Q: What is the number one consideration when choosing a hardwood floor?
A: The number one priority we’ve found coming from consumers today is selecting the right colour for their flooring to match their decors.
Most hardwood flooring manufacturers offer a series of standard popular colour choices. Often these stain colours aren’t exactly what astute consumers are looking for and they spend the next days and weeks searching different manufacturers for that particular stain colour that will harmonize perfectly with their home decor.
We’ve revolutionized this process by offering clients customized colours for their flooring with our exclusive “Designer colour match” system.
We can easily match any color you see offered by most of our competitors at no additional charge. Even if you have a unique color in mind, simply supply your local Silhouette dealer with any kind of sample or colour swatch to match and we will reproduce it to create your one of a kind beautiful new floor.
Q: What is the difference between solid and engineered flooring?
A: Solid flooring must be nailed or stapled into an existing wood subfloor and is only recommended on or above the grade level (soil line) around your home.
Engineered flooring’s construction allows it to be installed over virtually any type of subfloor whether above, on, or below the grade level. Silhouette’s Symmetry Engineered flooring, for example, has the most versatile design, allowing it to be nailed, stapled, fully glued-down, or even floated.
Q: What should I look for when choosing a species and grade?
A: Examine the natural colour of each species, their distinctive grain patterns, grades and visual characteristics such as knots, and mineral streaks to find what appeals to you. Also consider the relative hardness of the different species. If you have an active high traffic household, harder species may be an option as they will show less dents and traffic patterns.
Q: What should I consider when choosing floor board widths?
A: Narrow boards, or strip flooring, performs well and has a certain appeal particularly in smaller rooms, while wide boards are often perceived as being of higher value, and have greater appeal in larger rooms. Up until now many hardwood dealers recommended against choosing flooring wider than 3 ¼”, because of fear that the floor would develop unsightly and unhealthy gaps over time due to uncontrolled swings in relative humidity within a home.
This is no longer the case thanks to the added protection of Silhouette’s unique Contour Guard finishing process which envelopes each of its floorboards to eliminate any unsightly effect caused by these gaps.
Q: What gloss level should I choose?
A: You need to determine the degree of light you wish your floor to reflect. A Semi-Gloss finish reflects approximately 50 per cent of the light shone upon it, while a simulated-oil look reflects approximately eight per cent and a satin-gloss finish reflects at a 30 per cent rate. Choose what you find most appealing but consider that if you have a medium to large size dog the simulated-oil look will hide dents made by your pets nails.
More information on the latest in premium hardwood flooring is available at www.silhouetteflooring.com.
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Might I suggest adding some additional information to this article?
When I used to work the floor at a hardwood retailer, the very first question we’d ask was “Is this floor going into a condo or a house?”
House -> We recommend solid hardwood, whilst trying to explain how engineered flooring has a superior construction.
Condo -> We absolutely try to push the client to go with an engineered floor for its superior construction and resistance to humidity. We let them know how a solid 18-19mm plank can be ruined in that environment.
Thanks!
Tray