Comfortable House

With so many available options for hardwood flooring, today’s busy and environmentally responsible consumer wants information – accurate information – to simplify the process of selecting a new hardwood floor.

Be a knowledgeable consumer and get the facts about U.S. hardwoods. They are “green,” exceptionally beautiful and can last a lifetime.” Here are some of the things you’ll want to know to make the right choice for hardwood flooring.

Know the Facts and Shop with Confidence

• A solid hardwood floor will provide decades of extraordinary beauty, durable service and flexibility. Remember, solid hardwood flooring can be refinished for changing tastes or excessive wear. It may initially cost a little more, but as trends evolve, it can too.
• Hardwood floors are non-toxic and trap no allergens such as mold spores and dust. Simple maintenance — dust mopping, sweeping or vacuuming — will keep hardwood floors looking great and allergen-free.
• U.S. hardwoods are truly sustainable. The US Forest Service, in a 2008 report, verified that the average annual net growth for hardwoods is greater than average annual removals. The volume of hardwood timberland in American forests is almost double that of 50 years ago.
• U.S. hardwoods are an all-natural, carbon-negative material. They have no emissions for methane, nitrogen oxides and other particulate matter and they are homegrown. Being regionally sourced further minimizes their carbon footprint.
• When considering a particular U.S. hardwood species, pay attention to its hardness rating scale, referred to as the Janka Scale. For high traffic areas, consider Oak, Maple, Cherry and Ash, species with higher hardness ratings.

Which One?

Pre-finished solid hardwood flooring is just that – already sanded and sealed, by the manufacturer, with at least four coats of ultraviolet-cured urethane resin. It offers consistent quality, quicker installation and immediate gratification, meaning you can walk on it as soon as it is laid. Time and money saved during the installation typically off-set the initial higher material cost.

Unfinished solid hardwood flooring must be sanded and sealed on-site. While it does offer more color choices, it requires extensive preparation. The sanding process is messy; significant drying time is required after each sealing application requiring up to five days for completion. While the initial material cost is lower, remember the additional finishing cost.

Engineered flooring, consisting of a plywood base that’s covered with a 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick layer of wood, works well in bathrooms and basements where light moisture might be a concern. It is almost always pre-finished. Because the top layer is so thin, it can’t be sanded more than one to three times and usually requires a professional to do it. Keep in mind that the less expensive choices cannot be sanded at all due to the very thin top layer.

Don’t be Misled by Lookalikes

The least expensive flooring option is laminate. It looks like wood, but it’s really a printed paper that is affixed to a wood-chip base or high-density fiberboard, covered with a clear surface layer to absorb daily impact. Its issue is that it can’t be repaired or sanded when scratches or dings occur.

Tropical woods, not native to the U.S., are being renamed and falsely marketed as favorite hardwoods. Be careful. Brazilian Cherry is jatoba and Chilean Cherry is lenga. Neither is Cherry. Tasmanian Oak and Australian Heritage Oak are eucalyptus, not Oak. Malaysian Oak is rubber wood and Australian Cypress is pine. When in doubt, visit www.HardwoodInfo.com to review the U.S. hardwood Species Guide.

Bamboo flooring is being called hardwood. It is not. Bamboo is a grass grown typically in tropical regions of the world and it is not carbon negative. To make flooring, the grass is glued together under tremendous pressures of up to 1,200 pounds per square inch. Glue content can range from three to 20 percent, and often contains urea formaldehyde, which is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Manufacturers approximate it could last only 30 years. And because it is typically manufactured in Southeast Asia, shipment to U.S. shores increases its carbon footprint, significantly. (See the attached chart for additional information)

As you contemplate your home improvement projects, make choices based upon the facts, not hype. Choose nature’s quintessential “green” material, U.S. hardwood, for flooring, furniture, mouldings, millwork and cabinetry that will last.

We rely on fences to serve an array of different purposes. They keep children and pets safe, offer privacy from nosy neighbors, transform yards into outdoor entertainment centers, and add beauty and value to property. Choosing the right fencing can be a bit perplexing when you see the myriad of fencing options available. However, as long as you know your landscape and stay focused on your purpose, you’ll be able to get off the fence and take action.

When fence-shopping, consider these ten factors before purchasing:

Stick to the mission. Once you know your goal–child safety, pet containment, privacy, entertainment, aesthetic enhancement, or multi-purpose–stick to the mission by picking fencing that best serves your goal. For safety, choose fencing with pickets close enough together so a child or dog can’t stick their head through and become trapped or strangled. For privacy or noise reduction, choose a taller, solid fence.

Know the lay of your land. Know your landscapes intimately–their hills, valleys, and slopes–no matter how small. They can cause big installation problems and impact your fence’s appearance. For yards with many ups and downs, avoid disasters by using stair-stepped fencing, which ensures a level fence.

Ditch the high maintenance. Wooden fences are charming until they weather, warp, and rot from the elements or lack of diligent annual maintenance. Wood requires frequent sealing to keep it viable. Vinyl or virgin vinyl (non-recycled) fencing withstands harsh elements and offers carefree maintenance. Extremely durable, vinyl requires only occasional power-washing. Choose vinyl containing titanium dioxide (TI02) to prevent UV damage. An example is Triple Crown™ Fence manufactured by Royal Outdoor Products, a pioneer in vinyl fencing, since 1982. Our new Triple Crown™ Signature Series provides a rich, wood-grain texture for a natural wood appearance with the convenience of vinyl.

Know your posts and gates. All fences require posts. For vinyl posts, thicker may be better, but beware–some companies use foaming agents to boost wall thickness without boosting strength. Choose vinyl posts with wall thickness in the .135 to .150 range. If you need gates, remember that steel reinforcement inside the gate hinge-posts is key; most gates are too heavy for vinyl alone to accommodate.

Consider your climate. In frosty, northern climates, use concrete to anchor fence posts. Planting posts 36-inches into the ground prevents heaving during cold snaps. In humid, rainy areas, wood is more susceptible to water damage, so vinyl is a better choice. High quality vinyl fencing, such as Royal Outdoor Products’ complete Triple Crown Fence line and Triple Crown Signature Series, won’t blister, peel, crack, or turn brittle, even when installed in extreme hot or cold climates.

Don’t reinvent the fence. While do-it-yourself fencing is popular, the results are often surprising (not in a good way). Installing fencing is no walk in the park. Get professional help. Enlist a fencing contractor before purchasing anything. The results are worth the cost.

The proof is in the fencing. Check out a company’s installations in person. Reputable companies often have customer sites where you can see completed fences firsthand.

Get neighbors on board. Make sure your fence doesn’t block your neighbors’ view. As a courtesy, talk to them before choosing fencing, so you don’t wind up feuding later. Getting the neighbor’s input can make them more agreeable to whatever fencing design you ultimately choose.

Don’t zone out on building codes. Check with your municipality about local zoning ordinances and building codes. Your fencing project may require a permit.

Know your warranty rights. A limited lifetime warranty is common for fencing. But warranties typically only protect against structural failure, so unless your fencing collapses, you can’t make a claim. For added protection, get an installation warranty from your contractor.

For more information on fence planning, contact: Royal Outdoor Products, P.O. Box 360, Milford, IN 46542-0360. Phone: 1-800-488-5245. Fax: 1-877-725-3325. Web Site: www.royaloutdoor.com.

Royal Outdoor Products offers a complete package of vinyl deck, fencing, railing systems, columns and full trim which can be custom configured to suit all style applications.

New innovations are allowing homeowners to create some of the most uniquely charming looks with siding. It used to be that having siding panels meant a home was destined to look like so many others, but today’s siding offers outstanding dimension and vibrancy through a wide spectrum of colors and various richly-textured profiles.

The siding from The Foundry^® is a new breed of premium vinyl siding that combines maintenance-free living with a bold color palette and the classic natural appeal of cedar shakes and shingles.

With more than 100 different molds from real cedar used to craft The Foundry’s Shake and Shingle panels, the authentic texture of handcrafted cedar shakes and mill-sawn shingles is achieved with random grain variations and detailed depth and dimension. While many home-building materials manufacturers try to replicate the appearance of wood, often falling short on aesthetics, The Foundry delivers a true representation of cedar with a seamless appearance and no noticeable pattern.

These panels provide the warmth and charm of cedar, while eliminating the maintenance that wood requires. Offered in the industry’s widest color palette, no painting, staining or sealing is ever needed with Foundry siding.

Rich texturing is taken to an exceptional level with The Foundry’s Weathered Collection, which is now being expanded to give homeowners even more color and texture options. The Weathered Collection’s coloring provides the uniquely beautiful look of cedar that has weathered over time. It is accomplished through a proprietary process that creates different tonal qualities using a darker shade of color in the grain, and a lighter one on higher points.

Crisp contrast is created within each Weathered Collection Shake or Shingle, but the grand effect for a home is a warm and variegated color field that is saturated with character.

In a whole-home application, these panels make an eye-catching statement on each side of the house. For additional texture and a personalized look, Weathered Collection panels can be combined with materials such as brick or fiber cement to bring unique appeal. Used with stone veneer, the Weathered Collection offers a home outstanding dimension with a timeless look. The Shingles and Shakes are a classic complementary fit for a stone wainscot or door surround.

As an accent in roof gables, the Weathered Collection provides additional architectural interest to draw gazes upward. The panels’ texturing can gain an even greater focus when set off by crisp trim designs, and posts or columns, creating elegantly detailed scenes.
A new introduction to the Weathered Collection’s palette is a true cedar color that features natural gold and brown tones, and undertones of subtle pinkish-red that add a hint of rose-colored blush. This authentic finish delivers rustic charm and warmth, and continues the Weathered Collection’s tradition of paying homage to nature through its range of light, medium and dark earth tones.

All Weathered Collection panels offer a 7″ exposure, while the Staggered Shake panels also have an available 10″ exposure that works to heighten its rugged design appeal vertically. Shingles have natural surfacing and random mill saw marks, Split Shakes are defined by peaks and grooves along the grain that create interesting shadows, and Staggered Shakes feature an uneven pattern and rough-sawn butt ends for a completely handcrafted appearance.

In addition to their style benefits, the panels have superior durability. An ASA cap maximizes color appearance, so while the panels look authentically weathered, their design and color will keep their integrity through Mother Nature’s storms and blistering sun. Foundry Shakes and Shingles are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
The Foundry is a division of The Tapco Group™.