A notice to all of
you Central
Floridians
Look for my column
"Function First", in
the Orlando
Sentinel. It will be
appearing monthly in
the Saturday Home
Fix-Up section.
Christmas Nifty
Gifties
Here are a couple
gift ideas for your
friends with small
laundry rooms:
 1
- No room to hang
clothes? This
folding laundry
hanger opens to
provide 14" of
hanging space.
Place your orders
soon. We're running
low on these.
 2
- Four loads of
laundry can be
sorted in 24" of
wall space with this
wall-mounted system.
It comes with a
selection of 12
labels to customize
sorting preferences
and to indicate
contents of each
bag.
"Don't Forget the
Linen Closets, Tips
for Building and
Organized Home" is a
great gift idea for
friends and family
that are planning to
build or remodel.
It's a little book
packed full of the
small details that
make a big
difference.
Click here to see
products!
Underneath Your Feet: The Scoop on Engineered Wood Flooring
 For many years, if you wanted the look of a hardwood floor in your home, the only choice was to
install individual solid wood boards.
Although a solid hardwood floor is a beautiful thing, today
there are alternatives that offer distinct advantages. One of these, engineered wood flooring,
also consists of individual “boards.” However, these boards are manufactured by bonding a top
layer of finished hardwood (the “wear layer”) to an “engineered layer” of unfinished plywood.
Engineered wood flooring is more moisture-resistant than traditional hardwood, can be installed in a
variety of ways, and costs a fraction of its solid wood counterpart. However, before choosing an
engineered wood floor, it’s important to understand how properties of the engineered layer, the wear layer,
and the protective finish affect the quality of the final product.
-
Engineered Level:
The engineered level consists of multiple layers of plywood, with the grain of each layer running
perpendicular to the one below it. This type of construction minimizes expansion and contraction,
another plus for engineered wood flooring, so the thicker the engineered level, the less expansion
and contraction.
-
Wear Layer:
The wear layer, that beautiful, solid wood portion of an engineered wood floor, varies
from 1/16” thick to approximately 3/16” thick. Depending upon the product, a more substantial
wear layer can be sanded and refinished once or more. However, this is a process best undertaken
by professionals, since the aluminum oxide finish is not easy to remove.
The wear layer can be made of either exotic or domestic wood. Exotic woods such as hickory,
Brazilian cherry, or tigerwood, though usually more expensive, are much harder (and thus more durable)
than domestic woods such as birch, pine, ash, maple, or oak.
The Janka rating is a universally accepted system for measuring the hardness of wood. The higher the
rating, the harder the wood. Some of the hardest woods approach a rating of 3700, whereas domestic oak,
for example, has a rating in the 1300s.You can download a chart with the Janka rating for over 60
different woods.
Click here for Janka Ratings
Exotic woods are also often left unstained, which allows their natural beauty to be enhanced by a
clear finish and produces a wear layer that is a consistent color throughout. As a result, scratches
are harder to detect. Most domestic woods, on the other hand, are stained, providing a wider range
of color choices but also making scratches more obvious. Natural maple is an exception to this rule,
since this wood is normally not stained.
-
Finish:
Most flooring of this type is finished with aluminum oxide, an extremely strong, protective clear coating
that is hard to duplicate in the field. Different flooring manufacturers offer different finish options,
however, so remember that the greater number of finish coats, the greater durability. You may also have
the choice of a matt or glossy finish. Both can be beautiful, but for those with pets and/or children,
keep in mind that scratches and footprints are less noticeable on a matt finish.
Going GREEN? Engineered wood flooring can be rated green because of the low emission of
VOCs (volatile organic compounds, which are chemicals released into the air as gasses) and/or
because of the incorporation of sustainable wood.
Eco-Timber® has been a supplier of sustainable wood products since 1992. They offer a line of
engineered wood flooring certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, along with low VOC-finishes
and adhesives. (If your flooring will be installed using the glue-down method, also be sure to
request water-based or low-VOC adhesives.) The above photograph, showing White Tigerwood
engineered wood flooring, is courtesy of Eco-Timber. You can learn more at
Eco-Timber WEB site
 The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international not-for-profit, membership-based
organization that brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad
forestry practices and to reward good forest management. Its product label allows consumers
to recognize products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
Visit
www.fsc.org for a database of FSC certified products.
Is there a
subject you’d
like me to
cover? Let
me know by
sending an email
to
tracy@tracystips.net.
All past issues of
this ezine are in
the Ezine Archives
on our web site.
Click here for Ezine
Archives !
Copyright © 2007
Tracy DeCarlo - All
Right Reserved
WANT A CHECK LIST OF
HUNDREDS OF TIPS
AND IDEAS FOR
DESIGNING A
FUNCTIONAL HOME?
If you liked today’s
tips you’ll love the
book
“Don’t Forget the
Linen Closets!”
It’s packed with
over 240 ideas and
reminders to help
you incorporate
function,
organization, and
efficiency into your
home without
breaking the bank.
|
To us,
it
[“Don’t
Forget
the
Linen
Closets”]
is the
most
thorough
guide to
building
a house,
regardless
of size,
in the
industry.
Most
importantly,
it is
geared
toward
the
folks
who will
actually
live in
the
house.
By
following
your
guidelines,
we are
confident
that we
will
have a
far more
functional
home
than if
we had
been on
our own.
Also, we
know
that we
and the
builder
have
saved
thousands
of
dollars
by
avoiding
rework
and
non-functional
design
flaws.
In fact
we have
dubbed
the
book,
“The
Home
Buyers’
Essential
Handbook
for
Design
and
Construction
in Less
Than 50
Pages.”
Thank
you for
sharing
your
thoughts
and
experiences
in such
a
concise
and
useful
way.
Bill and
Yvonne
Dunbar
Homeowners
building
a custom
home
Orlando,
FL
–
February
2006
|
If you’d like more
personalized help,
Tracy’s plan-review
service will walk
you through the
process in detail.
In either case,
planning the details
in the beginning can
save thousands in
the end! To
see more
testimonials and/or
to place your order,
visit
Detailed Solutions
WEB site
now.
WANT TO USE THIS
ARTICLE IN YOUR
E-ZINE OR ON YOUR
WEB SITE?
You can, as long as
you include the
following blurb in
its entirety:
Tracy DeCarlo,
author of “Don’t
Forget the Linen
Closets!”
publishes the
idea-packed,
monthly e-zine
“Tips for
Designing a
Functional
Home.” If
you’re ready to
learn how to
incorporate
organization,
function, and
efficiency into
your new home or
remodeling
project without
breaking the
bank, get your
FR*EE tips now
at
www.BuildingTips.net.
|
