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Why should I consider hardwood floors?
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Are hardwood floors expensive?
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Can I install a hardwood floor in any room in my home?
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How long will a wood floor last?
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How much does it cost to install a new wood floor, or refinish an existing hardwood floor?
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Why should I install a hardwood floor instead of carpet?
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I have bad allergies. Should I remove my carpeting and have wood floors installed?
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What is unfinished/prefinished flooring?
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What is laminate flooring?
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What is engineered flooring?
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What is custom finishing?
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What type of finish do you use?
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Can bleaching remove the dark stains on my floors?
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How much dust is involved when I have my floors custom finished?
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Could I expect color variations in my floor?
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Will my floor be perfectly flat?
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Will my floor age or change color?
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Is it going to be scratch free; will it indent?
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I have small gaps between the boards of my hardwood floor. Is this normal?
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How do I prevent my floors from becoming warped or damaged?
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How should I take care of my floor?
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Does Sparkle Me Clean handle moving furniture and carpets?
Why should I consider hardwood floors?
Hardwood Floors are easy to clean, more sanitary than carpet, offer an almost infinite array of styles, and outlast all other flooring types.
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Are hardwood floors expensive?
Hardwood floors are very competitively price and represent an excellent value when compared to other flooring options. Hardwood floors never have to be replaced and will enhance the value of your home should you decide to sell. When compared to other flooring products, hardwood floors provide long-lasting value.
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Can I install a hardwood floor in any room in my home?
Yes, any room except a full bath. With the variety of products available and a choice of installation options, hardwood flooring can now be installed in any room of the home. The only consideration is whether the floor will be installed on-, above- or below-grade. For example, because of potential moisture problems, solid hardwood is not recommended for installations below grade, such as in a basement. Engineered products, which are inherently dimensionally stable, are better choices for this area. All types of hardwood can be installed on- or above-grade.
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How long will a wood floor last?
With proper care, hardwood floors can last the lifetime of a home or business. Wood floors are easier to maintain than ever, and they add value to any home.
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How much does it cost to install a new wood floor, or refinish an existing hardwood floor?
It all depends on what species of wood you have currently, or what you will want to install, and the square footage of your area that you want to install/refinish. We'd be more than happy to give you a free ballpark quote over the phone, or even come out and do a free in-home estimate and figure out exactly how much it would cost to do.
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Why should I install a hardwood floor instead of carpet?
Wood floors in the long run will be much cheaper than carpet. Wood floors will last the life of the structure it was installed in. Carpet normally has a lifespan of 7-1/2 years at the most. Add the costs of having it steamed periodically and it will be very expensive and difficult to maintain.
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I have bad allergies. Should I remove my carpeting and have wood floors installed?
Carpet traps dirt and allergens. After a few years of use, approximately 35% of the total weight of the carpet is composed of dust, dirt and allergens. Simply sweep, vacuum or tack your wood floors and all these will be gone.
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What is unfinished/prefinished flooring?
Unfinished flooring must be job-site sanded and finished after installation. Prefinished flooring is sanded and finished at the factory. Prefinished flooring may be an especially attractive option for remodeling, since the installation process is faster, simpler and cleaner. Unfinished flooring may provide more options for customizing color.
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What is laminate flooring?
Laminate flooring is a tongue and groove interlocking flooring system that comes in either planks or squares. All of these floors have a wear layer, a decorative print film layer, an inner core structure, and some type of backing support layer — usually melamine. The print film layer is either fused or glued to the inner core. The print film can be a photo of any real floor. The earlayer is applied to the decorative print layer to protect the pattern. Melamine resins are the main component of the wearlayer. The melamine surface gets its incredible durability from aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide is almost as hard as diamonds and provides unsurpassed wear and stain resistance.
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What is engineered flooring?
Engineered flooring is produced by bonding three or more layers of wood. The crossing of grain direction within the boards makes this a very dimensionally stable product able to resist nearly all expansion and shrinkage from normal moisture changes. This is one primary feature that makes it suitable for use directly on concrete and below-grade application.
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What is custom finishing?
Sanding and refinishing performed to individual specifications. Custom finishing of wood floors is performed in the home on the completely installed new floor, or to refurbish a previously finished floor. Custom finishing permits the owner to select from a full range of stains, sheens and colors.
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What type of finish do you use?
We use oil-modified polyurethane finish, which comes in gloss, semi-gloss or satin. It’s very durable, very hard.
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Can bleaching remove the dark stains on my floors?
Bleaching wood is done to lighten wood color. Bleaching is, at its best, unpredictable. Harsh chemicals are involved - the same ones that destroy wood and make wood come apart to produce paper products. To bleach an 18" cabinet door made from one piece of wood is very different from bleaching, let's say an 800 sq. ft. room on Oak flooring that has about 2000 pieces of different individual wood. Bleaching, therefore is rarely recommended.
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How much dust is involved when I have my floors custom finished?
This is the most common asked question. However, not to worry...WE, at SPARKLE ME CLEAN do have State of the Art DUST FREE containment equipment and therefore, there will be NO DUST airborne, no need to seal off passageways, or cover chandeliers.
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Could I expect color variations in my floor?
Yes. Wood is a natural material with variations from board to board. Therefore, each plank or strip will take stain differently. Darker stains mask the natural variations in the wood. The lighter the stain, the more prominent the natural characteristics. A white stain shows the most variation from board to board.
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Will my floor be perfectly flat?
Prefinished hardwood flooring is milled to exacting specifications of thickness for a level and flat floor. However, when walking across a floor with no shoes, you may feel a slight variation from board to board.
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Will my floor age or change color?
Yes. You can expect to see shade differences in your floor over time. The cause is usually from exposure to the ultra-violet rays of the sun, whether direct or indirect. This color change will be more noticeable in lighter colors, which will darken over time. In addition, certain species like Brazilian cherry, will naturally darken over the years. These changes are due to the natural characteristics of wood and are not covered by most manufacturers' warranties.
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Is it going to be scratch free; will it indent?
In spite of the term "hardwood", wood flooring will dent under high heel traffic (especially heels in disrepair). The finish that is applied will not prevent dents and scratches if maintained improperly.
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I have small gaps between the boards of my hardwood floor. Is this normal?
Almost every wood floor endures some expansion and contraction as seasons and humidity levels change. When homes are heated during the winter, humidity levels drop causing boards to shrink and spaces to appear between the boards. In dry months, cracks can easily develop to the thickness of a dime on a typical solid 2-1/4" oak floor, with light-colored woods making the cracks appear larger. Plank floors also will show cracks more. These spaces are to be expected and usually close up as the season changes and moisture returns to the air. To reduce the degree of change, home owners can add moisture to the air during the dry months, ideally by installing a humidifier in the furnace.
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How do I prevent my floors from becoming warped or damaged?
Controlling humidity is the most important factor in preventing problems with moisture and your wood floor. The correct maintenance also will go a long way in avoiding problems. Among the key points: Clean your wood floor with a cloth lightly dampened with the recommended cleaning product, using the manufacturer's directions for use.
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How should I take care of my floor?
Please read the Floor Care Tips on our website for daily cleaning and maintenance. When your floor has light to medium scratches, to save on the life of your floor and to bring back the shine, your hardwood floor can be buffed and coated. Depending upon the traffic and upkeep of your floors, buffing and coating should be done every three to ten years. The top layer of your floor will be lightly sanded, eliminating scratches and teething the floor. This allows the new layer of finish to grip tightly to your floors. Your hardwood floors will then be vacuumed and tack clothed and a new coat of finish applied. This gives your hardwood floors added protection and a new shine, without sanding down to the wood. Please note that this cannot be done if the floors have been waxed. Your hardwood floors should last the lifetime of your house, possibly even longer.
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Does Sparkle Me Clean handle moving furniture and carpets?
Yes, We handle all the moving of furniture and carpets so you don't have to lift a finger.
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