If you are a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, this isn’t directed at you. I understand what it means being a sports fan and loyalty to your team. This post is directed at everyone in Ottawa (and area) who is cheering for Pittsburgh just to see the Senators lose.

You may be a Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens fan and may not like to see the Senators do well, but like it or not if you live in the area they are your hometown team. So much so that they even have FIVE local players! In the modern day NHL, that is unheard of! Here are five players (Methot, Ceci, Pageau, Borowiecki, and Brassard) who grew up in Ottawa and played in the same arenas, and same leagues as your kids. Why would you want to see them fail? It blows my mind that someone could live in the Ottawa area and want to see the local team lose just because their favorite team is out. Childish isn’t it?

Family Time = 🙌

Every additional playoff series means more games for families to watch together and more money brought into your community. Most importantly it means more money for local charities like the Ottawa Senators Foundation and free tickets for children at CHEO. Did you know Bobby Ryan rents a suite every game so sick kids and their families can watch the game? Every game they don’t play means fewer games these deserving kids get to attend.  How does that make you feel?

These guys aren’t just showing up at the hospital for a few photo ops and leaving. The work they do for the CHEO Foundation is incredible. CHEO is the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and is where my brother spent three years of his life. It is an amazing place filled with amazing people. My family and especially my parents will be forever grateful for the care and kindness they were shown every single day which may not be possible without donors like the Ottawa Senators.

A cynic will say, it’s just a game with billionaire owners and millionaire players so it doesn’t matter who wins. Well it does matter, that organization and those players are part of your community so the more successful they are, the better it is for the community.

I’m sure the Pittsburgh Penguins do great things for their community too. If you want to move there, here is a link to the U-Haul Website I’d suggest you leave now if you want to get there before the game tomorrow.

Go Sens Go

This blog will go over every step you need to know when purchasing hardwood flooring for your condo, or anywhere with a concrete subfloor. Compared to single family homes, condo buildings require much more organization and scheduling. Some steps can be missed, causing all sorts of headaches. Read carefully, or watch our video! 

Step 1: Understand your condo rules 

Here are a few questions to ask yourself: 

• Does your condo have restrictions to the tools used? If so, cutting in the parking lot could add hours to the job. 
• What are your condo's sound restrictions? If so, you must look at the subfloor rating. 
• Does your condo allow delivery up the main elevator? Do you need to reserve it for delivery? 

Step 2: Book your condo elevator and understand what's needed for the delivery

You'll want to book the elevator for a slightly longer than the expected time frame, just in case. Additionally, you will want to consider what kind of space your elevator can take. Most, lower quality, engineered floors come in lengths up to 6 feet. If your elevator can only take lengths up to 8 feet, you will want to know this prior to ordering. Our engineered comes in lengths up to 12 feet, so this step is super important. 

Step 3: Book your delivery 

We offer two types of delivery to condos: 

1. Delivery into your condo 
2. Delivery to the elevator holding area. 

Step 4: Understand your subfloor and sound barrier

Concrete slabs absorb airborne and structural sound waves causing them to spread, multiply, and echo. A sound barrier will be needed for under your flooring. This is where you will need to check with your condo board to know what's required for a sound barrier. 

The sound barrier can be in the form of an underlayment, or a glue. If you are using a glue, you will need to use the proper trowel and amount of adhesive. 

Step 4: Select your installation method 

There are three options to install your engineered hardwood flooring over concrete floor.  

1. Full Glue Down Engineered Installation 
2. Double Glue Down Engineered Installation 
3. Edge Glue Engineered Installation 

Full Glue Down Engineered Installation 

The full glue down method is where the engineered hardwood flooring is directly glued on the concrete using an approved sound barrier glue. 

Positives and Negatives 

• Takes longer than a floating application 
• More difficult to replace a board. 
• Less likely to squeak. 

Double Glue Down Engineered Installation

The double glue down method is where the underlayment is glued to the concrete floor, followed by the engineered hardwood flooring being glued to the underlayment.  

Positives and Negatives 

• Takes longer than a floating application 
• More difficult to replace a board. 
• Less likely to squeak. 

Edge Glue Engineered Floating Installation 

The edge glue method is where the engineered flooring is glued on the tongue and groove, floating entirely over an acoustic underlayment. 

Positives and Negatives 

• Less expensive 
• Easier to replace a board 
• More likely to squeak or move 

Step 5: Let the floor sit for 48 hours 

Step 6: Monitor the humidity 

Engineered hardwood flooring tends to handle higher humidity better than standard hardwood flooring. However, dryness causes the floor to crack. Many poor quality, thin engineer floors tend to delaminate and crack. 

Squeaks are a common issue with hardwood flooring and have a number of causes.  Squeaks can occur between the hardwood flooring and the subfloor or even between the subfloor and the floor joists.  Solid wood floor joists can shrink ¼”.  If the subfloor isn’t glued properly to the floor joist, it can create a gap between the subfloor and the floor joist and cause a squeak.

At Gaylord hardwood flooring, we offer some very beautiful exotic wood species. We have experimented in manufacturing over 20 species of wood from all over the world. However, we have found that most foreign species do not hold up well in our dry environment and we have settled on only 4 species we are comfortable selling. Jatoba, Tigerwood, Cumaru, and Sucupira. All of these species are from Brazil and purchased from mills that practice sustainable harvesting.

Jatoba 

Jatoba is also known as Brazilian Cherry and is probably one of the most commonly used exotic species in hardwood flooring. Jatoba has similar looking characteristics to that of our domestic cherry, but is much harder. In fact, it is 81% harder than red oak. It has a slight red tinge which deepens to a deep red when the wood is fully matured.

Tigerwood 

Tigerwood is a very unique looking wood that isn’t for the faint of heart. The sapwood of Tigerwood is a brownish white to dirty gray colour, while the heartwood is reddish brown to light golden brown. The species has a very unique wavy, interlocked, irregular grain. It darkens and becomes richer with age. It is roughly 30% harder than red oak.

Sucupira 

Sucupira is also known as Brazillian wild walnut. While most of the other Brazilian woods have red undertones, the sucupira is browner making it very popular for clients trying to avoid having red in their floor. It has a very unique grain pattern and some beautiful colour variation. It is softer than the other exotic woods but is roughly the same hardness as hickory which is the hardest North American wood we offer.

Cumaru 

Cumaru is also known as Brazillian teak. The cumaru ranges in colour from a light brown to a dark brown with a slight red tinge. It has a nice amount of colour variation; it is less subtle than tigerwood and a little bit more varied than jatoba. It is 2.75 times harder than red oak.

Because these woods are so naturally beautiful, we typically don’t put a stain on them. Since the exotic woods are so dense they are very durable and hold up well in a busy household. If we finish these floors natural, you will be less likely to see gaps between the boards if they occur in the winter months because it is the natural wood all the way through. If you have any questions about our exotic hardwood floors, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Is acclimation a myth? 

When asking about a hardwood flooring delivery, you’ve probably had someone tell you “the wood must sit in the home for two weeks to acclimatize”. This is an old myth from the days when wood wasn’t properly kiln dried. The wood would need to sit in the home in order to actually dry out. Hardwood lumber is now properly kiln dried this is not required.

The Problems with Acclimating Wood Flooring 

In most cases this would do more harm than good. For instance, consider the example of a new home. There are thousands of gallons of excess water in the home. The hardwood flooring delivered will be the driest material on site and will absorb the moisture like a sponge. After absorbing moisture the wood will expand. If it is installed at a high moisture level, when the home adjusts to normal living conditions there will be significant gapping throughout. See gapping picture on the left. 

Acclimation in Dry Conditions 

The opposite will be true if the flooring has been acclimated in an environment that is too dry. It will absorb moisture in normal living conditions and permanently cup. Since each individual board has a different grain pattern, it will expand and contract in different ways, creating width variations. So you may have one end of the board that is bigger than the other making it very difficult to install, especially in wider boards.

How Width Variation Occurs 

Here are two boards from the same batch of wood that have been acclimated in the wrong environment

Gaylord Hardwood Flooring is dried between 6-8% making it ideal for normal living conditions so in most cases it doesn’t need to acclimate at all. 

• Hardwood floors will literally last a lifetime.
• They’re natural—and, as explained below, more environmentally friendly than rumour might have you believe.
• Dirt and allergens have nowhere to hide.
• The wide variety of colours, textures and styles make wood very versatile.

“Thanks so much for the invitation to visit your showroom recently. Congratulations on your 25th anniversary and on the beautiful showroom. The renovated space is an informative and inspirational showcase for all your products. I’m sure visitors will find the room vignettes very helpful when it comes to making a decision about flooring. Choosing flooring is like choosing stone for a countertop – you need to see more than just a small sample to fully appreciate the product. Seeing the product installed underfoot is truly the best way to shop for flooring. The installations show the variations in the grains of the woods and the great number of finish options. I also like the way the wall colours, mouldings, furniture and styling of each vignette help visitors visualize how each type of flooring works with various decorating and architectural styles. You’ve truly managed to maximize all of your square footage. I am amazed at the quality and breadth of your products and look forward to working with you in the future for stories in STYLE AT HOME.”

One of our specialties at Gaylord Hardwood Flooring is our Wide Plank Flooring. We offer planks up to 11.5" wide. Although these boards are sawn to be extremely stable, they still require more than your traditional hardwood flooring installation. 

Things to consider when installing wide plank flooring

• If you think about it, a 2 1/4" floor will take 5 times more nails than an 11.5" floor. 
• In order to make up for the lack of nails, we put a bead of eurethane based adhesive every 36" for 5 and 6 inch boards. 
• For boards wider than 6" we put the bead of glue, every 18 inches. 

This installation method is very important in wide plank floors, in order to prevent squeeks. One of the keys is to use an adhesive that allows the wood to move freely, and doesn't restrict it in any way. 

Watch our video to get a visual of the entire installation process 

Order Samples Today! 

Download Full PDF: Click Here

Cupping hardwood flooring

Engineered Hardwood Flooring: What is the optimal thickness and ratio? 

Engineered hardwood flooring can be very confusing. This video outlines what makes a high quality engineered hardwood floor. Gregory Gaylord will describe the pros and cons of several engineered hardwood flooring options. 

"Just a quick note to commend you and your staff for the excellence of your showrooms, products and customer service. We found your staff to be courteous, friendly and helpful and they helped make our choice of flooring easy. The quality of the flooring is excellent and there was almost no waste when I laid it. The boards were all of uniform dimensions and almost completely flawless. I have laid other hardwood flooring and the difference in quality and uniformity made the job so much easier this time. The finished product looks excellent especially considering the fact that this is an old farmhouse and there isn't a flat or level floor in the place! Again, congratulations to your company for an excellent product and service. I will certainly be recommending Gaylord to anyone who is thinking of hardwood flooring for their home." 

- Duane I. Boyd 

Picton, Ontario

Tape Is Kryptonite on Hardwood Flooring

In the past few years we have experienced issues with painters tape removing the finish from hardwood flooring.  This isn’t something that only occurs with our finish but is a problem across the entire industry.  More and more manufacturers are adding this as an exclusion in their warranty.

With hardwood floor finishes being so durable, you have to wonder how this could possibly happen from something as harmless as painters tape.  It is actually the chemical resins in the tape used to prevent it from drying out that causes this to happen.  These chemicals are trapped under the tape and will eat away at the finish over time.  The longer the tape in on the floor, the more likely it will be to cause problems.

Where we see this happen most often is on the flooring near stair nosings or other transition pieces.  These areas are prone to this for two reasons.  #1 at a nosing or transition piece you have people stepping on the tape constantly, further pushing the chemicals into the finish.  The second reason is that these are often pieces that have been ripped along the sides or cut at the ends.  Since the surface isn’t entirely sealed, the chemicals are able to get in under the finish which causes the most damage.

Some brands of painter’s tape are safe on hardwood flooring but only for a short period of time.  Say 24-48 hours or so.  Typically, when someone puts tape on their hardwood floor to install protective paper, it is on the flooring for far longer than 48 hours.  The safest way to prevent this problem is to avoid putting tape on the hardwood flooring altogether.  If you are installing protective paper or something similar to prevent damage, be sure to tape the paper together and not directly to the hardwood flooring.

Why We Love Selling Wide Plank White Oak Hardwood Flooring

When we tell people we manufacture and sell solid hardwood flooring up to 11.5” wide, they look at us like we are crazy, especially if they are in the flooring industry.  To most people, the wider the board the more likely you are to have problems with cupping, gaps, etc.  We can happily say that our wide plank live sawn white oak is our most trouble free hardwood flooring option, and the one where we receive the fewest complaints.

The live sawn method of sawing the boards makes it incredibly stable, minimizing cupping, gaps, and squeaks if installed properly.  Of course, all of these problems can occur in environments with extreme humidity fluctuations but happens significantly less than other hardwood flooring options.

Because of the rustic look and texture of most live sawn floors you hardly notice cupping if it does occur.  When you have a hardwood floor with a smooth finish and a high gloss, especially in a dark floor, even the slightest cupping is very noticeable.  This makes the live sawn white oak an ideal hardwood flooring option for a cottage environment which will have more relative humidity fluctuations than a normal home.

In an extremely dry environment, even hardwood floors as stable as our live sawn white oak can shrink.  In a rustic wide plank hardwood floor, gaps are almost expected and really don’t take away from the overall look and appeal of the floor.  In a traditional hardwood floor, especially one with a dark stain, gaps in the floor are magnified. This is especially true with very light woods like maple, hickory, and ash.  If the flooring has a stain, the tongues on the boards are still white and when the wood shrinks, this white tongue is exposed.  This isn’t an issue with natural floors but very noticeable when the wood is stained.

Of course, most people expect engineered hardwood flooring to be our most problem free flooring option but it isn’t.  When a solid wide plank live sawn white oak floor is dried out, it shrinks and the worst case scenario is you get some gaps between the boards. When a wide plank engineered floor is dried out, the surface wood layer shrinks and the plywood below doesn’t.  This causes the surface wood layer to check and crack.  When we make the wide plank engineered flooring with a two-pass or distressed finish with a low sheen, these cracks are less noticeable, but are still there.  With proper humidification these cracks should close up but will always be there.

Another reason we have so few complaints with our wide plank live sawn white oak is because of its rustic appearance.  Clients buying this floor are expecting a lot of character and not a perfect floor.  Wood is a natural product and there is no such thing as a perfect floor.  If a live sawn white oak floor gets dented or scratched, it adds to the character and charm of the floor.  On a standard hardwood floor with a perfectly smooth finish, these same dents take away from the look of the floor and are considered by most clients to be an issue requiring repair.  These dents and scratches look especially bad on a floor with a dark stain and a higher gloss finish.  So there you have it, those are the reasons why I would much prefer to sell someone wide plank live sawn white oak than any other floor.  It makes the world a better place for everyone.

Me- I don’t receive complaints.  People call to tell me how much they love their flooring which is very rewarding and music to my ears.

Builder- The builder doesn’t have to be as cautious when protecting the hardwood floor on the jobsite.  With a standard hardwood floor, it is like everyone working in the home is walking on eggshells. Installer- The wide planks and long boards make the installation faster and easier.  If the installer drops a tool on the floor or dents it somehow, it only adds to the look.  Face nails can be used a little bit more in certain areas because when filled properly, they will rarely be noticed.

Homeowner- Any floor, no matter how hard the wood, is going to get dented and scratched.  With our wide plank live sawn white oak, these dents either add to the look or can easily be touched up so they aren’t visible.

Order Samples Today! 

You May Be Paying Way Too Much for Your Wide Plank Flooring

In his book “All Marketers are Liars,” Seth Godin describes and compares the Volkswagen Toureg to the Porsche Cayenne.  He states that they are virtually the same care and are actually built in the very same factory.  The Volkswagen is $36,000 and the Porsche is $80,000.  The book was written in 2005 so I am sure those prices are different now but it is easy to understand the point he is trying to make.  It is the same car but once is more than twice as expensive as the other. 

Porsche Cayenne VS. Volkswagen Toureg

Why? Is it simply the name Porsche that causes people to spend the extra money? “I drive a Porsche” definitely sounds a little bit more prestigious than “That’s my VW” no matter how nice the vehicle is.  Is it really worth paying twice as much for something just to get you from A to B?  For many people the answer is yes, and I can’t say I blame them.  If you have the money you can buy whatever vehicles you want. I’d potentially do the same assuming I didn’t work for my parents! This is a really interesting comparison and I’d like to take it a step further.  What if the Volkswagen was actually better in all aspects? Handling, fuel mileage, longevity, features, appearance, comfort, etc.  Would you still rather have the Porsche or is the Volkswagen looking like a much better option? This is the comparison we make to our biggest competitor in wide plank hardwood flooring.  Our products are a lot alike in many ways.  Our average board lengths in our wide plank hardwood flooring is 6-7’ and so is theirs.  Our standard wide plank hardwood flooring offerings come in planks from 4” to 11.5” and so do theirs.  There are however, two extremely important areas where we differ.  One is our pricing, our wide plank flooring is typically under $15 per square foot and there options are typically well over $20 per square foot.  Another huge difference is our finish.  We offer 10 coats of polyurethane with titanium oxide and a 40 year warranty, their finish has a few coats of finish and no warranty.  Yes, you read that right, people can pay 25-100% more money and get a finish with absolutely no warranty. Huh?

Order Samples Today! 

Gaylord Hardwood Flooring Wins "Best Manufacturer Factory Finished" Wood Floor of the Year

Greg Gaylord accepts award from NWFA Chairman Jeff Fairbanks on Wednesday April 29^th 

Gaylord Hardwood Flooring was presented with the National Hardwood Flooring Association’s “Wood Floor of the Year” award in the Best Manufacturer Factory Finished Category.  Lewis, Greg, and Rosemary Gaylord were on hand to accept the award.  The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has over 3000 members in more than 50 countries worldwide making this award the most coveted in the hardwood flooring industry. A panel of judges comprised of trade and consumer press editors, industry leaders, and professional designers, evaluated the individual categories to determine the winners. The award was presented at the 2015 NWFA Convention held at Edward Jones Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.  Some of the visitors/speakers included; Bill “Coach Bill” Courtney from the documentary “Undefeated”, Gary Sinise; best known for his role as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, and Hall of Fame baseball player Ozzie Smith.  The trade show portion of the convention had some pretty incredible exhibits as well as an education demo stage and it was held right on the field where the St. Louis Rams play which was really cool.

"We just had our hardwood floor installed and it looks beautiful. One of the major differences we see with our floor is the length of pieces. I would say that at least 20-30 per cent of each box contained full length pieces. This is a selling point with your firm and I am pleased to say that you were "true to your word". My wife and I have nothing but praise for young Drew Chadwick who installed our floor. First of all, Drew is a very polite and accommodating professional who would answer all our questions. Secondly, and most importantly, we had an issue with one of the floor joists being higher than the rest. This created a challenge for us and Drew called upon your expertise at your factory to arrive at a solution. It is this kind of thinking and support that results in both job and customer satisfaction. I would highly recommend Drew Chadwick for any future installations that you have. He will serve your company well."

Hickory Virginia Distressed Hardwood Flooring 

Sometimes when clients visit our showroom looking to redo their floors, they do not always know where to begin.  One of the questions they ask us is “What if the floor doesn’t match my furniture?” In a lot of home renovations or even new builds, a trend that is becoming more and more popular is for people to install hardwood throughout the entire home.  This means not only will the flooring be a part of every room in the home, it will inevitably turn into a very important feature that can define the character and style represented in the home.  This is why a high quality hardwood floor that will last over time is a big investment that requires careful selection.

Furthermore, once a client has decided they want to install hardwood throughout the entire home, it is a big decision seeing as once the floor is put down, it is much more difficult to replace, as opposed to switching it out like furniture.  By keeping this in mind, clients should envision their new floor as a character defining feature and element they love.  It should not just be seen as the finishing touch or accessory that brings the room together but more so like the canvas for the artwork.  Investing the money in a good quality hardwood floor that has the right stain and finish for the project in question leaves the door open for limitless possibilities when designing the rest of the home.

Picture: Maple Storm Hardwood Flooring 

When clients come into our showroom to purchase their hardwood floor, a very common mindset they have is that everything has to match.  Not only in the construction and design industry is the term “match” commonly used when figuring out what elements and features will go into a project, but in a general sense as well. We all seem to have this preconception about everything having to match, or at least be in the same colour tones and/or colour family in order to look good. It is unfortunately very easy to let this concept dominate our mindset, especially when it comes to home renovating or any interior design project for that matter. We often think that in order for a space to not look chaotic or unbalanced that certain elements should all match together.  A concept people often forget about however is achieving a contrast.  Contrast, when achieved properly, can create just as beautiful of an outcome as a space that contains elements that are all in the same colour tones. It all depends how the elements of the space are composed together.  Just because the flooring for example does not “match” the furniture in the space does not mean it won’t look great.  The important thing to remember is to select a floor that will go with everything and either compliment, contrast or balance out the other finishes, furnishings and materials of the space. 

Picture: White Oak Greystone Hardwood Flooring 

This is not to say however that redesigning an interior environment is as simple as coordinating materials selections and purchasing them.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  There are many elements to consider when undergoing a renovation or a new build.  This is why hiring a professional such as an interior designer or interior decorator is a great way to get the project going in the right direction.  With the knowledge of our sales consultants and the expertise of a designer or decorator, you can rest assured that your hardwood floor will not only match or go with your home, it will stand out in every room and get the attention it deserves.