There has been a growing trend of using natural wood floors or flooring material to create a warm atmosphere in your home. The color and warmth and durability of maple hardwood have made it a popular flooring material.

Step 1:

Why Maple?
Maple is regarded as the best hard wood, not only is it competitively priced but is also easy to maintain and clean, and to top it all maple hardwood is durable. These are available in arrange of natural light shades which compliment both traditional and contemporary homes. Hard Maple is surely an ideal choice price wise and also environment wise as it is natural wood, and is biodegradable.

Step 2:

Grade the maple:
The most important thing about investing in maple hardwood floor is to know what you are investing in. For this you need to know the various variety and grades of maple wood that are available. The grade one is those which are hand selected. The second quality one is a little lower natural character and there is also a third category which has all the structural properties like the other two categories but lower on aesthetic and strength. The hard maple is available in random lengths, finger joints and parquets of squares and rectangles in a variety of dimensions.

Step 3:

Check on these before installing wood floors:
Before you install the maple hardwood in your house, showroom or office make sure that the temperature is between 55 and 75 degrees, and the humidity between 35 to 50 percent. Higher moisture content will cause the maple to swell and in less moisture it shrinks. It is best to maintain an appropriate temperature and moisture content in the place you install maple flooring. All hard wood floorings contract and expand with environmental change that is why it is best to leave a gap of ¼”between wall and floor. Sometimes you might see a watermark or stain mark on a part of your floor, this happens because of some leakage under the floor. So, check for any leakage or damp under the floor before installing the maple hardwood floor.

Step 4:

Sealers and finishes:
Sealers are used to enhance the beauty of maple hardwood floor. There are number of oil based urethanes and moisture based urethanes available in the market which can be applied on the maple floor.

Step 5:

Maintaining maple wood floor:
Never recklessly use water, soap, detergents and wax polishes on your maple, as this will leave it discoloured and coarser. One can keep the dirt off by using vacuum. There are a number of cleaning agents also available which can use for mopping the floor. Overall maple floors are beautiful, and with proper maintenance these can last for generations compared to most wood floors.

Tips and suggestions:
  • You will sometimes find that there are cracks during winter months on your maple floor. This happens in the absence of moisture as the insulator is on in winter months, so to avoid these separations it is best to have a humidifier in your indoor space.
  • There can be squeaks on the floor due to seasonal expansion and contraction.





While installing hard wood floors is easy repairing them and maintaining them is an easier job. If the quality of the hardwood is good a simple re-polishing can do wonders to enhance the look. Also good quality floors need to be redone only once in 4-5 years. With continuous use the floor does develop a few scratches and marks. While some believe this adds to the beauty of the natural hardwood some prefer their floor to be spic and span and sparkling at all times. Floor polishing can be done regularly to get the desired look and for repairing hardwood floors.

Things you will need:
  • Sand paper/ steel wool
  • Damp cloth
  • Floor wax
  • Polish
  • Soft brush


Step 1:

Prevent floor mishaps:
The floor bears the maximum brunt in everyday use compared due to continuous movement. Pets and children can do things to the floor that one cannot even think of in their wildest dreams. While warping and cupping are common problems faced by a lot of people, discoloring and unevenness are others. It is best to avoid the damage to the floor than repair it. For instance, pushing heavy furniture or pulling luggage or would make the hardwood floor susceptible to scratches or marks. Repairing hardwood floors and scratch marks might require professional help then.

Step 2:

Getting professional help:
While a scratch is not deep a gouge is a deeper mark on the floor where a bit of wood has been cut away. Scratches can be dealt with by using hardwood floor scratch remover but gouges cannot be removed using these. One needs professional help to treat gouges. But scratches can be handled easily and since one cannot avoid them it is better to know how to keep them in check and repair them also.

Step 3:

Doing it yourself:
Rough up the scratched area using a sand paper or steel wool. It is the corners in the scratch that are more difficult to remove thus they need to be covered too. It is important to either rub in the direction of the grain or in circular motion to avoid further damage to the floor. The dust particles can be then removed using a soft damp cloth. After the area has dried we need to apply the scratch removal solution covering the whole portion with an even layer. This too needs to dry up before we use a paint brush to touch up the floor with the original floor color. Avoid using brushes with hard bristles as it also cause scratches so you need to be careful while selecting your equipments. Also the chemicals need to be used in the right quantity or else the scratch can look like an ugly scar on the floor. It needs to be just right to blend in with the rest of the floor.

Step 4:

Touch up:
Get floor polish and wax to touch up on the scratches. This may need a little time and patience. Impatience can cost money and leave you with a bad stain on the floor. Often buying the right stain from the manufacturer along with an extra box of materials, while laying the new floor, proves helpful in repairing the wood floors.



Hand scraping wood floor looks similar to a distressed wood floor. This method makes the wood look older, giving it an old-world charm. For a family with kids, this floor is the perfect option. Hand scraped wood floors are really easy to maintain. Instead of hiring craftsmen to install this hand scraped floor, you can save money and do it yourself. Follow the steps mentioned below to add a hand-scraped look to your floor without any extra cost.

Things required:
  • Floor sander six-inch spinner and edger with 38-grit and 60-grit discs
  • Scraper broom
  • Metal chain
  • Crowbar
  • Buffer
  • Floor stain
  • Paint brush or roller
  • Vacuum cleaner


Step 1:

Sanding:
First, sand the entire floor with the help of a floor sander. You can start by using the 38-grit disc and then follow it up with the 60-grit disc on your floor. With the help of six-inch spinner or edger, remove the leftover stain from the edges of the floor.

Step 2:

Vacuuming:
Using a vacuum cleaner, remove all the dust from the surface of the floor.

Step 3:

Scraping:
Then, wet a small section of the floor and scrape that area with the help of the scraper. Divide the floor into similar small sections and then wet and scrape them. While scraping the floor, remember to scrape against the grain of the floor so as to give the floor a hand-scraped look.

Step 4:

Sweep:
After the wood floor has been scraped, remove the floor shavings using a vacuum cleaner or a sweeper.

Step 5:

Create hand scraped floor:
Now, with the help of the metal chain, make dents into the surface of the wood floor in order to create a hand-scraped wood floor.

Step 6:

Paint scraper:
Take the paint scraper in a slicing motion so as to make scratch marks on the surface of the wood floor.

Step 7:

Gouge floor:
Also, gouge the wood floor with the help of the crowbar. This will add to the look of the hand-scraped wood floor.

Step 8:

Buff the floor:
After all the scratch marks and dents have been made into this wood floor, then use a buffer to buff the floor. But buff the floor only lightly.

Step 9:

Apply coat:
Now, the hand-scraped wood floor is ready to be stained. Apply the first coat of stain with a paint brush or roller.

Step 10:

Finish off:
Allow the first coat of stain to dry for about 12 hours, and then apply the second coat of stain on the hand-scraped wood floor.

Tips and suggestions:
  • Remove even the slightest of the dust particles from the surface of the wood floor before you start staining the floor.
  • While the staining of the wood floor is on, do remember to open the windows to ventilate the room. This is done to avoid the hazardous fumes that emanate from the stain. You must also wear protective clothing and eyeglasses while hand-scraping a wood floor.



Engineered hardwood flooring proves to be fairly easy to install, and is one of the simplest methods of installing wood floors due to lock and fold method of edging. Most of the planks have to be cut in order for them to fit, and then nailed, pasted or glued. But engineered hardwood floorings do not need such steps. In fact, you can mount engineered hardwood flooring all by yourself. Just follow the steps given below.

Things Required:
  • Measurement tools
  • Underlayment
  • Circular saw
  • Broom


Step 1:
First, remove all objects from the surface of the floor. Apart from the furniture, remove all the carpeting and padding, or even another kind of flooring pattern your floor may have. Make sure to remove or pound any nails from the surface of the floor. Clean the dust from the floor with the help of a broom. Then, remove all the baseboards on the floor in order to begin the installation of the engineered hardwood flooring.

Step 2:
Now, lay the foam underlayment on the floor. The foam underlayment will provide a cushion, or rest for the engineered hardwood flooring.

Step 3:
Take a single plank of the engineered hardwood flooring and place it in the corner. Then, place a second plank next to it. Attach the two planks with the help of the grooves. You will see that the grooves simply slid together while locking into their places. Repeat this process for entire row of the floor.

Step 4:
When you reach the end of the row, cut the final plank to fit. In order to give the engineered hardwood flooring plank a clean cut, always use a spherical saw. Make sure the plank fits tightly.

Step 5:
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all of the room. Between two rows, make sure that the planks are not lining up. There should be a gap of 2 inches or more between the edge of one plank and the other. This gives more stability to the planks.

Step 6:
Once you have fit the planks all across the floor, reattach all the baseboards in the region of the rim of the room.

Tips and suggestions:
  • Remember to cut the baseboards around corners or around fixtures. The baseboards will help you hide a lot of your mistakes.
  • Doing it yourself, can save a few hundred bucks. But messing up this wood floor might cost you thrice the price, and should be avoided by amateurs



Introduction: These are types of wood floors which can be floated on the subfloor, which can be concrete or marble or probably veneer without actually removing the sub floor. These are not of real wood as real wood has a tendency to expand and thus needs to be completely bonded with the sub layer either through nails or through adhesive. These floors are made by bonding veneer to multilayer plywood, thus making them very durable and these are multidirectional and can thus be floated on the floor. This method is used in places where the floors are tiled or have mosaic or concrete or even timber and you wish to create wooden floor by skipping the removal process. Now that you know what floating floors are, read on to know the ways to install it.

Things needed:
  • Hammer
  • Glue
  • Rag
  • Axe
  • Circular axe


Step 1:

Levelling:
Irrespective of the fact that these floating floors can be applied on any kind of floor without removing the subfloor but one thing that you have to be sure, that the subfloor is level without any noticeable deviation. Well for floors which have deviation you can flatten it by using hardboard or plywood in that area to level the entire floor. One can also use a levelling compound for levelling.

Step 2:

To trim the doors and door casing:
Now that the floor is levelled, you now need to sand the door and the doorframe and the casing of all the door ways with the help of circular undercut saw, or flush cut dovetail saw to trim the bottom of the doors according to the level of the new floor. Always create a gap of 30mm as there has to be some gap between the new floor and the door.

Step 3:

Underlayment:
Before installing the floating floor you should roll out a layer of felt, you can hide the seams with the help of tape and also trim the edges by using a pair of shears. You might need a damp free membrane DMP if you are floating on concrete or tiled floor. These can be taped on the sub floor

Step 4:

Installing the planks:
Once this underlayment is done, you can start laying the floor. Start from the longest straight wall. You should keep the cut against the wall and the tongues facing out towards the other planks. You can use spacer against the side walls and then measure the space left after installing the first and use the measurement to cut the second plank. You need to apply glue on the groove of the plank and slide it against the previous plank. Excess glue can be removed with a damp cloth. You can tap it with a hammer to tighten and firm the floor. Continue putting the plank just keep check of the grain so that the grains are formed correctly. On reaching the edge of the wall, you need to measure the gap left and cut the plank and keep a gap for expansion. When placing the planks across the door make sure that it ends inside the door that the new flooring ends inside the room, giving a neat look to the wood floors.

Advantages of floating floors:
  • One can obtain wooden floors on any floor without the headache of removing the subfloor.
  • There is no scraping or end finishes required on these floors as they are pre finished, thereby making the process quick.
  • These floors are easy to maintain, by just mopping with clean water.
  • The price of these pre finished floors comes to $5 to $10 per square foot depending on the kind of finish and quality of the wood.