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National Floors specializes in all things hardwood floors.  Hardwood floor installation, hardwood floor refinishing and repair are among the top 3 services offered by our hardwood floor contractors.  Our hardwood floor contractors have been operating in the Bay Area for over 30 years.  National floors hardwood floor contractors has transformed and upgraded thousands of homes, improving not only the beauty, but the value as well.  Our hardwood floor contractors are C15 licensed, which gives us "Expert" credentials in this field.  It's our goal to produce high quality craftsmanship at a reasonable price.  Our reputation is very positive, with hundreds of 5 star ratings throughout the years, it's easy to see we are leaders in the hardwood industry.  National Floors is so confident that your floors will turn out amazing, we back it  up with a "No deposit" policy.  Unlike other contractors, this policy gives our clients the comfort and confidence deserved when hiring us.  We have a wonderful way of pleasing our customers and look forward to doing business with you. 


Refinishing Hardwood Floors 

What to look for in a hardwood floor contractor that refinishes hardwood floors:  First of all, hardwood floor sand and refinishing is our specialty.  National Floors Sand and refinishes over 100 hardwood floors per year.  Refinishing hardwood floors is by far, the most difficult remodel project anyone can take on.  If you think you can refinish hardwood floors and get professional results, think again.  Our contractors are well experienced sanding, staining and coating hardwood floors.  There are many species of hardwood floors that can be sanded: Bamboo, Brazilian Cherry, Santos Mahogany, parquet flooring, Red Oak hardwood, White oak hardwood and more. 

The tools that our hardwood floor contractors use is top notch.  We use the best sanding machines for the flattest floors and top coat them with professional, commercial grade polyurethane for the best looking and longest lasting protection.  Our goal is simple, take your old worn out hardwood floors and transform them into a "Like New" state.  Our refinishing costs are very fair and with a high level of craftsmanship and a positive reputation, you can count on us.  


Hardwood Floor installation engineered hardwood floor

National floors hardwood flooring contractors install all types of hardwood floors both solid hardwood floors and engineered hardwood floors.  The differences have much to do with the species, the type of flooring and the dimensions.  They all play a part in the material cost.  Here is a list of some of the basic varieties you can choose from:    
• Bamboo flooring both solid and prefinished
• Engineered flooring comes in prefinished and unfinished
• Oak flooring. You have a choice of red oak or white oak
• Solid flooring is the same species from top to bottom

Engineered hardwood floors

Engineered hardwood floor is a term that creates a lot of confusion in the industry.  Engineered hardwood floor is designed to be installed over a concrete slab.  The base (bottom layers) of the engineered hardwood floor is multiple layers of plywood.  This plywood acts as a layer of moisture protection, blocking "Some" of the moisture that could leach from the slab and into your engineered hardwood floor.  Moisture rising into the floor will result in buckling or cupping.  Basically damaging your hardwood floor.    

Engineered hardwood floor cannot be nailed down to concrete, so the only other two options for installation are to glue down or float.  Gluing down a hardwood floor is an additional cost for the glue itself.  This method is semi permanent and requires great effort to remove the floor if the desire to change out the floor is made. 

What we have found is that general contractors almost always choose engineered floors on their projects because it's essentially an all purpose floor.  You can install it on concrete as well as a wooden sub-floor.  Though this is true, you can install engineered on all surfaces, this isn't always the best choice.  Not to go off topic, but we have found in newer homes, that most of the engineered floors installed by general contractors is very low grade with a very thin wear layer.  In my opinion, there's nothing worse than paying top dollar for a low quality product.      

Solid Hardwood Floors

If you happen to have a wooden subfloor, then solid hardwood floors is the best choice.  Why?  A comprable quality engineered hardwood floor, typically cost more than solid.  The solid hardwood floor will typically outlast the engineered hardwood floor by decades.  Solid hardwood floor will provide the best bang for the buck.  Solid hardwood floor can be nailed down to the sub-floor or it can also be glued or floated depending on the manufacturers design and the dimensions of the floor itself.  Engineered hardwood floor is designed to block moisture from the slab and prevent the floor from buckling.  Solid hardwood floor is not intended to block moisture and that is why a moisture blocking paper is used in the installation process.    

Refinishing Engineered hardwood floorsengineered hardwood floor wear layer 569x259 min

Can engineered hardwood floors be refinished?  The short answer is yes in most cases.  The decesion is made by determining the thickness of the wear layer.  The wear layer of an engineered hardwood floor is what you actually see and walk on.  From a side/profile view, you could easily understand what I am referring to.  A wear layer that is at a minimum of 3mm can usually be sanded and restored with a sand and finish process.  If you're not sure and happen to have an extra board lying around, you can put a nickel on top and take a pic.  You can compare the picture to our example on the right.  If you are still not sure, reach out to us.  We do this remotely, over the phone all the time.    

Just to be clear, the low quality engineered CANNOT be sanded and is considered a "One" time floor. In other words, once the floor is worn, it will need to be replaced and lacks the option to sand and finish to restore to a like "New" appearance.  This "Cheap engineered hardwood floors" will seem like the best purchase choice until you weigh out the consequences.  If you have to replace your engineered hardwood floors, you can expect to pay for the removal process, concrete floor prep, new flooring material, new baseboard, installation cost of floor and installation cost of new baseboard.  In the big picture you pay much, much more when you purchase cheap engineered hardwood floors. 


Hardwood Floor Repair

National floors and its hardwood florring contractors can handle every type of hardwood floor repair.  We can fix solid, engineered, oak flooring, etc... Most hardwood floor damage has occurred due to water damage, fire damage, termite damage or just wear and tear. 

If in fact you have excessive "Water damage", please read more.  There is a specific protocol that should be implemented prior to any hardwood floor repair.  A typical example would be to have a water damage/restoration company come to your home and professionally dry your floor, walls, etc..If your not sure of the process, give us a call and we will run you through the steps.