Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Wichita Wood Floor Specialists Short Clip
Check out our short Sponsor Clip for "This Old House". We love out community and are proud to help support our local non profit station!
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
What Does It Mean To Have A NWFA Certified Installer For Your Wood Floor Needs?
Good morning! It has been just over a year since the last blog, and my how things have changed in a year! Lets get caught up with some updates about where Wichita Wood Floor Specialists is before we dive into the good stuff.
This time last year Jesse and I began the search for a location for our very first store front. With a few struggles and disappointments, we finally found the perfect location! As of February 2015 WWFS opened their doors to the public at 3203 E. Douglas in Wichita, KS. We couldn't have asked for a better location (we are literally right next door to The Crown Uptown) or better neighbors!
As a small family owned business we have had many hiccups to get where we are today, but we have used all of those moments as learning experiences. With each other's support we have learned to tweak our methods, make changes and move on to strive to be the best wood floor company Wichita has ever seen. The end result is what you see today!
One of our main goal's is to have the best expertise in the field of wood floors. We understand that WWFS has not been in business for 20+ years, but we also understand that things change and we want to be educated with all of the changes so we can better educate all of you with the variety of options there are for wood floors now. We strive to not be stuck in a rut, only using the bare minimum standards to complete a floor, or to look at each customer as a "job". One of our favorite parts of being in the wood floor business is meeting all of the amazing people in our community. Jesse, our employees and myself all try to treat every single customer with a personal touch. Each and every single person is different so we try to truly listen to what your needs and wants are, and achieve those for you so that ultimately you are completely satisfied with the end result.
Okay! Enough about us, let's move on to the education part! What is the NWFA you might be asking. NWFA = National Wood Flooring Association. They are this beautiful nation's master of wood floors. This is where the top elite masters of wood floors come to learn, train and trade advice to each other. There have been some pretty amazing wood floor pictures floating around on social media lately, the ones that I see are actual NWFA member's floors. The latest picture I saw of what looks like the entire tree logs laid on the floor was the NWFA 2015 winner for Wood Floor of the Year. So needless to say, NWFA takes their floors pretty serious.
To become a member of NWFA, it is rather simple. You send in a check, sign some paperwork and there you have it, you are a member! It's what you do with that membership that will determine the expertise you gain from it. NWFA offers training courses that are available to become certified in a particular area of wood floors. Anything from installation of wood floors, to the selling of wood floors. For these certification courses you must study for hours ahead of time, have a good working knowledge and experience with wood floors, and prove not only your knowledge but your ability to implement that knowledge in a working environment. NWFA takes the certification courses very seriously and if you cannot prove your craftsmanship as well as your knowledge on the last day of training for test time, you will not pass certification.
With all of that being said, it takes a lot of dedication, hard work, knowledge and love of wood floors to become certified with the NWFA. A certified NWFA Installer will know the steps to take before the wood ever gets nailed to your subfloor. A good installation starts with the product being properly acclimated and the subfloor being properly prepared. A certified NWFA Installer knows what steps to take to make sure the pre-check list has been completed before the wood is installed. There are LOTS of people/companies that advertise they can install a wood floor and for the most part might get pretty lucky with not running into any issues while trying to install it. But... the issues may arise months or maybe even years down the road.
There are so many more things that go into installing a wood floor properly than nailing boards together to a sub floor. Is the temperature and humidity right in the house for a wood floor? Has there been enough spacing left around the edges of the room for the wood to expand and contrast with the different weather climates? Was the proper underlayment used and laid correctly for that particular floor? The list goes on and on. A certified NWFA Installer is educated on all the correct steps to assure the life of your wood floors.
WWFS understands installing a wood floor is a major time and monetary commitment. This is why we are certified through the NWFA for installation. We are the only company within a 175 mile radius that is certified for installation. To find a NWFA certified installer in your area simply click on this link: http://woodfloors.org/certified-professional-search.aspx and enter in your city information. So next time you are looking for a wood floor company be sure to ask them if they are certified through the NWFA.
Thanks for reading! As always comments and questions are welcome.
This time last year Jesse and I began the search for a location for our very first store front. With a few struggles and disappointments, we finally found the perfect location! As of February 2015 WWFS opened their doors to the public at 3203 E. Douglas in Wichita, KS. We couldn't have asked for a better location (we are literally right next door to The Crown Uptown) or better neighbors!
As a small family owned business we have had many hiccups to get where we are today, but we have used all of those moments as learning experiences. With each other's support we have learned to tweak our methods, make changes and move on to strive to be the best wood floor company Wichita has ever seen. The end result is what you see today!
One of our main goal's is to have the best expertise in the field of wood floors. We understand that WWFS has not been in business for 20+ years, but we also understand that things change and we want to be educated with all of the changes so we can better educate all of you with the variety of options there are for wood floors now. We strive to not be stuck in a rut, only using the bare minimum standards to complete a floor, or to look at each customer as a "job". One of our favorite parts of being in the wood floor business is meeting all of the amazing people in our community. Jesse, our employees and myself all try to treat every single customer with a personal touch. Each and every single person is different so we try to truly listen to what your needs and wants are, and achieve those for you so that ultimately you are completely satisfied with the end result.
Okay! Enough about us, let's move on to the education part! What is the NWFA you might be asking. NWFA = National Wood Flooring Association. They are this beautiful nation's master of wood floors. This is where the top elite masters of wood floors come to learn, train and trade advice to each other. There have been some pretty amazing wood floor pictures floating around on social media lately, the ones that I see are actual NWFA member's floors. The latest picture I saw of what looks like the entire tree logs laid on the floor was the NWFA 2015 winner for Wood Floor of the Year. So needless to say, NWFA takes their floors pretty serious.
To become a member of NWFA, it is rather simple. You send in a check, sign some paperwork and there you have it, you are a member! It's what you do with that membership that will determine the expertise you gain from it. NWFA offers training courses that are available to become certified in a particular area of wood floors. Anything from installation of wood floors, to the selling of wood floors. For these certification courses you must study for hours ahead of time, have a good working knowledge and experience with wood floors, and prove not only your knowledge but your ability to implement that knowledge in a working environment. NWFA takes the certification courses very seriously and if you cannot prove your craftsmanship as well as your knowledge on the last day of training for test time, you will not pass certification.
With all of that being said, it takes a lot of dedication, hard work, knowledge and love of wood floors to become certified with the NWFA. A certified NWFA Installer will know the steps to take before the wood ever gets nailed to your subfloor. A good installation starts with the product being properly acclimated and the subfloor being properly prepared. A certified NWFA Installer knows what steps to take to make sure the pre-check list has been completed before the wood is installed. There are LOTS of people/companies that advertise they can install a wood floor and for the most part might get pretty lucky with not running into any issues while trying to install it. But... the issues may arise months or maybe even years down the road.
There are so many more things that go into installing a wood floor properly than nailing boards together to a sub floor. Is the temperature and humidity right in the house for a wood floor? Has there been enough spacing left around the edges of the room for the wood to expand and contrast with the different weather climates? Was the proper underlayment used and laid correctly for that particular floor? The list goes on and on. A certified NWFA Installer is educated on all the correct steps to assure the life of your wood floors.
WWFS understands installing a wood floor is a major time and monetary commitment. This is why we are certified through the NWFA for installation. We are the only company within a 175 mile radius that is certified for installation. To find a NWFA certified installer in your area simply click on this link: http://woodfloors.org/certified-professional-search.aspx and enter in your city information. So next time you are looking for a wood floor company be sure to ask them if they are certified through the NWFA.
Thanks for reading! As always comments and questions are welcome.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
100x The Allowed Amount of Formaldehyde in Laminate Flooring Sold to the US!
Good morning! As a hardwood floor professional, I take it very seriously when I come across certain stories that can effect the health of uninformed consumers. I am a member of the National Wood Floor Association (NWFA), so I receive updates on current events from all over the nation on a pretty regular basis. When I came across this story about product being sold to the US at 100 x the formaldehyde limit, I felt that I needed to help spread the word in case someone has recently purchased this flooring and has no idea what it is that is in their home.
The original story was sent to me from NWFA through their Hardwood Floors magazine. Here is the link for you to read the original story: Formaldehyde Story Basically there is a company that has had several legal issues this past year that has now been selling a laminate floor product that has been manufactured in China with 100 x the allotted amount of Formaldehyde. So if you or anyone you know has purchased and installed a laminate floor from Lumber Liquidators, PLEASE read this story and follow up to see if it is the same product.
If you have any concerns or questions, don't hesitate to contact us. I understand that it can be difficult sifting through different information from different sources when in the end you just want to make sure you and your family are safe! I hope this story will be shared by many others so the correct consumers will be informed. Thank you all for your help with this!
Your Family @
Wichita Wood Floor Specialists
The original story was sent to me from NWFA through their Hardwood Floors magazine. Here is the link for you to read the original story: Formaldehyde Story Basically there is a company that has had several legal issues this past year that has now been selling a laminate floor product that has been manufactured in China with 100 x the allotted amount of Formaldehyde. So if you or anyone you know has purchased and installed a laminate floor from Lumber Liquidators, PLEASE read this story and follow up to see if it is the same product.
If you have any concerns or questions, don't hesitate to contact us. I understand that it can be difficult sifting through different information from different sources when in the end you just want to make sure you and your family are safe! I hope this story will be shared by many others so the correct consumers will be informed. Thank you all for your help with this!
Your Family @
Wichita Wood Floor Specialists
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Why Professional Cleaning for Hardwood Floors?
Many people ask us why they should professionally clean and maintain their hardwood floors. They are stuck in the rut of believing they should keep up with their normal maintenance techniques and then call their local wood floor professionals every 5 years or so to get their floors sanded and refinished to look new again. This is a never ending rut and a pain in the neck people have to deal with every 5 years. I have even heard some folks say they would rather not have real wood floors because of this.
The simple truth is you shouldn't need to sand and refinish your wood floors that often. If you maintain them the way your local wood floor professionals have taught you AND you have your wood floors professionally cleaned every 6 months to a year you should not ever need to sand and refinish your floors. The thing most people don't realize is that when you have your floors professionally cleaned by a wood floor company (and not just a carpet company), they can actually chemically bond a new polyurethane finish coat to your floor. This is adding another protective layer to your floors and making them not only look beautiful again, but helping to protect them for a longer period of time.
Professionally cleaning them not only is less stressful on your home life compared to sanding and refinishing your floors, it is also less stressful to your wallet! So it just makes sense to call your local professional wood floor cleaning company. When contacting the company please make sure to ask them if they are able to chemically bond a new polyurethane finish coat to the floor. There are several companies out there that will only apply a Refinisher coat to the floor. In some circumstances the Refinisher is all the floor may need, but if that is the only coat the company offers it is a sure sign that they aren't truly educated on the needs of your floor.
If you are interested in learning more, or would like to schedule a free estimate please give us a call at 316-747-4066. You can also visit our website at www.wichitawoodfloorcleaning.com From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
The simple truth is you shouldn't need to sand and refinish your wood floors that often. If you maintain them the way your local wood floor professionals have taught you AND you have your wood floors professionally cleaned every 6 months to a year you should not ever need to sand and refinish your floors. The thing most people don't realize is that when you have your floors professionally cleaned by a wood floor company (and not just a carpet company), they can actually chemically bond a new polyurethane finish coat to your floor. This is adding another protective layer to your floors and making them not only look beautiful again, but helping to protect them for a longer period of time.
Professionally cleaning them not only is less stressful on your home life compared to sanding and refinishing your floors, it is also less stressful to your wallet! So it just makes sense to call your local professional wood floor cleaning company. When contacting the company please make sure to ask them if they are able to chemically bond a new polyurethane finish coat to the floor. There are several companies out there that will only apply a Refinisher coat to the floor. In some circumstances the Refinisher is all the floor may need, but if that is the only coat the company offers it is a sure sign that they aren't truly educated on the needs of your floor.
If you are interested in learning more, or would like to schedule a free estimate please give us a call at 316-747-4066. You can also visit our website at www.wichitawoodfloorcleaning.com From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Still Confused on How to Take Care of Hardwood Floors
Good Morning Everyone! Fall has definitely hit here in Kansas this morning. In this blog I really try to educate the public on how to properly maintain their hardwood floors. It never fails, we receive several phone calls a week with someone that has been using a "hardwood floor cleaning product" that seems to be leaving that very familiar white film on their floor. So today we are going to be reviewing some of the old blogs and try to put them all together for a "HOW TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN THOSE WOOD FLOORS" day! :)
Two of our most popular blogs were : Orange Glo... No Go! & Orange Glo - No Glo Part 2 Feel free to click on the links and review these very informative blogs. The first actually has information from Orange Glo's website informing consumers that they probably have a wax build up on their floor from their product.
Another good blog was our Maintaining Your Floors. This Blog has a few quick tips on how to properly maintain your hardwood floors. It is a quick easy read, and well worth it! One of our last popular blogs is Quick Tips for a Healthy Wood Floor! This Blog is an overall what to do and what not to do guide. These are your basic guidelines to follow to keep your hardwood floors "happy"!
Please feel free to skim through any of our earlier blogs and let us know if you have any questions. One of the best parts about what we do is helping to educate everyone on how to really maintain their hardwood floors. You can reach us @ 316-747-4066 or check out our website @ www.wichitawoodfloorcleaning.com Have a great week!
Two of our most popular blogs were : Orange Glo... No Go! & Orange Glo - No Glo Part 2 Feel free to click on the links and review these very informative blogs. The first actually has information from Orange Glo's website informing consumers that they probably have a wax build up on their floor from their product.
Another good blog was our Maintaining Your Floors. This Blog has a few quick tips on how to properly maintain your hardwood floors. It is a quick easy read, and well worth it! One of our last popular blogs is Quick Tips for a Healthy Wood Floor! This Blog is an overall what to do and what not to do guide. These are your basic guidelines to follow to keep your hardwood floors "happy"!
Please feel free to skim through any of our earlier blogs and let us know if you have any questions. One of the best parts about what we do is helping to educate everyone on how to really maintain their hardwood floors. You can reach us @ 316-747-4066 or check out our website @ www.wichitawoodfloorcleaning.com Have a great week!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Ripping Out the Carpet *UPDATE*
Good morning! I am so excited about the progress of our floor! Unfortunately it has taken our floor a little longer to be completed, because our customer's floors are coming before ours (which is how it should be!) But I am thrilled that we are almost done.
Last night we put the first coat on the floor, and what a difference it made. The characteristics of the wood came to life over night. In case I forgot to mention it in the previous blog, we decided to go with a grade 2 white oak. We decided grade 2 for two simple reasons: 1. Cost wise it is cheaper than grade one. 2. The characteristics are amazing. There are a lot more multi-colored boards, with knot holes and all sorts of characteristics. Some people don't care for it, but we love it!
Last night we put the first coat on the floor, and what a difference it made. The characteristics of the wood came to life over night. In case I forgot to mention it in the previous blog, we decided to go with a grade 2 white oak. We decided grade 2 for two simple reasons: 1. Cost wise it is cheaper than grade one. 2. The characteristics are amazing. There are a lot more multi-colored boards, with knot holes and all sorts of characteristics. Some people don't care for it, but we love it!
So we are in the home stretch! We have a few more coats to put on and then some dry time before we can replace any furniture, but it is coming along great.
The true confirmation was our four boys walking upstairs this morning to get ready for school and the "wow's" & "awesome's" we heard. It has definitely been a project, but by the end it is all worth it! There are so many advantages to us pulling out that old carpet and placing the hardwood floors. Obviously the beauty, but also the value it adds when we sell our house in the future. And we definitely can't forget the allergens! Our boys should definitely breathe better in our home now, which to me is priceless.
Visit our website @ www.wichitawoodfloorcleaning.com to learn more about our company and who we are. Feel free to leave comments, or give us a call at 316-747-4066 for any questions you may have. Have a great rest of the week! :)
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Wives Tales of Hardwood Floors
Hello! Part of owning a hardwood flooring company is being asked how to properly maintain the wood floors. Over time people start to realize that the everyday cleaners you can purchase at the grocery store are actually wax based products leaving a film on their floors. So then they turn to the old wives tales for advise, because they have no where else to turn. So today we are going to go through these old wives tales and bring some light on the subject!
A good one I heard just last week was a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice with water. What is funny about this, is I came home and Googled it. As I was typing "lemon juice and vinegar for" a list of options came up. Here they are:
Another one I hear at least once a week is someone uses a steam mop on their wood floors. Lets think about this... What is steam? Exactly! You are taking super hot water and spreading it all over your wood floors. Eventually your floors are going to start peeling, cracking, and even whitening leaving a cloudy finish on your floors finish. I know they seem to work great on the home shopping network, AND they swear it's the best, easiest, safest thing to use on your hardwood floors. Just because it is safe on laminate flooring, does not make it safe on real hardwood floors. Do you use the same rag to clean ALL the same surfaces? (I know that is pretty extreme, but you get the idea!) Below is a picture of a damaged floor from a steam mop.
The good ol' wax and oil based products are next. These seem to be EVERYWHERE! Stay away from these products. A lot of the newer products don't advertise to have wax in them , but do some research and I'm sure you will find that the product is wax or oil based. Not only can these products damage the finish, they also leave a white film on the floor.
Why not use regular dusting products? You can use them on all of your real wood furniture, so why not on your real wood floors as well? Unless you want to make your floors into the slipperiest skating rink ever, I would suggest to use these products on furniture only. This way you will avoid any hospital visits also!
What about ammonia? This too over time will cause discoloration and deterioration to the floor. It will also dull the finish, taking years off the life of the floor.
And the #1 culprit when it comes to damaging wood floors? The wet mop! If you do in fact use a mop on your floor, it should NEVER be more than SLIGHTLY damp. Excess water is actually the most common way to damage your wood floors and finish.
Visit our earlier blog: Tips To A Clean Healthy Floor to see what you can do to properly maintain your wood floor. And don't forget to set up your yearly professional cleaning with your local trusted company. Just like carpets, wood floors need to be professionally cleaned and maintained at least once a year. For anyone in the Wichita, KS area you can call us at 316-747-4066 to set up you routine maintenance cleaning.
A good one I heard just last week was a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice with water. What is funny about this, is I came home and Googled it. As I was typing "lemon juice and vinegar for" a list of options came up. Here they are:
- Dandruff
- Kidney Stones
- Ants
- Fleas
- Weight Loss
Another one I hear at least once a week is someone uses a steam mop on their wood floors. Lets think about this... What is steam? Exactly! You are taking super hot water and spreading it all over your wood floors. Eventually your floors are going to start peeling, cracking, and even whitening leaving a cloudy finish on your floors finish. I know they seem to work great on the home shopping network, AND they swear it's the best, easiest, safest thing to use on your hardwood floors. Just because it is safe on laminate flooring, does not make it safe on real hardwood floors. Do you use the same rag to clean ALL the same surfaces? (I know that is pretty extreme, but you get the idea!) Below is a picture of a damaged floor from a steam mop.
The good ol' wax and oil based products are next. These seem to be EVERYWHERE! Stay away from these products. A lot of the newer products don't advertise to have wax in them , but do some research and I'm sure you will find that the product is wax or oil based. Not only can these products damage the finish, they also leave a white film on the floor.
Why not use regular dusting products? You can use them on all of your real wood furniture, so why not on your real wood floors as well? Unless you want to make your floors into the slipperiest skating rink ever, I would suggest to use these products on furniture only. This way you will avoid any hospital visits also!
What about ammonia? This too over time will cause discoloration and deterioration to the floor. It will also dull the finish, taking years off the life of the floor.
And the #1 culprit when it comes to damaging wood floors? The wet mop! If you do in fact use a mop on your floor, it should NEVER be more than SLIGHTLY damp. Excess water is actually the most common way to damage your wood floors and finish.
Visit our earlier blog: Tips To A Clean Healthy Floor to see what you can do to properly maintain your wood floor. And don't forget to set up your yearly professional cleaning with your local trusted company. Just like carpets, wood floors need to be professionally cleaned and maintained at least once a year. For anyone in the Wichita, KS area you can call us at 316-747-4066 to set up you routine maintenance cleaning.
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