Water-based Woes and Wonders

February 23rd, 2013

Water-based stains offer better indoor-air quality and a different aesthetic, but applying them requires an experienced professional

There is a critical question you should put to your hardwood flooring contractor if you are planning to finish your floor with a water-based stain: Does he know how to apply it?

The question is easily overlooked. Most of us would assume this knowledge is a given.

But applying water-based stain requires a completely different technique than what is used with traditional oil-based products. And so can applying a water-based polyurethane over the water-based stain.

“If you try to use these stains like traditional products, you most likely will not be happy with the final appearance of your floor,” says Roy Young, quality control manager at Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors. “And you will face the costs of refinishing in order to fix it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Beavercreek, Buddy's Flooring America, dos and donts, hardwood floors, how to apply, less toxic, low-VOC, natural interiors design center, Ohio, photos, water based stains, water based vs oil based stain

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Natural Oil Trending

February 9th, 2013

Natural oil hardwood flooring finishes gain popularity as consumers get more familiar with product benefits

Some would say that using plant-based oils to finish a hardwood floor is unique. Not the norm, the road less-traveled and, possibly not suited for standing up to high traffic.

But with the number of customers who are beginning to ask about oil or low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) floor finishes, I would have to say that a trend is emerging.

And floors that are standing up to customers and spilled drinks in a downtown Cincinnati bar where the floor was finished with plant-based oil last fall is debunking doubt about durability. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Beavercreek, Dayton, finish, Green Flooring, hardwood flooring, low-VOC, nontoxic, Ohio, oil, zero-VOC

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Great Grout!

December 6th, 2012

ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings of Cincinnati plans to end unsightly grout with PH-neutralizing technology With all of the grout and tile sealers available today, you would think soiled grout and tile would be a thing of the past. But too often, homeowners complain that their tile floors and walls are becoming eyesores. “They want a cleaner [...]

In Search of Clean Grout

December 5th, 2012

Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home plans to end unsightly grout with PH-neutralizing technology With all of the grout and tile sealers available today, you would think soiled grout and tile would be a thing of the past. But too often, homeowners complain that their tile floors and walls are becoming eyesores. “They want a [...]

Grout Once!

December 5th, 2012

Buddy’s Flooring America plans to end unsightly grout with PH-neutralizing technology With all of the grout and tile sealers available today, you would think soiled grout and tile would be a thing of the past. But too often, homeowners complain that their tile floors and walls are becoming eyesores. “They want a cleaner that lets [...]

Beyond LEED

November 26th, 2012

Natural and planet-friendly practices are trending, even when environmental certification is not the goal The best designers are always on the front end of a trend. And this trend is not motivated by trying to meet requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) rating system. Human and planet health are at the core of [...]

Finishing First

May 25th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Some slight changes have been made to this program. Click here to see the final line-up. Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors launches first Natural Interiors® Floor Finishing Program Today’s emphasis on measuring indoor-air quality relies heavily on the terms Low- and Zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound). But the EPA’s regulation of VOCs – [...]

Oil on Wood, Part II

March 21st, 2012

Today’s hardwood flooring finish choices should include low- and zero-VOC products “Why are you testing dye or beeswax or tree sap?” For a moment, Tom Helwig, field supervisor at Schumacher & Co. Custom Hardwood Floors, thinks we’ve gone over the edge. “Because,” we tell him, “a growing number of customers don’t want chemical emissions in [...]