Antique or Antiqued?
Antique reclaimed Heart Pine is very different than Antiqued Heart Pine.
‘Antiqued’ – The age a floor should reach before being called an antique has always been my first question, but this point is about the fact that Antiqued Heart Pine is not old at all, even by the marketing terms they use; if you know how to speak flooring. Antiqued is a finish style not an age description.So that little d really matters!
What is the difference between salvaged and reclaimed?
Reclaimed – Once more unless you do some research or have an honest flooring company, you might not understand the original definition. Repurposed, reclaimed means repurposed such as a beam being repurposed into flooring. It does not mean flooring turned into flooring, big difference scarcity, quality, and (should be) price.
Salvaged Flooring- Is simply old flooring taken up and sold in a variety of thickness and state of salvage. For example, along with the holes check for the nails too. Many times, the board looks 5’ but with the ends butchered much of the board will not sustain any new finish or install. 30% waste is safe in this market. Know your source, see the materials, and understand the provenance.
Antiqued floors- edges and face nailing
Caribbean Heart Pine easy to age
Caribbean Heart Pine is the great substitute, “tell them it came out of Benjamin Franklin’s boyhood home, and they will never know it”. The question: create the age or pay for it, i.e., Antiqued New or Antique Reclaimed Heart Pine. The d added to antique means a process not a declaration of age. In fact, Antiquing is the act of creating age, which becomes much easier with the right materials. Caribbean Heart Pine meets all the criteria in either grade, prime or rustic.
““I was extremely pleased with the product and service. We ordered 3,000 SQ of Caribbean heart pine, it looks gorgeous. Furthermore, the floor has held up very well to scratches from several large dogs. Jason and Heather were both extremely informative, friendly, and helpful and were amazingly effective communicators throughout the entire process — and followed up after shipment to make sure we were satisfied. I highly recommend this company and its product and have referred them to others. “(John S. 2017)
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Acclimation and moisture
Step 1: Make sure that the heating and air conditioning units are in operation at least five days before delivery of the flooring, during installation and after the flooring is installed. If it is not possible for permanent HVAC to be operating before, during and after installation, a temporary system that mimics normal living conditions may enable installation to proceed.
Acclimation, sometimes called conditioning, is the process of allowing wood to reach its equilibrium moisture content (EMC) within “normal living conditions.” It is also one of the most important steps of hardwood floor installation. Not properly acclimating or conditioning wood flooring may cause excessive expansion, shrinkage, dimensional distortion, or even structural damage.
If the flooring material being installed does not have specific acclimation and conditioning instructions, keep reading to find some basic steps to follow:
Acclimation Prep
Step 1: Make sure that the heating and air conditioning units are in operation at least five days before delivery of the flooring, during installation and after the flooring is installed. If it is not possible for permanent HVAC to be operating before, during and after installation, a temporary system that mimics normal living conditions may enable installation to proceed.
Moisture Differential and Sub- Floors
Step 2: Once the facility has been confirmed to be at the expected living condition, proceed with delivery of flooring material. Check the moisture content of the wood flooring as soon as it is received at the jobsite.
Step 3: Check the moisture content of the subfloor. The moisture content of the subfloor should coincide with the temperature and relative humidity of the jobsite, based on the temperature, relative humidity and average moisture content chart shown below. This moisture content reading will give you a good idea of where the conditions in the facility are being maintained and allow you to compare to the expected “in-use” conditions.
The age of your floor and installation pro matter- experience with Heart Pine a key.
Acclimation tip
Remember that wood is extremely sensitive to climate and moisture, and should always be stored so that conditions between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 to 50 percent relative humidity can be maintained – in other words, normal living conditions in most homes. Extreme temperature and moisture levels can destroy your flooring before it’s even installed, so climate control during storage, transportation, and installation is vitally important.
What is the best dog floor?
For a truly dog-friendly floor, look for materials with inherent character that can disguise everyday wear and tear. Our Southern Pine is an excellent example, with its "rustic character" evident in its natural color variations and knots. Over time, these floors develop a beautiful, rich patina that only age can create.
Minor marks and accidents are easily remedied. The natural character of Southern Pine allows for simple touch-ups with a colored pencil or even a sharpie. Many customers opt for a darker stain, which not only enhances the floor's beauty but also makes minor imperfections less noticeable and easier to repair. If you're looking for solutions to existing issues, the following tips may be helpful;
The best floor for a dog
Amazing Southern Pine great fit for hiding the inevitable.
Choosing the right or best floor for your dog is more about the finish than the species. A floor with a UV cured aluminum oxide offers good protection but can be difficult to touch up. In fact, repairing scratches on UV flooring could require buffing to fix scratches. More extensive damages might even require a tear out to repair.
On the other hand, a finished floor using an oil-based polyurethane may scratch more easily but it is much easier to hide or repair. Before we put “our two cents in,” readers should know that we (Bayou Rustic Flooring) sell unfinished and prefinished flooring. We have no agreement with any manufacturer or finished product. However, if you are discussing the best floor for pets, Monocoat by Rubio starts at the top for Bayou Rustic. For more information, visit our Monocoat series.
Dog friendly means easy to repair
Prefinished floors as purchased with an existing finish have an ultraviolet or UV curing process that uses aluminum oxide as the topcoat. These UV topcoats are protection for the wood itself, but the surface will scratch. Not a big deal if you have finished flooring, but UV can be tougher to repair. If you sand one spot the UV vanishes, and color matching becomes an issue. Customers end up having to replace much larger sections than just the damaged area.
Homemade scratch repair
Olive oil and vinegar. Mixing equal parts olive oil and vinegar creates a natural wood filler perfect for tiny scratches. Mix the solution together & apply it with a clean rag, done.
Lemon juice and oil. Mixing together equal parts fresh lemon juice and oil—canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil would all work. Apply to the scratch with a microfiber cloth, being sure to wipe in the direction of the wood grain, done.
Walnuts or Brazil Nuts. Simply rub the nut over the scratch and let the natural oils fill in the dent. Because of their texture, walnuts and Brazil nuts work the best. We have no 1st hand knowledge; however, trusted sources swear by this one.