Homeowners in Toronto lately had been shifting their preference from solid hardwood floors, to engineered hardwood flooring. Why? There are many reasons for this shift. One of the main ones is humidity and climate. As we all know, with weather changes and humidity fluctuations, solid hardwood floors tend to shrink or expand, causing gaps in between the planks. Engineered hardwood flooring is more resistible to that fact, having a wider range of possible humidity in the house/apartment, as opposed to the narrow range for solid hardwood floors.  Also, as opposed to solid wood floors, engineered hardwood floors have different ways of installation. Solid wood floors require to be nailed to a wooden sub floor. Engineered hardwood floors can be glued down, nailed down, floated, and some of them even come with a click float system.
Also, engineered hardwood floors can be installed over concrete, and in apartments and basements without having a subfloor installed before.
The introduction of engineered hardwood floor solved a lot of issues that homeowners faced with hardwood floors such as the humidity issue, high installation costs when trying to install solid floor over concrete or in apartment, and more importantly, it adds more flexibility to your budget, making sure you can afford and enjoy new wooden floors at your place!

​One of the most common problems we encounter with hardwood floors in Toronto is damages and scratches. There are many causes that can damage your hardwood floors over time. Certain areas of the home are high traffic areas; these ones usually get the biggest damages (such as entry and kitchen). Also, shiny take in mind shiny floors show more damages and scratches that exists on your floor (opposed to satin finish or wire brushed finish).
If your hardwood floor is scratched and damaged, maybe its time for a good sanding and refinishing.
One of the main benefits of having a hardwood floor is that it’s always possible to refinish the floor instead of replacing it when damages happen, or once its warn off. This process helps avoiding the costly process of removing existing floor and replacing it with a new one (unless you have 100 years old floors, then there is no point on refinishing).
The best part of this process? You can choose almost any color you want for your new stain. So not only you getting new looking floor, but also you can also change the color, as well as the finish (from shiny to less shiny for example)
Overall, refinishing hardwood floors is beneficial for both, people who damaged their floors over time, and people who tired of the color of the existing floor they have. The good news, we saved you time and money to turn around things!

​Nothing increases value of a house in Toronto area as newly installed floors. By installing solid hardwood flooring you are actually investing money and will obtain benefits and advantages of your investment in the future. Hardwood flooring perhaps is most popular choice. Hardwood flooring is highly reliable, durable and long lasting flooring material. Hardwood flooring is also poses aesthetic benefits: rich and sophisticated look.
Regardless of your residence type (condo, apartment or a house) you cannot go wrong with the solid hardwood flooring installation. Whether you own a business venue or private residence, hardwood flooring installation will immediately increase an overall value of the entire property. In addition, there is eco-friendly hardwood flooring materials available. It is a healthy choice for both pet owners and parents. If you are looking for a long term investment into your property, hardwood floors probably would be a best option. It increases the value of your residence instantly and costs are paid off quickly.

Last Month we were discussing and showing some ideas for the more popular and modern colours that are being used by home owners for their hardwood floors in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.
This month, we will share some more classical ideas for your flooring. The more natural-orange colour is still a favourite choice by home owners who like to light up their place. It is still great looking floor, and surprisingly still popular among home owners in the Greater Toronto Area.
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​Replacing your flooring could be very time consuming and budget draining process. Luckily, laminate flooring was made to solve these problems.
Laminate flooring in Toronto became a popular trend due to its cheap cost of material, and installation cost. Also, it is very quick to install, and time is very important in  the City of Toronto.
Laminate flooring has the look of hardwood, but it is made of plastic and compressed paper, which helps reduce consumption of wood products.
Also, laminate floors are really durable, and great for concrete floors like in condos, or even basements!
Today, there are many kinds of laminate, and sadly, also bad ones that have bad chemicals mixed in their finish. Be aware when purchasing your laminate, and do your research!

Choosing an appropriate flooring type for a commercial venue might be an exhausting and time consuming process. There are many factors to consider when installing hardwood or laminate flooring at a commercial venue, such as weather the space has high traffic or low, or weather is basement level or ground floor. Also types of subfloors are important as well. Three main types of flooring a commercial space owner can consider is: Solid hardwood flooring, engineered flooring and laminated
There are also wide variety of wood types, texture, color and types of grain associated with wood species, and different pattern with laminated floors.
Perhaps the best choice for business facility owners would be an engineered hardwood flooring, one that has a hand scraped finish or wire brushed finish, if the space has high traffic.. Engineered flooring, as a product is also known for great stability due to its structure. Engineered flooring will last for decades without fading from high traffic and/or direct sunlight.
The second best option is laminate flooring due to its high resistance to any damages such as scratches and stains; it is also significantly cheaper than hardwood or engineered, which might be a good short-run investment. Laminate flooring maybe not real hardwood floor, but it has a similar look and sometimes texture as well.
Now that you equipped with some information, do not hesitate and call your local hardwood flooring installation company. 

One of the most common dilemmas many people have when looking for re do their floors is the question of hardwood flooring or laminate flooring? Which one is better?
Laminate flooring in Toronto is very popular, specially among condo owners. There are few benefits people get choosing laminate flooring.
 
Laminate flooring, in most cases, will be the cheaper option to go, in terms of installation cost and material cost. Laminate flooring materials are naturally lower than hardwood prices, and as for installation, laminate flooring today is being installed using the click system – An easy method which any person can easily and quickly install their own floor, without needing to be a professional laminate flooring installer (we still highly recommend hiring one)
 
But do not let the price to confuse you. You still get high quality floor, which looks beautiful, and has the look and grains of regular wood floor. Laminate floors are also very durable, and very good against scratches.
 
Overall, if you area a condo owner/house owner who is looking to save some money and want to refresh your floors, laminate flooring is a great option for you.
For more information, we highly encourage to visit our page about laminate floors.
http://www.hardwood-parqueteam.ca/laminate-flooring.html

​Recently, a lot of our clients have been asking us about environmentally friendly hardwood floors, and how to make a purchase of hardwood flooring with the least damage caused to the environment. We say it is a great question. And our answer is simple: Use engineered hardwood floors.
 
One of the main concerns people have had with engineered hardwood floors is the claim that they are not real. Let’s get this claim straight: It is simply not true. The top layer of the engineered hardwood floors is made of real wood, (in some cases bottom too, for more expensive types), and the bottom (or middle) made of different layers of plywood.
This particular structure eliminates the full solid wood structure, which tends to waste more wood.
Also, that same-engineered hardwood floors has enough thick wood thread on top to be able to refinish it in the future.
 
So, next time you go to shop for hardwood floors, and worries about the environment, then do not hesitate to go for the engineered hardwood floors. It is durable, in some cases cheaper, looks exactly the same like solid hardwood, but better for the environment. 

After getting their new hardwood floors installed, one of the first questions that the homeowners usually will ask is how to properly maintain their hardwood floors. We admit, it’s not an easy task. Here are few tips how to properly maintain your floors so they will last decades:
 
* Any substance spilled on the hardwood floors needs to be wiped immediately in order to prevent future buckling and dryness to the spot where the spill occurred. Remember, water and hardwood floors do not work together well!
 
* The floors need to be moped or vacuumed at least ones a week or more frequent. Soft vacuum head (or soft brash attached to a vacuum head) is preferable. As for mopping, a special mop can be found in various hardware or hardwood flooring stores in Toronto. AVOID USING WATER! There are many cleaning solutions for hardwood floors!
 
* Furniture legs should be protected with the soft pads in order to prevent any scratches or severe damage due to the furniture weight or shifting.
 
* It is a good idea to use rugs in a high traffic area, around the kitchen sink or near the front door of your residence.
 
* If you decided to move your furniture, make sure you are not dragging it again the floor. The top layer could be scratch. (Lift the furniture or place soft material under the furniture in order to prevent any floor damage)
 
By following these simple steps, your hardwood floor should look brand new all the time and last for the decades it should last! Enjoy!