Over a hundred years ago we ripped through virgin forests with raw steel saw blades. Those ancient trees dropped into nearby rivers that slowly made their way downstream to the water powered mill.
For days, even months these giants floated about as they made their final journey to the conveyer. But every so often a giant would get pushed under another giant forcing it to absorb water under pressure. Soon, these logs would become waterlogged and sink into the murky waters. This is where the journey of the ancient pine tree begins.
Water is a funny thing. It can destroy a floor within a few hours of contact, but it can also preserve a tree for a century. It’s not the water alone that rots wood. It’s both water and air.
When you take air out of the picture, wood is preserved for hundreds of years. A great example is barn wood, the other major source of reclaimed wood.
Reclaiming Old River Logs
The process for reclaiming these river logs is complex. It requires river permits, scuba divers, boats and of course the mill. Rivers are chosen by their accessibility to roads and numbers of logs per square mile.
Up here in Canada there are many rivers once used as log runs, but not accessible by road any more. Once the river permit has been approved the operation begins with a diver team and float bags. The divers will find the sunken logs and attach chains with inflatable balloons. The balloons are inflated from an air hose and pump on the boat. Slowly and carefully, the logs start to become buoyant and begin to float to the surface. A few logs will be collected in this manner then towed back on the boat to the mill or truck.
Benefits To Using Reclaimed Wood
You may be wondering; what’s so great about old sunken logs? Why not just harvest new trees? These logs are substantially heavier than an everyday tree for two reasons.
The first reason is their outer layer is saturated with water.
The second reason also plays into why they are desirable for wood floors or furniture. Their sheer density. In a modern pine you can expect two to three rings per inch, whereas one of these ancient 200 year old pines will have anywhere from six to thirty rings per inch. Old pine is harder and more intricate than any pine grown today. It has beautiful, huge knots in it. You can see its knots in an old pine floor.
The benefit of the river reclaimed wood method is that the logs are untouched. There are logs of all shapes and sizes so you can cut whole tabletops from a single piece of wood. This is a great bonus for wide plank flooring. Yet another technique that I’ve seen done with larger logs is cross-section cuts to make large square tiles. There are so many applications to using these old logs. Their timeless beauty will live on forever.
Reclaiming Wood From Old Barns
The other type of reclaiming wood is a bit less complicated and this is reclaiming barn wood. With the old farming methods becoming obsolete and the need for larger steel barns became possible, the old humble wood barn found it hard to compete.
Many of these barns were built over a hundred years ago and contain the same high quality wood you’ll find in the rivers. The only difference is you have to work with what you get. The wood on the siding for example is usually cut into one by eight inch boards varying in length. Because of the natural wear of age and time you’ll be hard pressed to turn these into floorboards, unless you get lucky. Most of the usable wood will be inside the barn itself. The beams and struts holding it all together will be a gold mine for recycled eco wood.
The Look Achieved From Reclaimed Wood
The benefit of using this type of wood is the rustic look you will get from the old hand planed timbers.
The drawback to this type of wood when used for flooring is that the shape of the wood is already predetermined. By this I mean, the notches and grooves that exist to hold the barn together are cut out of these timber beams. The floor has to work around these notches and grooves and unfortunately there are lots of scrap pieces left over that can’t be used for anything. However, you can get creative with these pieces and make a spectacular floor out of it. There’s no reason why these pieces cannot look beautiful on their own.
The fantastic part of using this type of wood is that there are hundreds of thousands of barns across North America that are falling apart and will eventually just rot on the ground and be used for nothing.
Using any reclaimed wood will be beneficial to the environment. There are no trees being cut down or forests being destroyed. It’s just recycling what we already have. There is so much wood leftover from our past that it is silly not to make the best use of it. Not to mention this wood has so much history to show us. Why not make a floor out of it?
If you have wood floors with warn away finish or water damage, you should consider doing a light sanding. If you are in a rush to sell and cannot refinish your wood floors, throw a beautiful area rug over the damage. This will hide the damage when you are showing your house but it will disappoint the new owners see it. I generally don’t advise this. Only if you have no other option.
Getting The Most Out of Selling A House
Your floors will not make or break the sale of your house. Your house will still sell if your floors don’t look terrific. Even if your real estate agent tells you that you have to update your floors and make them all hardwood, new wiring, fresh paint and a beautifully staged house may be even more important.
Location, Location, Location
If your house is located in a very good area or an area that is known to be up and coming, generally you will get more money for your house with hardwood floors. They are not expected but they will add elegance and sophistication. You don’t need hardwood floors throughout. It is nice to have them in the living room and dining room – any of the main rooms that will be noticed the most.
If your house is located in an area of town that is not as great, the value of your house generally will not increase as much with hardwood floors throughout. You may have houses on your block that are not being maintained at all. You may also be near an industrial park or power lines. In this scenario, most of your prospective buyers will be wanting a lower cost house. The perceived value in hardwood floors may be lower than if it was in a well-to-do area.
Another deciding factor is if your house is in a large world class city or in a small suburban or rural area. As houses in cities are generally worth more than suburbs or the country, if your house is in a big city, the more elegant your house is, the more you will get out of it.
What Should My Floors Look Like When I Sell?
They should look good. They should be clean. If they are nice looking tiles, keep them that way. The grout should be immaculate. Same goes with engineered and laminate floors. They may be cheaper but as long as they look well-maintained, they will not be noticed too much.
Use clean area rugs that are soft and comfortable. You want your prospective buyers to come into your house and imagine it like their own. This is the first step to seriously considering buying. Also, if you are showing a house in a temperate climate or in the summer, chances are that some of the viewers will be barefoot.
Final Thoughts
In the end it is up to you. You can, but don’t have to make all your floors hardwood to sell your house for a good price.
You may also want to go to some open houses in your area and look at the popular floor coverings people are choosing when they are selling. This also may help shape your decision. 
The product claims to fill scratches and rejuvenate dull spots. It most definitely rejuvenates your floor’s finish, no doubt. But filling the scratches is a bit misleading. It can’t handle scuff marks and scratches that are “finish deep”. Dog nail scratches or dents that go wood deep, it won’t fill. But for overall restoring it’s a floor saver.
Product Life On Your Floors
The product will last for months for the average homeowner. But if you wear shoes indoors or have any pets you may not get as long of a life as the bottle says. It’s easy to re-apply and most should expect to coat 3 times a year. Usually just before the holidays when family comes over.
How to Apply
Pro Shot is easy to apply. Just buy a new sponge mop that will be dedicated to the product. You don’t ever want to mix chemicals – it’s worth buying a new mop for this. Apply and let dry. Try to keep off your newly restored floors until the product has fully cured.
Why Trust Pro Shot
The product is UL listed for slip resistance, meaning you don’t need to take it from me that you’re not going to slip, Pro Shot Corporation has had their products approved for industrial use. The product was designed for use in hospitals, schools and shopping malls – so you can trust it’s seen it’s share of foot traffic. Pro Shot is a keeper.
The product also works on many other floor surfaces in your home so if you’ve got extra try it on vinyl, no-wax, linoleum, bamboo, slate, flagstone, ceramic tile, terrazzo, laminates, and other floors. 
The NWFA provides various resources for homeowners on choosing and maintaining their wood floors. They link the industry together in every possible way.
The National Wood Floor Association also publishes its own industry magazine called Hardwood Floors: The magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association. They even host the NWFA National Wood Flooring Expo in Nashville, TN.
The National Wood Floor Association’s Environment Program
The National Wood Flooring Association’s Responsible Procurement Program (RPP) brings environmental leaders as well as wood floor manufacturers together to improves forest sustainability for future generations. The companies who participate in this program have a variety of criteria to meet such as demonstrating environmental responsibility as noted by the Forestry Stewardship Council. These companies are audited by a third party.
NWFA Certified Professionals
These professionals have to undergo various tests to make sure that their work meets a certain standard of quality. There are certain prerequisites too, like for example, 2 years of experience in installing wood floors. In order to maintain their NWFA certification, professionals need to undergo ongoing education. Some flooring manufacturers only allow
NWFA certified professionals to install their floors. This ensures that the quality of workmanship is regulated.
NWFA links certified professionals with homeowners looking to get their wood floors done. In the case that you have got new wood floors installed and there is a problem with them that the manufacturer is not willing to solve, you can get a NWFA certified professional inspector to look at them and assess the problem.
Companies with a NWFA certification always show their certificate. It gives a company pedigree. If you are a wood floor installer and meet the criteria required to become a NWFA certified professional, it is worth it. People have much more trust in certified professionals.
The NWFA Accepted Product Seal
This product seal is designed for flooring and flooring product manufacturers like finishes, solid wood floors, engineered hardwood floors and abrasives. The NWFA product seal is to be renewed annually and spans the manufacturer’s entire product line.
The NWFA Accepted Eco Product Seal
This product seal only covers certain products from a manufacturer – not their entire product line. First a company needs to obtain the NWFA Accepted Product Seal. Finishes, stains and sealers are the only product categories that can receive a NWFA Accepted Eco Product Seal.
National Wood Floor Association (NWFA) Reviewed by Wood Floor Doctor on July 4 . The NWFA links homeowners to industry professionals and manufacturers. The NWFA is an association of tradespeople and manufacturers. They certify products, manufacturers and professionals. THE NWFA publishes its own magazine and hosts a tradeshow. Rating: 5 
Muskoka Prefinished Hardwood Flooring has been around for more than 100 years. Founded in 1903, this Canadian company is based in the rocky Canadian Shield of northern Ontario. They praise themselves in high quality wood floors with very high manufacturing standards.
Muskoka sees their customers as crucial to their business. Customers, to them, are long-term partners in the growth and development of their brand. The Muskoka experience is all about customer service. They will get you the floor you want when you want it. They want to make your floor installation quick and easy.
Environmental Responsibility
Muskoka believes it is important it is to preserve the environment. As they feel the integrity of the land is the future, they have created some environmental initiatives.
Unlike a lot of other flooring companies, they manufacture 99% VOC free UV curable sealers and finishes. None of their finishes emit formaldehyde. All their pigments and dyes are free from dyes and heavy metals. They meet the South Coast Air Quality Management District and Green Seal rules for all their floor finishes. All but their prefinished floor coating are LEED certified. (LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design which is a rating given by the US Green Building Council.)
Muskoka floors are manufactured in Canada, which is a bonus.
Innovations
Muskoka is always bringing out new looks and technical features. They focus more on the design of the floorboard rather than creating a new floor finish. Even though their floors are prefinished, they have designed them to be sanded down as many times as you would a sand-on-site floor. They are so confident with the design of their floors that they give them a lifetime structural warranty.
All the wood floors in their product lines are different structurally.
The Gallery Collection is solid, prefinished wood that is ¾ of an inch thick of solid wood so it is only good for ground level and second level installations.
The Architectural Collection is engineered flooring that is 9/16 of an inch thick so it is ok for basements and anywhere else in your home.
The Solid Sawn and Hand Sculpted Collection is engineered flooring that is ¾ of an inch thick of structured hardwood. It is suitable to be installed anywhere in your home.
Finally, their Northern Solid Sawn Collection is structured hardwood and is ¾ of an inch thick with a Qtr. Sawn SPF (Spruce-Pine-Fir) core. This type of flooring is suitable for anywhere in your home. Of course, every different collection of floors is available in its own color selection and in a variety of different species.
Personally, I like how each different style of floor serves a unique purpose. It is easy to select the style of floor you want depending on your needs and where it is being placed.
Muskoka also has “Micron” beveled edges – the smallest bevel in the wood flooring industry. You barely even see the micro bevel – it makes the groove smaller. The micro beveled edge is designed to make the slightest irregularity in your floorboards go unseen.
Final Thoughts
Muskoka wood floors are well made and very durable. With unparalleled customer service, you will be happy to get the floor you want when you want it.
Muskoka Wood Flooring Reviewed by Wood Floor Doctor on June 22 . Micron beveled edge prefinished flooring in a variety of colors and styles Muskoka prefinished floors are designed well and are very durable. They take both customer service and environmental responsibility very seriously. All their floors are manufactured in Canada. Rating: 4 
Over the past 10 years, Mirage has won 19 awards for excellence. This is a brand that you can trust with a quality product. They have been recognized by their quality 21 times by surveys in many different magazines like Floor Focus magazine and Floor Covering Weekly. It is North America’s # 1 hardwood flooring brand.
Social and Environmental Responsibility
Mirage products are eligible for LEED points for home credits. Mirage has three technologies that can help obtain LEED credits. They are Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation & Design Process.
Mirage uses recycled materials wherever possible. They also use local materials. Mirage’s wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Their floor finishes are free of VOCs and formaldehyde. Mirage floor finishes are hypoallergenic too.
Mirage only uses North American lumber and only from responsibly managed forests. They also strive to use only environmentally responsible suppliers.
Mirage treats natural resources with respect and wants them to be available to future generations. They use recycled materials from postindustrial waste.
They support Ducks Unlimited which is a conservation group for Canada’s wetlands.
Many of their wood floors are FSC certified.
Innovations in Flooring
NanolinxTM is their nanotechnology-based finish. Mirage claims to have the most wear-resistant finish in the industry. They boast that Nanolinx is 5 times more durable than competing floor finishes. This wood floor finish is flexible. This is an important feature. Because of its elasticity, it will prevent cracks. Nanolinx also has a UV protector so your floors won’t yellow or darken over time. Mirage also offers two styles of finish. You can get semi-gloss which is the standard wood floor finish. They also offer CashmereTM which is a very durable floor finish. It is designed for high traffic areas or for homeowners with children and pets. It is a practical floor finish that is easy to maintain. Nanolinx is also available in NanolinxTM Commercial,, which is even more wear resistant.
Mirage Quality
Mirage’s lumber is dry sawn as opposed to rotary peeled. It is precisely cut to the desired thickness. Their floorboards do not have repetitive grain patterns. Their floorboards have an ultra-thick wear layer. Mirage floors can be sanded 3-5 times.
Final Thoughts
Mirage offers a fantastic amount of selection. Their floors are very high quality with a very durable finish. Mirage is also extremely environmentally conscious.
Mirage Floors Reviewed by Wood Floor Doctor on July 9 . High quality floors with a very durable finish. Mirage has a nanotechnology-based floor finish. With good quality floors and a serious concern for the environment, this is a fantastic floor company. Rating: 4.5 
Honesty and integrity are the values that are paramount to their business practices. They are a company who looks for continuous improvement and are very flexible. This is what they feel gives them their edge and is going to make them successful. Lauzon believes in paying all their employees fairly, even the laborers working in their forests.
This Quebec company boasts an ISO 9001:2001 certification awarded to them in 2001. Lauzon was the first North American flooring company to receive this certificate. In 2011, they received another certificate, an ISO 9001–2008 of their operation in Quebec. In 2000, the Canadian government made LAUZON a finalist in the Canada Export Awards of Excellence.
Lauzon owns forests in eastern Canada. There, they only selectively cut from mature forests. When it comes to their forestry practices, they collaborate with local municipalities, native communities and regional wildlife workers.
Lauzon also has a unique sawmill which utilises more of the tree than a typical sawmill. This means less trees are cut down to make their wood floors. They even use their own sawdust and wood shavings to power their kilns and heat their plants. No additional energy is required from the grid. They use only recycled wood energy. They have a “No waste” policy.
On a social level, they work with charities like Children’s Make a Wish Foundation, the United Way, and the Alzheimer Society. Lauzon also proudly supports budding artists and young athletes.
Unique Features of Lauzon Engineered Wood Floors
Titanium Finish with Pure Genius
This is a product that is a light-activated, air-purifying agent made of Titanium Dioxide in Lauzon’s titanium floor finishes. Light breaks down toxic substances like VOCs on contact and converts them into safe molecules. This technology in the floor finish is working all the time even making the air in the room 85% cleaner. This titanium finish is made without solvents, VOCs and formaldehyde.
Polynium+ with Sunshield
In 2002, Polynium+ was invented. This is a treatment that slows down the yellowing process of wood floors.
Their revolutionary polymerized titanium finish as well as Polynium+with Titanium Traffic have made this company a key player on the global stage in the worldwide flooring industry.
Titanium Traffic
This floor finish was invented in 2005. It has a 5 year warranty and is designed for light commercial use.
After creating this superb finish, they decided to combine it with Polynium+ making an incredibly strong wood floor finish.
NextStep Collection
In 1999, the NextStep Collection was introduced. This was a big engineering feat where the elegance of solid-sawn hardwood surface combined with a unique milling process gave rise to a very durable wood floor.
Final Thoughts
This company is fantastic. Social and environmental responsibility are at the heart of this company. Coupled with this ethic is a superior wood floor product. Lauzon’s innovative technologies make their floors both durable and healthier.
Lauzon Flooring Reviewed by Wood Floor Doctor on July 5 . Environmentally sustainable, extremely durable wood. Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring is committed to working from forest to floor. With impressive technological advancements that make this company stand out, their floors are extremely well made and very durable. Rating: 5 
Step 1. Decide on the look you want to go with. You may want a tiled look or you may want wall to wall of one solid color.
Step 2. Decide on the color you want. You don’t have to go neutral – it’s paint not wood stain. You can choose any color you want. When purchasing both your primer and your paint, make sure they are suitable for wood. Get one that is great for outdoors – it will be more durable and stand up to foot traffic. Get a paint that is for decks, porches and outdoor furniture. Sherwin-Williams makes a fabulous paint that will be terrific for the job – their Porch and Floor Enamel Paint.
Step 3. Remove everything off the floor you are planning to paint. This includes all furniture.
Step 4. Hand sand your floor with 150 grit sandpaper. If you want to speed up the job and you don’t want to hand scuff, use an orbital palm sander or a portable belt sander. If the room is very large, best to use an orbital floor sander. This will get rid of any uneven areas and do a good clean up of any splintering floorboards. Sanding will also make the paint adhere better. You should absolutely wear a dust mask for this job. Knee pads are optional but they will protect your knees. If there is old finish, you don’t have to sand it off completely. you just want your primer and paint to stick to your floor.
Step 5. Vacuum your floor. Vacuum it very well. If there is any dust or hair it will mix into the paint. If you are a perfectionist, you can sweep before you vacuum.
Step 6. Wash your floor with odorless mineral spirits using a microfiber rag
.
Step 7. Allow your floor to dry completely. This may take a few days.
Once your floor is dry, you can apply your primer. (Even if you are doing a design, make sure that you do it wall to wall.) Use a primer that is preferably a penetrating oil-based variety. A good quality latex one will do if necessary. Make sure that if you are using an oil-based primer you use an oil-based paint. If you are using a later-based primer, you need a latex paint to go with it.
If you have areas where the floor has no finish and areas with finish, go over the areas with no finish with a light coating of primer. Let it dry before priming the entire floor. This is known as spot priming. If the whole floor is unfinished skip this step.
Step 8. Allow the primer to dry fully.
Step 9. Do a light sanding using 220 grit sandpaper. You need to sand twice is because after you have primed, you will get the odd wood fiber sticking up. The wood has swelled up from the moisture of the product penetrating it.
Step 10. Clean your floor again this time using a tack cloth to remove any dust from sanding. If you even try to use paper towel or an ordinary rag, it will ruin the primer – it will be all bumpy and uneven. You can vacuum again if you choose.
Step 11. Now you are ready to paint. Even if you think it is faster to use a roller, it is way better to use a natural bristle brush. Sadly, it is a very slow process. This way you won’t have the possibility of any roller marks and you will have a clean finish. If you are in a rush and not a perfectionist and want to use a roller, go for a ¼ inch nap microfiber roller. It will look good as long as you take your time.
When you apply the paint, use a small amount of paint at a time. If you pour a whole bunch on your floor, it won’t spread nicely and it won’t dry evenly.
For interesting borders and patterns in the floor like a tiled look, use painter’s tape (the green stuff) to give you the guidelines you need.
Step 12. Allow paint to fully dry. It will take a minimum of 24 hours. Any sooner and you will have a floor filled with bubbles and uneven paint – and this will not be correctable!
Remember that thinner coats are better. They dry more evenly than thick coats. Thick coats of paint get gummy.
Step 13. Do another coat. Repeat 2 more times so you have 3 coats of paint in total.
Step 14. Finally, apply a coat of polyurethane on top of your final coat of paint. This is going to make the paint more durable. If you want it to have a very durable, apply 2 coats of polyurethane – I recommend 2 coats of poly. Choose a low VOC poly so you don’t have to worry about it off-gassing.
Step 15. Allow 24 hours until you can move your furniture back onto the newly painted wood floor. 
There are many different products on the market to make your wood floors shiny. Some floors products that claim to shine your floors will actually make your floors look blotchy and uneven. Any wax product will create buildup making your floors look even duller than before.
People with negative experiences with store bought wood floor polish sometimes choose to make their own. There is a growing trend to make things yourself. Let’s face it. It’s fun to get a recipe and create something rather than buy that magic potion in a bottle.
Some people don’t want to buy what is commercially available primarily because of chemicals and cost. Many homeowners are concerned about the health of their families and the environment. DIYers are learning how to make their own wood floor polish.
Natural waxes and oils are very popular wood floor polishes. For scents, rather than using artificial fragrances, essential oils are being mixed into homemade wood floor polishes. The most common essential oils being used are lemon, orange and lavender.