Why Is My Wooden Floor Squeaking?

Everyone has experienced the annoyance of squeaky floors. You wince as you walk around late at night, trying not to wake everyone up. Perhaps the kids are having too much fun rocking back and forth on the noisiest part of the living room floor. A loud hardwood floor is an annoyance in any room of your home. Fortunately, you can resolve this issue. All squeaky floors are caused by movement. To resolve the problem, you must first determine what is causing your floor to move. This could be due to temperature fluctuations, an uneven subfloor, or joist problems, but most common two boards rub with a little movement. Once the source of the movement has been identified, you can stabilize your floor and eliminate the noise.

Seasonality

Engineered and solid hardwood floors are made from genuine, natural wood. This means that your floorboards will expand and contract as the season’s change. A little movement on your floors is completely normal. If your floors begin to squeak in the middle of winter, it simply means that the dry winter air and your home’s heater have caused your wood floor to contract. This contraction gives your floorboards more room to move, increasing the likelihood of your planks rubbing against each other or the fasteners that hold them in place. But also in the winter months, the flooring can take on moisture causing them to grow slightly and therefore causing them to touch and rub, Seasonal squeaks are common and often disappear when temperatures and humidity levels rise, causing your floor to expand. However, you can help avoid the problem by maintaining a stable humidity level of 40 to 60 per cent in your home, particularly in any rooms with hardwood flooring.

Joist Issues

Joists are the structural elements that support your floor and subfloor. These horizontal bars contribute to the structure of your floor. The joists stabilize your subfloor and prevent movement in a properly functioning room. This means that any joist problems will almost certainly result in loose flooring that makes unwanted noise. Loose or warped joists, as well as gaps between your joists and your subfloor, are examples of joist problems. If you suspect that joists cause squeaky floors, you will need access to the basement or room beneath the flooring to confirm. This will allow you to inspect the joists that support your floor and identify any problems.

Subfloor Issues

Sometimes the problem isn’t with your top floor or joists but the subfloor itself. Uneven subfloors are one of the most common causes of a squeaky floor. When your subfloor isn’t level, there’s a gap between it and the top floor. This space allows the top floor to move, which causes noise. There could also be a misalignment or void between your subfloor and the joists. Your subfloor’s quality can also cause problems. If your subfloor is old or has water damage, it will be unable to hold nails and other fasteners. This results in a sagging subfloor or top floor, both of which can cause squeaks and creaks.

Contact the team here at 4 Star Flooring today if you need help fixing your annoying squeaks on your floor. We’ll be happy to help.

My Floors Have Water Damage: What Should I Do?

Timber floors already account for more than 25% of the flooring industry, according to the Australian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA), and for good reason. Natural timber flooring is attractive, useful, and resilient, and will last a lifetime if properly cared for.

That is why it is critical to address a water-damaged wooden floor as soon as possible. The longer you leave your timber floor untreated, the greater the long-term damage will be. However, knowing the ins and outs of how to handle the process might be difficult. How can water damage happen? What happens if a damaged hardwood floor is not repaired? And when should you seek the assistance of a professional to preserve and repair your wooden floors?

How Does Water Damage Happen?

Most of the flooring in your house will see a lot of wear and tear over time, and water damage may be one of the concerns you’ll have to deal with. Surprisingly, most water damage concerns are not caused by floods or strong rainfall. Unseen pools of water, malfunctioning appliances, and excessive indoor moisture from a number of sources, as well as pet’s water bowls, plumbing troubles, overfilled indoor plants, and moisture that has seeped up from the sub-floor, can all contribute to a water damaged hardwood floor.

What Happens If I Ignore My Water Damaged Floors?

Not caring about and fixing timber flooring on time can lead to a number of larger concerns that, if ignored for too long, can result in costly and sometimes irreparable problems. Water trapped in enclosed sub-floor spaces can lead to mould development, which can be harmful to your family’s health, and moisture trapped in timber floors can spread to other sections of your house, including neighbouring walls and carpets. Unfortunately, this may lead to even greater issues, such as your home’s structural stability being jeopardised.

Why Should I Hire A Professional?

When dealing with a water-damaged wooden floor, remember that time is everything. The longer the floor goes ignored, the worse the long-term consequences will be. If your hardwood floors have been swamped with enormous amounts of water, you see deep stains or bowed flooring, or water damage has caused rotting, the situation will be considerably more complicated than simple home maintenance. The effects of water damage on a wooden floor, as well as the procedures involved in repairing it, can vary depending on the timber species of both your floor and your sub-floor, and only a professional can truly determine the next steps in terms of salvaging the existing floor or replacing it with a new one.

Contact Four Star Flooring if you have any water-damaged timber! The team will be quick to help restore your floors back to life!

What Is Engineered Wood?

Engineered wood is manufactured in a factory with a high-quality top layer of wood attached to a ply layer of lower-quality wood. Our Engineered flooring has high-quality factory finishes and stains. Ply construction allows for sturdy broad boards that increase the impression of scale in open settings. Laminate and vinyl flooring are simply imitations of wood flooring.

Different Types Of Engineered Wood:

There are many different types of engineered wood that can be used for different areas:

• Composite Board
• Plywood
• Cross-laminated Timber
• Medium Density Fibreboard
• Laminated Veneer Lumber
• Oriented Strand Boards
• Laminated Strand Lumber

Benefits Of Engineered Wood:

Engineered wood is environmentally friendly because it allows you to reach (or surpass) the density and strength of old-growth timber while using material from young trees. It also lowers waste since it uses all portions of the tree, even faults or bits left behind after dimensional lumber cutting. Because of its high density and layers of grain running in opposite directions, engineered wood can be stronger than dimensional timber.

Engineered beams are available in nearly any size—you may obtain larger members since they are made via composite rather than being cut from single trees. Some engineered wood is more resistant to warping and splitting than dimensional timber.

Engineered Wood In Comparison To Timber Flooring:

Four Star Flooring:

We offer engineered flooring comprised of both hardwood and plywood at 4 Star Flooring, making it a long-term choice for any house. The most notable advantage of this timber flooring is its ease of care and maintenance, as well as its low cost. With this choice, you won’t have to replace your flooring as frequently, and if there is any wear and tear after a few years of hard use, our staff may re-sand it multiple times. Engineered timber flooring may be laid in damp regions because of its multi-layer design, which avoids warping and bowing. At 4 Star Flooring, we recommend this option for anybody who uses their flooring frequently and needs a long-lasting, sturdy solution.

Contact our team now to learn more about engineered wood flooring and how it may benefit your house!

Temperature and Humidity Requirements for Wood Floors:

Before laying wood floors, the flooring must establish an equilibrium moisture content (MC) with the surrounding environment. This is referred to as hardwood acclimatisation. Failure to acclimatise wood flooring properly may result in excessive expansion, shrinkage, dimensional distortion, or structural damage.

Wooden materials like to be in a comfortable temperature and relative humidity range. For maximum wood flooring performance, the relative humidity in the building should be between 30 and 50 per cent all year. The temperature should be between 15 and 26 degrees Celsius. There are certain exceptions to these rules depending on where you live, so verify with your flooring specialist and the product specs.

What Is the Best Way to Store Wood Flooring on a Work Site?

Wood flooring should not be stored under uncontrolled environmental conditions on the construction site. Make sure the timber is kept in a secure structure. Wood flooring should not be stored in garages or on outdoor patios. Check that the temperature and humidity in the building are kept at typical levels. The optimal circumstances for storing wood flooring will vary by location; consult with your flooring installation contractor to determine the perfect climatic conditions for your floors.

Determine the Moisture Level of Wood Flooring:

Check the moisture level of your wood flooring using a moisture metre as soon as it arrives. This measurement will serve as a starting point for acclimatisation. Check the moisture content of many boards to obtain an accurate measurement. The appropriate moisture content must then be calculated. To begin, calculate the seasonal variation in wood moisture content for your area. Divide the moisture content of the high and low seasons. The boards should be anything from 10 to 12.5 moisture content then once installed go to 13 to 15 and once lived in. If wood flooring is supplied and documented at the baseline moisture content for your geographical location, and suitable relative humidity conditions are maintained, acclimation may not be necessary. On the other hand, if the moisture level of the wood is significantly outside of the recommended moisture content range, successfully acclimating the product may be problematic. Excessive shrinkage, bending, and cupping of the wood may occur under these conditions.

Recommendations:

It is fairly simple to acclimate your new flooring. Simply leave the flooring in its boxes, then open one end and stack the boxes on top of one another. This allows air to flow between the boards, allowing the flooring to adapt to its changing surroundings. The amount of time it takes to acclimate flooring varies depending on the kind of flooring. Solid timber flooring should be left to acclimatise for 7 days.

Wood flooring, like most other types of flooring, has to be acclimatised to preserve its longevity. To avoid damage like cracks, gaps, or warping, follow the procedures in this article. Four Star Flooring is here to assist you! Contact our staff now for any of your floor installation queries and help!

How Frequently Should I Sand My Floors?

All flooring should have regular and intermittent cleaning and maintenance. Sanding, often known as refinishing, is an occasional maintenance procedure for wooden floors. Sanding is the process of removing the top layer of wooden floors with abrasive sanding products. After sanding, apply a sealer and protective coats to the hardwood floor. Sanding your floors protects and improves the appearance of your home or business by restoring its original appearance.

How Frequently Should You Sand Hardwood Floors?

As a general rule, if your wooden floor is thicker, you can re-sand more often. A non-sanded floor has age and character, whereas frequent sanding gives your floor a whole new look. However, it is critical to understand that sanding floors take time. As a result, it is a time-consuming and costly operation. The number of times you can sand your wood floor in its lifetime is determined by the thickness of the solid or top layer.

When Is It Time To Sand Them?

The criteria listed below might help you determine how frequently you should sand your wooden flooring.

#1: The Floor’s Wear and Tear Intensity:

A high-traffic hardwood floor may require more regular sanding than a similar floor in a low-traffic region. Wood flooring in heavy traffic areas wears out faster than those in low traffic areas. Furthermore, scratches from pets and toddlers make the floor degrade quickly, necessitating frequent sanding. You can sometimes buff and recoat or reglaze a floor to extend its life

#2: Engineered Wooden Flooring:

Engineered flooring is made up of a backing e.g., ply and real timber top layer which can be anything from 2mm to 6mm. The amount of sanding is determined by the thickness of the top layer. Standard engineered wood is sanded twice or three times during its lifetime. You should never, ever sand engineered woods with a thin top layer. Engineered wood with a thick top layer of at least 5mm, is however safe for sanding just like solid hardwood floors. but once again will vary on the damage that is being removed.

#3: Recommendations from the Manufacturer:

You can stick to your manufacturer’s care and maintenance recommendations. Some manufacturers often advise never to use a steam mop.

Four Star Flooring

Floor sanding is an inexpensive option to refresh your floorboards without the cost and time of completely replacing them, whether your timber floorboards are spanking new, and you want to change the look of the flooring finish, or they are well-worn and need a facelift.

Floor sanding offers numerous advantages, including:

• Adding a nice finish to your floors protects the flooring from water dirt etc
• Increasing the value of your home by restoring the attractiveness of your wood flooring
• Improving the illumination in the area and providing a smooth and level surface

Contact the team today for a free quote and to see how affordable it is to update the flooring in your home or office.

What Should I Get?

These are two of the most frequent flooring materials, as well as the two most dissimilar to one another. One is wool or fully synthetic, soft, silent, and can be an inexpensive substance with a very short lifespan, whilst the other is a natural, harder wearing flooring material that is likely to outlast you. Timber flooring will not harbour DRIT dust mites’ allergies as a carpeted floor can

However, each has important functions to perform, and you may find yourself using both materials in various parts of your home. Each has a unique set of qualities that make them suitable for various locations and purposes. Understanding the nature of the materials will enable you to make informed decisions about how to use them in various situations.

Timber:

Wood flooring makes a strong visual statement that is as sturdy on the feet as it is on the eyes. The natural wood-tone hues and the pleasing pattern of the wood’s grain are the key appeals of hardwood, according to experts at Hardwood Flooring Experts.

Wood flooring is not advised in any position where there is a persistent presence of water or moisture. The same would apply to carpet  Engineered wood flooring is very stable, and suitable for underfloor heating. Marks in wooden flooring can be sanded out and restored.

Hardwood flooring is significantly easier to maintain. Sweeping or vacuuming eliminates loose debris, while damp-mopping with a wood cleaner on a regular basis removes deeper dirt and most stains.

Timber floors can be sanded and sanded up to three or four times during their lifetime if done correctly. High-quality polyurethane varnish should be refreshed every few years in between full-scale sanding procedures. This often entails lightly abrading the finish using a sanding screen, followed by the application of high-quality coating.

Carpet:

Carpet has greater colour, texture, and feel options, but both hardwood and carpet come in hundreds of types to fit practically any interior design requirement. Carpet is pleasant not only to the touch but also to the eye since carpeted surfaces offer a gentle, soft aspect within the space design.

Carpets should never be used in moist areas such as bathrooms or in locations where spills are likely, such as kitchens. If a significant home fire breaks out, some carpet types might release harmful chemicals. Heat, like that produced by burning cigarettes or hot pots, can also cause carpet damage.

Because carpet cleaning entails easy but frequent vacuuming, it is not difficult to keep it clean on a regular basis. However, some people believe it is impossible to completely clean a carpet because stains soak in and remain permanent, and dust and microbes are easily trapped in the fibres. Carpet is thought to be an unsuitable flooring option for allergy sufferers.

Vacuuming on a regular basis is recommended, as is attempting to remove stains as soon as possible. A skilled cleaning service may be able to extend the life of your carpet on occasion, but it’s rare for a carpet to endure more than a decade.

Timber flooring is definitely more worthwhile to the carpet in most comparisons, with longer life, a more elegant appearance, and higher real estate worth. Carpet, on the other hand, can be an excellent choice if comfort is your first priority or if money is tight. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to replace the carpet every 10 years or so. And replace carpet coat to refinishing the timber floor sand and recoat will always be a cheaper option

To learn more about solid wood flooring that is economical, durable, and attractive, contact the experts at Four Star Flooring today!

Why You Should Trust Four Star Flooring

Four Star Flooring and our team of highly skilled flooring specialists have been serving Kiwis throughout the Lower North Island region with a full range of timber flooring services since the late 1990s. With a genuine desire to assist you in improving the appearance of your home or company, Four Star Flooring is delighted to offer expert advice, recommendations, and free quotes.

Testimonials:

Four Star Flooring has received a lot of praise over the years from its customers:

• “Highly impressed with the service we received from Four Star Flooring. Our Rimu floors were restored beautifully. We were impressed with Paul from the start with his punctuality and professionalism.”
• “We have had many compliments about the standard of workmanship and [even] though it’s been over 12 months since the floors have been done, they still look immaculate.”
• “I have used Four Star Flooring twice now…The pricing was fair, and the workmanship has been immaculate.”

Environmental Policy:

We at Four Star Flooring have a strong set of values and concepts that form the company’s DNA. Four Star Flooring views business success in the long term and treats its customers and staff with respect and accountability. We are committed to safety, quality, the environment, fair treatment, social involvement, responsible growth, and value generation. With our environmental commitment in mind, we are delighted that the machinery we employ embraces technology, such as dust-free sanding, two-step cyclonic separation, and a unique filter built a system that efficiently traps the dust. It connects easily to the sanding machine.

We also work with environmentally friendly products. Synteko’s purpose has always been to develop high-quality floor finishing materials for professional floor sanders while providing you, the client, with the highest level of pleasure. With the influential cooperation with Sika, these ideas have been reinforced. Synteko manufactures a broad range of floor finishes, specifically non-toxic water-based coatings that are equal to, if not better than, any in the world.

What To Expect With Your Flooring Finishes?

• We will provide a clear explanation of the work to be undertaken as part of the quote so that you are fully aware of what is going to happen.
• We apply a coating that, if properly maintained, will provide many years of beauty.
• The proper filler will be used to fill knot holes and gaps at the ends of boards.
• Our skilled floor sanders will provide a quality sanding and coating service.
• The nails on the floor will be punched. We can fill any nail holes, however, please keep in mind that this comes at an extra cost.

We want you to receive the greatest flooring option for your home or company, which is why we provide free quotes, guidance, and recommendations. Get in touch with us today at Four Star Flooring to find out more about our services!