With a few simple steps and precautions, you can enjoy and  preserve the original beauty of your floor.

 Humidity

   Changes in humidity level can cause any wood floor to shrink or expand. In order to    minimize such movement, it is important to maintain the humidity level in your home    between 40% and 50%, through the use of appropriate humidity and ventilation    systems.

 Liquids and spills

   All liquids and spills should be wiped off as soon as possible in order to prevent any    possible damage. You may consider using area rugs to protect susceptible areas    (around kitchen sink, at entrance for wet footwear, etc.).

 Protection

   Abrasive dirt such as sand, street dirt and cat litter can damage any hardwood floor.    Protect your floor by using entrance mats and area rugs. Regular cleaning or    vacuuming of these rugs will prevent accumulation of dirt. Felt protectors under the    legs of all pieces of furniture will prevent damage caused by scratching.

 Sunlight

   Normal exposure to sunlight will cause slight color changes in any hardwood floor.    Area rugs, which block out light, should therefore be shifted regularly.

 Care products

   For best results, we recommend the use of specially formulated wood care and    maintenance products.
 
 Installation

   Before installing hardwood floors, subfloors should be carefully treated and/or    prepared, in order to prevent moisture-related problems and other problems
   associated  with construction defects or sub-par installation conditions. Floors
   should be installed according to widely recognized industry standards and practices.

 Maintenance

• Never use a damped mop or wet cloth to clean your hardwood flooring. Water
  can seriously damage any kind of wood.
  
  
• Never use wax on your polyurethane prefinished hardwood flooring.
  
  
• Never allow direct contact between the legs of pieces of furniture and the flooring. Use felt protectors under the legs in order to prevent scratches.
  
  
• Use a dry mop or vacuum cleaner frequently to eliminate solid particales which might scratch your hardwood flooring.
  
  
• Please remember that water, sand, salt and dust are not compatible with hardwood flooring.
  
  
• Without losing time, absorb water or liquid spills with a dry cloth.
  
  
• If there is a door leading outside where you have installed hardwood flooring,
  use a door mat to catch the dirt and absorb the humidity. Never use a rubber mat, with a styrofoam or plastic backing. Some styrofoam may damage your floor, therefore they are not recommended on hardwood flooring.
  
  Glossary
  
  Acrylic Impregnated
  
  With acrylic impregnated hardwood flooring, the 1/16" hardwood veneer on the top of the floor has been injected (impregnated) with a plastic acrylic solution under very high pressure and heat. This specially treated acrylic resin makes the floor up to 300% harder and more indent-resistant than
  natural wood. The engineered construction also reduces the risk of expansion and buckling.
  
  Bevel
  
  Modern hardwood flooring is available in many different edge styles, from square edge to micro-bevelled, to deeply grooved edges.
  
  Square Edge - no Bevel - The edges of all boards meet squarely creating a uniform, smooth
  surface that blends the floor together from board to board. The look is contemporary and formal,
  and there are no grooves to catch dust. The square edge can cost 5 - 10% more, but it gives a smoother appearance and square edge floors are easier to refinish. The square edge is not recommended over uneven floors.
  
  Micro-Bevel - The micro-bevel is meant to help hide minor irregularities, such as uneven plank heights.
  
  Heavy or Hand-Bevel - These floors also hide floor irregularities, and have a very distinctive
  deep groove in them. The beveled edge planks lend themselves to an informal and country decor.
  The hand-beveled planks have a rustic, hand-hewn look.
  
  Caramelized or Carbonized Bamboo
  
  Bamboo flooring is available in Natural or Caramelized.
  
  Natural is a light blond color similar to maple, and Caramelized is a dark amber color similar to
  young teak. This darker color is not a stain, but a process of pressure heating the fiber at the
  factory, which darkens the sugar compounds in the fiber.
  
  Engineered Flooring (also called Laminated Flooring, Engineered-Wood Flooring)
  
  Engineered Wood Flooring is wood flooring made from two or more laminations (layers) of wood glued together in a sandwich. The surface is real, re sand able wood -- not to be confused with plastic photo laminates.
  
  Floating Wood Floors
  
  What makes floating hardwood floors different from traditional hardwood flooring is that such floors aren't glued or nailed to the wood subfloor or concrete slab. The planks are attached to each other,
  and sit on top of the subfloor or sound barrier.
  
  The floor is installed with a small expansion gap at all edges, to allow for some natural expansion and contraction due to the seasons. The expansion gaps are never seen, they are covered by molding or shoe trim, and door thresholds .
  
  Glue-down
  
  In a glue-down application, hardwood flooring is adhered to the floor using a special type of
  adhesive - a chemical-drying compound.
  
  Some types of hardwood flooring may be adhered directly to:
  
  
• Concrete
  
• Sound Barriers
  
• Plywood Subfloor
  
• Radiant Heating
  
  The advantages of a glue-down application are:
    
• No need to build a plywood subfloor, saving time and material
• No subfloor means less height build-up, so less height differences between hardwood and non-hardwood flooring
• A very solid floor with little to no movement
  
  Glue-down application requires a skilled installer and meticulous site preparation.
  
  The strength of your floor depends on the quality of the glue used. AllHardwoodFloor only uses proven, quality adhesives to ensure the bond remains strong into the future.
  
  Hardness
  
  When choosing your hardwood flooring it is essential to take into account not only its appearance
  but the hardness as well. It is worth choosing a harder wood species rather than a softer one for
  areas where hard wear is expected: children playing, pets, stiletto heels, a busy entrance hall.
  
  In the table below, the hardness of the different wood species are compared to oak whose
  reference value is 100.
  
  Relative Hardness of Hardwood Flooring Species
  

  Pine	42
  Birch	67
  Birch Baroque	67
  Maple (European)	82
  Cherry	85
  Walnut	90
  Beech	95
  Red Oak	97
  Oak	100
  Rose Gum	103
  Ash Baroque	105
  Ash	105
  Beech Baroque	118
  Beech Antique	118
  Maple (Canadian)	123
  Jarrah	131
  Merbau	144
  Kempass	154
  Santos Mahogany	163
  Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)	175

  
  
  Horizontal or Flat Grain, Vertical Grain (Bamboo)
  
  Bamboo flooring is available in Horizontal (Flat) Grain and Vertical Grain.
  
  Horizontal or Flat grain flooring is laid-up with 3 layers of flattened bamboo slats adhered together. When you look at the floor from above you can see the bamboo nodes.
  
  Vertical grain flooring is comprised of stalks that are adhered together vertically. You see a smaller portion of each stalk, and the nodes are less noticeable.
  
  
  Engineered Flooring (also called Laminated Flooring, Engineered-Wood Flooring)
  
  Engineered Wood Flooring is wood flooring made from two or more laminations (layers) of wood glued together in a sandwich. The surface is real, resandable wood -- not to be confused with plastic photo laminates.
  
  
  Plain Sawn vs. Quarter Sawn
  
  The grain that shows on the surface of your hardwood floor will appear different, dependingon how
  the wood was cut.
  
  Plain sawn (or flat-sawn) lumber has the growth rings of the tree parallel to the board's broad face. Plain sawn wood highlights the grain, loops and growth swirls of the wood.
  
  Quarter sawn has the growth rings of the tree approximately perpendicular to the board's surface. Quarter sawn wood has the straightest grain, and is used for our premium floors to add a sleek, streamlined look to any room.
  
  Rift Sawn lumber is cut at a 30-degree or greater angle to the growth rings. This produces narrow boards with accentuated vertical or "straight" grain patterns.
  
  How Quarter-Sawn Wood is Milled
  
  First, the log is cut into quarters. Then, the quarter is flipped ninety degress back and forth to saw
  off a plane of wood. This process does not produce any more waste than plain sawing, but it does require some extra time to flip the quarters back and forth. This milling process produces a specialty wood flooring cut called Rift and Quarter Sawn.
  
  The benefits to this cut of wood are straighter grain that is up to 50% more stable than plain sawn flooring, and a superior looking product featuring less variation, longer lengths, and medullary rays.
  
  Plank Style
  
  Engineered flooring may be available in different plank styles.
  
  3 Strip
  The entire board consists of three parallel strips of the same width. This style is usually the
  least expensive, and gives a busy patterned appearance that can disguise the seams where three
  strips end together.
  
  2 Strip
  The 2-strip Long Plank consists of 2 parallel strips, with joints. The strips are longer and larger, but there are still seams with two strips ending together.
  
  1 Strip
  The 1-strip consists of a single strip along the whole length of the board. This style may be available
  in different widths. This style is a bit more cost, but the single strip boards are the only style that truly give the effect of traditional hardwood flooring.
  
  
  Prefinished
  
  Prefinished floors arrive for installation with a durable finish already applied to the surface. Because there's no need for finish application and drying time, the floors are fast to install.
  
  Quarter Sawn vs. Plain Sawn
  
  The grain that shows on the surface of your hardwood floor will appear different, dependingon how
  the wood was cut.
  
  Plain sawn (or flat-sawn) lumber has the growth rings of the tree parallel to the board's broad face. Plain sawn wood highlights the grain, loops and growth swirls of the wood.
  
  Quarter sawn has the growth rings of the tree approximately perpendicular to the board's surface. Quarter sawn wood has the straightest grain, and is used for our premium floors to add a sleek, streamlined look to any room.
  
  Radiant Heated Floors (& Recommended Flooring)
  
  For many builders, the reluctance to install hardwood floors over radiant heat stemmed from
  problems associated with the original technology introduced more than 40 years ago. Back then,
  floors were heated excessively to compensate for poor building insulation. Those high temperatures exaggerated expansion and contraction in hardwood flooring. Today, modern insulation and building techniques allow a radiant floor to stay cooler than the floor of the average sunroom.
  
  Many of the new engineered floors available today are designed for radiant heated floor installation.
  
  Recommended flooring:
  
• Premium site-finished long-length wood
  
• Engineered Floating
  
• Engineered Glue-down
  
• Bamboo (engineered)
• Cork Floors
  
  
  Rift Sawn
  
  Rift Sawn lumber is cut at a 30-degree or greater angle to the growth rings. This produces narrow boards with accentuated vertical or "straight" grain patterns.
  
  Site-Finished
  
  Site-finished hardwood floors are installed, and then stained and finished on-site. Site-finishing
  gives a traditional, flowing, and unbroken finished appearance.
  
  
  Vertical or Horizontal Grain, Flat Grain (Bamboo)
  
  Bamboo flooring is available in Horizontal (Flat) Grain and Vertical Grain.
  
  Horizontal or Flat grain flooring is laid-up with 3 layers of flattened bamboo slats adhered together. When you look at the floor from above you can see the bamboo nodes.
  
  Vertical grain flooring is comprised of stalks that are adhered together vertically. You see a smaller portion of each stalk, and the nodes are less noticeable.
   

• Helpfull tips : There is just a wealth of subtle information required for all that is involved with either installing or sanding finishing a hardwood floor. Trowelling of filler and finishes for example. ( with the exception of Laquer sanding sealer) Can enhance the actual look of how flat or one dimensional) Trowelling of finish is an old timers tool , let me explain. When you have a common sawn or plain sawn floor the soft grain will scallop away easily. One polisher and sanding screen is usually the reason . By trowelling conversion varnish or moisture cured urethane you can actually fill the soft grain . The look is way better. In addition the process of trowelling finish on a Hardwood Floor also cut's off any raising grain fibres. And is an effiect way to clean up the surface of the Hard Wood Floor This process is not available for Water borne finishes. however does work with polyurethane. AllHardwoodFloor Ltd. 604 603 7317 Recoating your hardwood floors every few years is highly recommended. If you do this before the finish has a chance to wear through, it will extend the life of your floor and eliminate the need for re-sanding Troweling of filler and finish is an ancient art and is the standard of all high quality finishing. Troweling cuts off raised grain,it cleans, it fills divots, cracks and voids with finish, It fills scalloped soft grain with finish allowing the afterwards mopped coats to sit on top and give the floor a much flatter appeal, Way better! Why go to a company who only uses laquer sanding sealer and poly urethane which goes completely amber or yellow after only a few years reducing the contrast to a sea of marmalade  ALL the Best Hardwood professionals Agree & AHF ltd. Agrees  ALLHARDWOODFLOOR LTD uses the industries best looking and performing Glitsa(tm) Swedish finish. and All the other Types of coatings Put the AHF brand on your Project

Temperature & Humidity

Temperature should be kept between 55 - 75°F. Humidity level should be

kept between 35% - 50% to insure minimal wood movement.

Routine Cleaning

Dry mop the floor daily to eliminate buildup of dust. As needed, tack floor with PoloPlaz™

Hardwood Floor Cleaner to remove perspiration, oils, spills, and residue from foot traffic.

Do not use dust mop treatments or floor cleaners that contain wax, paraffin, silicone, and

mineral oil. Do not use pre-treated dust mops. Use of these products can cause adhesion

problems when recoating the floor.

Dirt, sand, and grit will dull and accelerate the wear of the finish. Removing any sand or

grit will extend the life of the floor. Place floor mats or rugs at all entryways, bathroom

exits, or other high traffic areas to remove excessive dirt or moisture. Spills or liquids on

the floor should be wiped up immediately.

Power Scrubbers

Never use power scrubbers or automatic floor cleaning machines that

disperse water on the floor (especially water under pressure). The use

of scrubber machines will void the warranty on your floor.

Power scrubbers were designed for other surfaces such as terrazzo and

vinyl floors. The chemicals typically used in these machines are too

aggressive for wood and finishes. Even the softest brushes will scratch and dull the

finish. The machine’s liquid and scrubbing action can cup the floor, and pull paint and

finish from the wood.

Floor Covers and Mats

Gym floor covers should never be used on a freshly finished floor until at least three

weeks after the last coat of finish has been applied. For complete curing, the finish

surface must be exposed to oxygen in the ambient air. Covering the floor during this

process would deny the finish of oxygen needed to complete the reaction. This may

result in a partially cured coating with poor physical properties.

Also, it is imperative that the floor be cleaned before the cover is laid. Otherwise, any

grit or dust on the floor will mar the floor when the cover is walked on or when any loads

are moved on the floor. Covers should not be taped to the floors. The adhesive in most

tapes will attack the finish and result in delamination.

Dust Mop

Use Glitsa's untreated mop with Dust Pad on your floor regularly. This will keep the sand and grit off of your floor that may cause premature wear. Throw rugs that are cleaned on a regular basis are recommended in front of your kitchen sink and at each outside door.

Cleaning

Wipe up food and other spills immediately using a dampened (not soaking wet) Cleaning Pad on the Glitsa Mop or paper towel. Regular cleaning should be done with Glitsa Clean which is specially formulated to clean your Glitsa finished floor. Follow directions on the bottle for correct application. Glitsa Clean is available through your flooring contractor.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance may be the most important factor in determining the longevity of your wood floor finish.

Place walk off mats in entry ways and near sink areas to minimize the amount of dirt and water that comes in contact with your floor.

Check your chair legs and other pieces of furniture and attach Safeglides Felt Floor Protectors to all furniture that will come in contact with your wood floor.

Keep high heel shoes in good repair. Heels that have lost their protective cap can cause little indentations in any floor surface, even concrete!

Keep pet claws trimmed.

Do not over-water plants. Soil, fertilizers, and plant foods may have chemicals in them that could damage your Glitsa finish.

Soft rubber (shoe soles, toy wheels, etc.) will leave marks on the floor. Most of these marks can be rubbed out, but should be avoided if possible.