Published on: 16 March 2016
Last Updated on: 10 September 2024
Solid hardwood flooring is known for imparting an impressive look. Customers tend to prefer hardwood flooring since decades because it gives not only a unique but a classic look to the room. Hardwoods are usually used for construction purposes such as boat, furniture, flooring, and instrument construction. The hardwood variety is usually obtained from oak, maple, cherry, hickory or pecan trees. Thus, the hardwood timber flooring is known for imparting a sense of beauty to the room and also displays the sign of high status.
Styles of Hardwood flooring
The most popular hardwood flooring includes
Solid hardwood flooring
Engineered wood flooring
Long strip engineered wood floors
Each type of hardwood flooring is different from the others in regards to the advantages, durability, look and pattern. The solid hardwood adds charm, cordiality and value to the room, while the engineered hardwood flooring does not shrink easily and is more durable. The long strip engineered wood floors are known for their unique features, they are designed for the floating installation. The hardwood timber flooring is a magnificent product that can last for generations. However, proper care and regular maintenance are the two most important things that need to be considered when talking about timber flooring.
How to increase the performance of the hardwood timber flooring?
Refrain from using hot water as it may cause serious damage to the floor.
Use a damp mop by wringing out the extra moisture as this can hamper the flooring and wet patches can develop on the floor surface.
Always mop in the direction of the wood grain to remove the entrenched dust more swiftly.
Refrain from using harsh chemicals, detergents or floor cleanser; instead, look for cleansers that are mild and are meant for this type of flooring to remove stains.
Use gentle nonscratch microfiber mops for cleaning the hardwood timber flooring.
Sweep the floor regularly with a soft-bristle broom or vacuum cleaner.
Some more facts about hardwood timber flooring
The furniture and the other appliances should be placed after 48 hours from the last coat of varnish on the hardwood timber flooring.
The furniture and the other appliances should have protective pads to prevent marks on the floor.
The rugs or the carpet can be placed at least after 2 weeks from the last coat of varnish on the hardwood timber flooring.
Guard the floor against direct sunlight by using window curtains or by using rugs and carpets. This prevents the hardwood timber flooring from getting discolored.
Maintain a normal temperature to prevent gaps and cupping.
Ensure that no one uses pencil heel shoes or sharp-pointed heel shoes on the floor as it may create a dent on the floor surface.
Trim the nails of the pets in the house to prevent scratches on the hardwood timber flooring.
Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.
There are many reasons why flooding occurs, and it also comes in different shape, form and amount. It might be due to severe weather conditions or a leak in the plumbing. What you need to think about following a flood is how to salvage anything that wasn’t damaged beyond repair, primarily your furniture.
As water damage can wreak severe havoc on your home, you are likely going to have to call in a restoration contractor like KIC Restoration to take care of your home’s infrastructure. But salvaging your furniture can be a less complicated process you can deal with on your own.
If flooding is a consequence of a storm or hurricane you would probably get a notification in advance to prepare and avoid as much destruction as possible. Get all the furniture to a safe space in your home like the upper floors or cover them to protect them from the water as much as possible. After the flood is finally over, the first thing you need to do is check is if it is safe to return. While you’re at it, make sure to wear proper clothing.
Another useful piece of advice is to bring a camera with you and take pictures of all the furniture because you will need to do a report for your insurance company.
When you’ve made sure that it is safe to enter and you’ve put on protective gear, you can start inspecting the furniture and roughly separate them into salvageable and unsalvageable.
Next, you can focus on the salvageable pieces of furniture and inspect if repairs would cost more than just replacing the items. Sentimental value also comes into play as you would want to save all the pieces that have been in your family for long, no matter the extent of the damage. But this is up to you.
Upholstered Furniture
Some types of furniture like upholstered furniture might be difficult to save especially if it has been in the water for too long. Chances are these items have already developed bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew, etc. This might have severe consequences to your health later on. You should move the furniture to someplace to dry. If it’s too heavy to move you can place aluminum foil or a similar material underneath it, just to keep it away from wet floors.
As mentioned above, upholstered furniture might cause problems because it is a great absorbent. It is particularly dangerous if it has been sitting for too long in contaminated water. If the flood wasn’t too big, you might still have a good chance of salvaging it. You should then remove the upholstery fabrics from the wood or any other colored parts to prevent color bleed. Then you need to dry it to the fullest to prevent mildew and mold from developing, which is likely to happen if the piece of furniture is more than 20% wet.
It is worth noting that this kind of furniture is very hard to salvage and the best and easiest thing to do is just to throw it all away unless of course it is antique or has a high value. Then it is best to hire a professional to do the job, as it would probably be necessary to completely strip it down and replace some parts.
Mattresses
Mattresses are also very difficult to handle. If the flooding wasn’t too severe, if the mattress hasn’t been soaked in water for too long, and if the water was clean it is possible to salvage it. The best thing to do is take it out and let the sun dry it naturally. You can use blocks to keep it above ground and a fan to speed up drying. If you sense a musty odor then mattress probably has mildew growing inside, in which case you’ll need the help of a professional to restore it.
If your mattress has been underwater for too long mold has likely already spread, and it is probably contaminated beyond salvation. The only thing you can do here is to replace it.
Wooden Furniture
Wooden furniture might have the best chance to get salvaged especially if it wasn’t in the water for too long. It is possible to restore if the damage was not too big. It is crucial to clean it and dry it as much as possible to prevent mold and fungi development. Wiping and blotting can do the trick here, but only for furniture that was not in the water too long or was lightly damaged.
You can clean white mildew spots by using turpentine or a mix of water and ammonia. The sooner you start drying the furniture, the higher the chance of salvaging it.
Heavily Damaged Furniture
Heavily damaged furniture which was in the water for too long is a different story. The best plan is to separate all easily removable parts like drawers and doors. Avoid forcing them if they are stuck. Just let them dry out and you will be able to pull them out later on when bloating is reduced.
You can clean mud and dirt with a hose and then dry it in a room or other area with good ventilation. You should definitely avoid exposing it directly to the sun as it might cause it to deform. The process of drying takes several weeks or months. Only after it is completely dry can you start restoring the furniture.
Contact KIC Restoration Inc of San Diego at 12170 Tech Center Dr, Poway, CA 92064, USA; 858-859-1998 or visit kicrestoration to learn more.
Read More:
3 Tips On How To Plan The Best Cheap And Fabulous DIY Bedroom Makeover
Top Expert Tips For A Stunning Condo Interior!
5 Innovative Ideas To Lend Your Bedroom With More Space
Home Decor Is An Art Itself – Things To Know
Whether you already have an evacuation plan or are just starting to think about making one, it’s necessary to have different plans for different scenarios. Think about it: does your evacuation plan assume that there will be blue skies and warm temperatures during an evacuation for a fire?
A thorough evacuation plan takes many different situations into account. You should be aware of the different types of evacuations that occur, from natural disasters such as forest fires, landslides, tornados, and house fires.
And yet, often, people forget to plan for adverse weather conditions, like having to wait in a safety zone in frigid temperatures, pouring rain, or a snowstorm or having to leave through emergency exits with heaps of snow or ice obstructing the way.
Checkout Three Prime Reasons You Need A Cold Weather Evacuation Plan:
If you already have an evacuation plan and are prepared with emergency tools like the Evacuscape evacuation chair, you’re already ahead of the game, and winterizing your plan won’t require too many tweaks. If you don’t yet have any evacuation plan in place, you can make your cold weather plan at the same time as your warm weather plan.
Here are some of the key reasons why it’s essential that you plan for cold weather evacuations.
1. Higher Risk of Fires
Between fireplaces, candles, and increased use of heating systems, there’s much more opportunity for fires in the home to occur. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that house fires occur more often in winter than in any other season.
The increased risk must be taken into account during emergency planning for everyone’s safety. Plus, you can take the opportunity to ensure your practice has good fire safety tips.
2. Increased Chance for Severe Weather
Natural weather-related disasters come at all times of the year. Winter brings freezing cold temperatures and all sorts of precipitation – from snowstorms to ice storms. Storms can last for days, and power outages often occur, leading to further safety issues.
It’s essential to know the different scenarios that can occur. For some, it may be safer to stay put indoors, whereas, for others, you may need to leave your home.
You May Also Check: All The Colors You Should Wear This Winter
3. Provides More Opportunities for Safety Planning
Considering different conditions allows you to prepare accordingly. From simple and easy things like keeping a warm coat or jacket available to quickly grab on your way out to keep you warm while waiting outside to advance planning, like making sure exits are clear of snow and ice and making sure windows that might be used are easily opened when the cold and ice start happening.
The whole point of emergency evacuation planning is to ensure people know how to evacuate safely and are familiar with the plan enough that they can remember it in the event of an emergency when feelings of panic are likely to occur.
One thing you will probably never hear someone say is that they regretted taking safety precautions like planning an evacuation plan for their family and going over it every once in a while, to ensure everyone is familiar with it.
Making another evacuation plan for cold weather allows you the opportunity to go over your plan, talk to your family about it, and keep it fresh in everyone’s minds to keep your family safe and protected this winter.
Read Also:
How to Maintain a Bright and Beautiful Garden During WinterPrepping Your Vehicle For Winter Weather Driving7 Daring Party Drinks to Try This Winter
Economic crises, such as the 2008 recession, or the current COVID-19 pandemic, tend to make people think about job security and finance for the future.
It’s one of the main reasons why people turn their attention to self-sufficiency, home farming, and even raising livestock. The good news is there is plenty of support, ranging from high-quality livestock loans to expert advice.
But, before you can start buying cattle you need to be sure that you know how to care for them. Fortunately, you’re about to discover the three ways to care for cattle at home.
1. Shelters & Paddocks
Grazing animals need to have approximately 2 acres per animal for all year round grazing. This may seem excessive but grass growth slows in the winter, you have to allow for this. Anything less than this means you need to calculate the cost of animal feed and include this in your budget.
Don’t forget, this is a minimum. Having more space will allow you to deal with bad grass growth, whether a result of drought or something else.
You also need to make paddocks, these are simple fenced areas that allow you to rotate your cattle and ease the burden on the grass. You’ll need big enough paddocks to accommodate your cattle, keeping cows and bulls separate.
The larger your paddocks the better as small paddocks mean frequent cattle rotations. Of course, no matter how big the paddock you should move your cattle regularly to avoid the grass becoming ruined.
You may be surprised to learn that cattle don’t actually need shelter. But, they do need the high ground to wait out storms and other bad weather. That said, you can build a barn that provides the cattle with a roof, but this will cost more.
2. Basic Needs
Cattle need grass of animal food in order to stay healthy. This is important whether you want milk or meat from them. But, they also need a plentiful supply of water.
Freshwater springs and rivers are good but you’ll need to monitor and clean them often to ensure diseases aren’t spread. Alternatively, you can use an animal operated pasture pump. It’s a tank with a pump that is activated by the cow pressing against the lever, giving them access to the water.
Your cattle need approximately 2 gallons of water per 100 pounds of body weight per day.
3. Cattle Training
Your cattle need to respond when you want them to. This may be to herd them or for some other purpose. You’ll have to decide the noise you wish to make, such as a bell or car horn, then sound it when you feed the cattle. Repeat it every time you feed them and the cows will quickly learn to come whenever you make the specific sound.
Moving cattle around requires little effort. Alongside the recognizable sound, simply use a plastic paddle to put gentle pressure on the sides, it will steer them where you want them to go.
With a little patience, you’ll have the cattle doing exactly what you want without any stress.
Read also:
5 Different Things You Can Try During Quarantine
7 Secrets to keeping your Lawn Tidy and Green
