat with the tree on in to your tree stand. This is going to ensure that your tree sees as little shaking as possible on its journey to its final resting place. This also ensures that you won't be dropping your tree. That would be a disaster.  

The dreaded pine needle.

- Place the tree in the tree stand and fill the base with water in order to keep your tree fresh for as long as possible. Place a tree skirt over the plastic and blanket to make your tree presentable.

- Once the holidays are over, your preparation will make this simple. Simple drag everything to the doorway so the tree doesn't have to be carried over your precious hardwood floors. The blanket underneath is going to make this pretty straightforward. 

The holidays can be incredibly stressful. Any bit of advice is worth taking. Hardwood floors are an investment, but they require a little bit of work. Simple planning will make sure that your beautiful hardwood floors aren't damaged by your beautiful Christmas tree.

From all of us at Plus Hardwood Flooring, we wish your family peace and joy in the coming year! Happy holidays!

Hardwood Floor Profiles - Pine

There are so many choices customers have to make when they install new hardwood floors. One of the first and most obvious decisions they're going to have to make is what kind of wood they want to install.  It seems like a pretty simple question initially, but it's actually rather loaded. There are so many types of wood that interact differently with different stains. One type of wood can make or break a room, so this is not a decision that anyone should take lightly. While it may seem daunting, don't fret. We're here to help you make some sense of all of this. Plus Hardwood Flooring will make sure that you feel comfortable with your decision so that you can simply enjoy your beautiful hardwood floors.

"There is a downside - pine is soft."

Pine is a wood with benefits and drawbacks. Pine is a rare wood type in the Chicago area, which makes us a little sad. Pine is great fun to work with because you can get some incredible colors out of it with various stains. It's always a treat to work with pine due to how well it blends with any stain we throw at it. There is a downside - pine is soft. This means that scratches are going to be really visible fairly quickly. This is the biggest deal breaker for most people. If you don't have children or pets, give pine a try. You'll get a look that no one else in the neighborhood has. 

Pine is extremely versatile because of how quickly pine trees can grow. This lends pine to plantation farming. For centuries, wood workers preferred working with pine over other hardwood because of how soft pine was. Technically, pine is not a "hardwood", but most people refer to it as such for all intents and purposes. 

"If you don't have children or pets, give pine a try."

If there are any other woods that you'd like for us to cover in the future, simply let us know! A well informed customer is a joy to work with. Contact us at hello@plusbuildinginc.com with any comments or suggestions. Alternatively, leave us a comment on our Facebook page.

Fun With Hardwood - DIY Projects

While Plus Hardwood Flooring specializes in hardwood floors, we love working with wood in every way you can imagine. Occasionally, we come across a cool project on the internet that we feel like sharing with people we know. We thought it would be fun to share these ideas with our customers and fans. We're introducing the "Fun With Hardwood" series. A few times each month, we'll introduce you to a DIY project that involves wood in one way or another so that you can begin to appreciate the work that goes into working with wood. We wouldn't be in this line of work if we didn't love what we do, and we want to share a little bit of that love here.

Storing shoes can be a pain. A ton of shoes can quickly become unsightly, so there has to be some solution that isn't super expensive. Check this out. A wonderful solution for storing your shoes. It's amazing what people can do once they get creative. This was a simple sanding and refinishing that was done by hand. Anyone can do something like this with nearly any type of wood. If you're looking for something a little bit rustic, you can always opt for reclaimed wood as it has a history that a piece of fresh wood cannot match. But be wary, reclaimed wood can often be harder to work with!

We're going to leave you with one more idea here. These were sent to us by a customer and we fell in love.  What a creative way to display some knickknacks you have throughout the house. We can see this being a great time with your kids or loved ones. Like earlier, a simple sanding and staining is all you need to bring life to something that would be junk otherwise.

If you have anything you'd like to share with us so that we can feature it in future blog posts, let us know via email. 

Hardwood Floor Dreams with Houzz

Every great home improvement project needs to start somewhere. A single piece if inspiration can lead you on a journey that will end up being a story that you tell for years to come. You could fall in love with the hardwood floors on you favorite coffee shop, or maybe you saw a a really fun idea on the internet somewhere. We want to give you a jumping off point so that you can think about your next flooring project. We love Houzz for that very reason.

"Diversity is the spice of life - and hardwood floors." 

Houzz is a great source for finding your dream setup. Home construction projects can be incredibly complicated. A lot of people think that everything needs to be set in stone, but construction is very much an art. Things develop along the way that you have to deal with and work around. The more angles that you tackle problem from, the better the outcome. We find that having an open mind when it comes to hardwood flooring will lead to fresh ideas and layouts that you could have never imagined. Diversity is the spice of life - and hardwood floors. 

Houzz has a fantastic search feature built into its website that scours hardwood flooring projects all over the country. Check it out right here. You can search for all kinds of hardwood floors and most importantly, see them in a real world context. Looking at a hardwood floor in a showroom is one thing, but if you can see it in a real living room, you can start to imagine yourself living there. That's what Houzz is great at - they have a ton of construction companies and interior designers all fighting for your business. You'll find some great work that you can use as inspiration when you start your next hardwood flooring project. 

Look at all the filters!

The amount of filters are really great for when you have something specific in mind, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Houzz will help even the pickiest person find what they're looking for. We often work with customers that find a floor the like on the internet and ask us to recreate what they found. These are our favorite projects because it allows for a level of collaboration that really makes the work personal. We can't even tell you how many times we've made it our mission to bring an inspiration to life in order to satisfy a customer and perhaps our own ego. (Only because we know we're that good.)

"We can make your dreams a reality."

Give it a shot. We're right here to answer any questions you might have in regards to your next hardwood floor project. We can make your dreams a reality.