Solid Hardwood What is solid hardwood? Solid hardwood flooring is simple enough to understand: each strip or plank is cut from one solid piece of wood without any visible layers. It can vary in thickness from 3/4-in. to 5/16"-in., but 3/4-in. is the most common option.

It was actually exciting to see so many cool flooring products. Jared was enamored with the sanding and finishing equipment as well as the demonstrations for products like Rubio Monocoat. You'd have thought he was going to have to write a 1500 word essay later from all the questions he asked. He reminded me of...me, as an overachieving student (K-College.) I have to say I was pretty proud! Also, what is it about human beings that makes us unnaturally excited about free t-shirts? It was like we'd never seen one before when we got ours to put in our bags. Free food samples seem to have the same effect on people. Just go to Costco on a Saturday to see what I mean. I go during the week to beat the crowds. ;) But I digress... 

Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Hardwood Flooring 

Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Hardwood floors are easy to maintain, but if neglected they can become pretty grimy and gross. The above photo is all the proof you need. Say it with me now: Ew. Flooring Don'ts: The Worst Products for Your Hardwood Floors Mistake Numero Uno is using Murphy Oil Soap. This is far and away the most common mistake homeowners make when cleaning their hardwood floors. The bottle shows a pretty picture of a sqeaky clean hardwood floor and it "contains 98% naturally derived ingredients," which we all know can mean just about anything. But if you read the fine print you'll see that this is Pure Vegetable Oil Soap. Basically, when you use this you're just pouring vegetable oil on your floor. It doesn't clean a thing; it just creates a waxy buildup that dulls your floor's finish and makes it even harder to restore if and when you need to. Unless you're cool with ruining floors that are generally worth thousands of dollars, stay far away from Murphy Oil Soap. Orange Glo is another homeowner favorite that's just as bad as Murphy Oil Soap, for the same reason. Imagine using hair gel every day without ever washing it out. Eventually, you'd have some pretty bad buildup, right? You'd probably have to use a lot more shampoo and rinse several times before removing it all. Think of Orange Glo as hair gel for your floor. When your floors become dull, though, it costs a wee bit more than a $3 bottle of shampoo to restore. I blame Pinterest for this next flooring DON'T. Believe me, I understand the desire to DIY everything. I've made my own shampoo, lotion, laundry and dishwasher detergent, and made a disastrous attempt at making my own deodorant that resulted in a not so pleasant smelling couple of days before I finally gave that one up. Please, for the love of your floors do NOT make your own DIY floor cleaner. All the ones I've seen use vinegar or lemon juice, mixed with water. No and no! Vinegar will dull the finish and can even eat away at it (hello...it's acidic.) The vast majority of hardwood flooring has a urethane finish, so the vinegar does not clean the wood. It simply ruins its protective layer. For those floors with a hard wax oil finish, the same rule applies. Don't use vinegar! Steam cleaning is great for clothes, horrible for hardwood floors. Of course steam mop commercials do all they can to convince customers that their products are safe for wood flooring. They're not. Not only do steam mops use water, which is the biggest culprit when it comes to damaged wood flooring, they use heat as well! Heat and water are a deadly combination when applied to wood, so as tempting as it is, do not use a steam mop to clean your hardwood floor.

Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Clip your pets' nails or take them to the salon to get acrylic ones. Ok, so the last part of this tip could be a little confusing. If you can't clip your pet's nails, like we suggest in this blog post on pet-friendly flooring , there is an alternative. A company called Soft Paws makes nail caps for cats and dogs that protect doors, walls, furniture, and hardwood flooring. They're safe, humane, and painless; despite all this, your cat will probably still hate you for making them wear acrylic nails. But if you can't dress up your pets in ridiculous outfits and outlandishly colored nails, what are they there for? Also, we have no connection with Soft Paws. I'm sure there are plenty of other products that promise to protect hardwood floors from pets. But do they come in colors called Pink Passion and Hot Topic? That is the question.

In addition to the dizzying array of options they carry, from more affordable brands to high-end lose-your-breath-they're-so-pretty floors, John, our account manager, does everything possible to give us (and therefore our clients) the best possible pricing available. We've already had several customers visit and buy flooring from ProSource and everyone's had nothing but good things to say. Let's hear a big yay for great customer service!

1) It's a zero-VOC Finish. Ya heard me right. Zero VOCs. Rubio Monocoat is a mixture of linseed oil and natural waxes . It even smells like cooking oil. There are absolutely no smelly fumes, which is the first clue that this product is different from polyurethanes, the most common type of flooring finish. What are VOCs and why do they matter? VOCS are volatile organic compounds, which, simply put, increase indoor air pollution and can be quite toxic. As the wife of a man who puts down flooring finishes for a living, I love Rubio Monocoat because it reduces his long-term exposure to carcinogens and other nasties. You don't really care about the health of the guy installing your floor? I get that. He has an awesome beard, but you're not exactly in love with him the way I am. That's cool. I won't take it personally. So why should you care about VOCs as a customer? Because VOCs can off-gas for weeks after a finish is put down, contaminating your home and exposing you to those same toxins I don't like Jared to breathe in when he's on a job site. Rubio Monocoat is a fantastic option for health and environmentally conscious consumers who can't book a 3-week vacation while toxic fumes evaporate from their home. Some of our customers choose Rubio Monocoat for the same reason zero-VOC and low-VOC paints have become so popular: we'd like to not get cancer. 2) Floors finished with Rubio Monocoat are easy to touch up and repair. With oil or waterborne urethane finishes there's really not much to be done about scratches, scuffs, pet stains, and other wear unless you're prepared to do it to the entire floor. That means either replacing the floor altogether, screening and recoating, or sanding and refinishing. Rubio Monocoat, on the other hand, allows customers to take care of scratches as they appear and apply touch ups as needed. Rubio Monocoat bonds only to exposed wood, so when it's wiped on a scratch, the excess doesn't stain the adjacent area darker or affect it in any way. You don't have to move furniture, kick your kids out of the house, or do anything else drastic to keep your floors lookin' good. 3) There are more than 40 colors to choose from. What's more, is that these colors can be blended together to create a seemingly endless number of shades. As someone who has worked with CHALK PAINT® decorative paint by Annie Sloan quite a bit, this is one of the reasons Rubio Monocat reminds me so much of that product. European zero-VOC product whose shades can be mixed together as much as you want? I knew I liked Rubio Monocoat the moment we met.

Photo courtesy of Ugly House Photos While some homeowners are reluctant to replace old, worn out flooring, the fact is it's almost always worth the time and money to do so. In case you don't believe me, I spent some time talking with Laura Gilliam, an affilliate broker with Bob Parks Realty here in Nashville, to see what she had to say about flooring when it comes to home value and real estate. Read on, friends. When selling a home, what are the most important rooms homeowners should focus on renovating or bringing up to date? Laura: Buyers are primarily interested in the kitchen and the master bedroom and bathroom. Other rooms matter too, but instinctively seem easier and less disruptive to fix up later. Renovations in these main rooms are huge selling points. Following those, the family room or great room is also very important. How does the flooring of a home impact its sale price and time on the market? Laura: Flooring can make all the difference in setting your home apart from the rest of the competition. It will put you closer to the top of the "market range" price wise and will help your home sell faster than others that have dated or worn flooring. If flooring is too worn out it could discourage buyers from making an offer even at a low price, because it seems like so much work for them to have to replace it after moving in. They tend to overestimate the time and money that it will take to update it, so it can make a big difference in their decision making. What advice do you have for homeowners who are unsure of what type of flooring they should install when renovating their home? Laura: Consulting a real estate agent or flooring specialist is a great idea even if you are not considering selling currently, because they can help you make choices that will be beneficial for resale value later on. If you plan to move within the next 5 years you want to stay with neutral, current colors and styles. Darker hardwoods on the main floor are very popular choices. Tile and real hardwood instead of laminate in higher end homes. Carpet is fine in basements and bedrooms. One important thing to remember is flow. It makes your home look larger and more open if the flooring continues from room to room as much as possible, rather than being chopped up with different types of flooring from room to room. Be careful not to choose finishings that don't match your price point. Putting pricey top of the line materials in an inexpensive home will not likely increase the value to match the expense. Likewise cheap materials in a high end home will turn off buyers who are accustomed to high end finishes. What type of flooring do you see in most homes in the Nashville and Brentwood markets? Laura: It depends on the price point of the home. But in homes over $250,000 you see a lot of hardwood. Particularly in the main gathering and formal areas and entry areas. Large tiles (12x12 or larger) are very popular choices for bathrooms, sunrooms and laundry rooms. In what situations would you advise homeowners not to replace their current flooring? Laura: If your home is already at a distressed price point appealing to investors, it may not be worth your money to replace the flooring. That is compensated for by price and type of buyer. Or if you anticipate renting the property to people who have pets, you may want to hold off until after the lease. If the flooring is dated but in otherwise good condition it also sometimes makes sense to leave it and offer a credit to your buyer to choose their own. Also in cases where it is a seller's market (time of year and price point) it is not as critical to update the floors. When in competition buyers become far less choosey. Updating flooring can be expensive investment that many homeowners are reluctant to make. How important of an element is it when putting a home on the market? Laura: It can make the difference between selling quickly or possibly not selling at all depending on how old or worn your current floors are. All of the reasons you are reluctant to replace it - cost, inconvenience,etc- are things that your buyer would have to assume to update it after the purchase, so they will definitely take that into account when making a decision about your home. And more than likely they will assume it will be worse that it really is, so it's worth the effort to make your home seem as effortless as possible to buy. Is there any particular type of flooring you'd avoid when trying to sell your home in Nashville or Brentwood? Laura: I would avoid custom colors and stay with neutrals. In homes over $250,000 I would stay away from laminates. There you have it. In case you just skipped over the whole Q&A, here's an infographic from Lumber Liquidators for which they surveyed 100 real estate agents. And in case you're too busy to even look at that...they all agree with Laura. Those real estate agents like to stick together, don't they?

Photo: Southern Oaks Flooring, Nashville, TN Herringbone is probably the most well-known and popular parquet pattern. It's always a winner. But why settle for the ordinary when you can do something truly one of a kind and extraordinary?