Enrich Your Home and Environment With Legal, Domestic Hardwood

(NewsUSA) - More Americans might be driving hybrid cars and recycling, but their hardwood kitchen and living room floors can be just as critical to climate change.

No one knows exactly how much illegal hardwood enters the United States, but estimates range from $250 million to $375 million worth per year -- much of which is used for high-end flooring.


Most illegal hardwood comes from tropical rain forests, delicate ecosystems with high biodiversity. Tropical hardwoods protect the soil -- removing them prevents other plants from growing and allows rain to strip away nutrients from the soil. Studies have shown that rain forest deforestation accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gases.

In December 2008, the U.S. government amended The Lacey Act, its oldest wildlife protection statute, to discourage illegal hardwood imports. According to the amendment, anyone involved in the import, purchase or sale of illegal wood is subject to one to five years in prison and $100,000 to $500,000 in fines per violation.

The U.S. Customs Service monitors suspicious cargo, but too much wood is imported into the U.S. to catch every illegal shipment. However, consumers can take steps to avoid the purchase of illegal hardwood. Shaw, a company that supplies easy-to-install hardwood products, provides the following tips for Americans looking to enrich their homes with gorgeous hardwood without destroying rain forests:

- Look for hardwood that is made in the U.S. Choosing American-sourced wood not only supports the country's economy, it helps to ensure that the hardwood is legally harvested from managed forests, which are a truly renewable resource.

- Beware of exotic wood products. Woods like Brazilian cherry or mongoy are much more likely to have been harvested illegally than non-exotic woods.

- Do your homework. Ask questions before purchasing your floor to make sure it is from a retailer that sources its hardwood products from a trustworthy, legal distributor.

- Consider domestic species of hardwood. Although woods like hickory, oak, birch and maple are grown in America, advanced staining techniques allow these species to have the exotic looks many homeowners desire without the risk of purchasing illegally harvested products.

- Look for eco-friendly laminate products. Shaw's Luminiere collection mimics exotic woods like Ipe heartwood and teak, but doesn't require any illegal harvesting. Better yet, the laminate uses 98 percent less newly harvested wood than most hardwood products and features a high-density-fiber core made from recycled wood.

For more information, visit www.shawfloors.com

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Cork tile flooring is a new generation in flooring for your home

There are many unique characteristics of cork tile flooring. This type of flooring is often desired by those who want to "go green" because of the fact that it is a natural product that is actually derived from the bark of the ever-popular cork oak. This particular bark is especially interesting because of the fact that it is the only type of any tree that actually goes through a natural regeneration process.

This means that the tree itself is not harmed in any way - not like those trees that have to be cut down in order to create various types of woods for flooring. This is one of the main highlights of implementing the use of cork tile flooring.

The next unique characteristic of cork tile flooring that is composed of cork is that it is actually soft. It is not just soft to the touch, but it is also soft when you walk on it - almost like a firm type of carpet. There are several health benefits when it comes to the cork floor. Individuals that must stand on it for long periods do not complain of pain in the back, leg area, or the feet.

Individuals that have pain complications due to health conditions like arthritis, back complications, diabetes, and even fibromyalgia find that they experience fewer symptoms and more comfortable when they have this type of flooring in their home.

While many would believe that the durability of this particular type of flooring is quite low, the truth is that it is quite the opposite. Cork tile flooring is actually considered to be one of the most resilient types of flooring on the market today. There are little pockets, or cells of air that actually allow a massive amount of pressure to be applied to the tile without damaging it.

Once the pressure is eliminated, the tile quickly expands and regains its shape and original form. You will find that, with other types of wood, if indentations occur, these are permanent. However, with cork flooring, this is only temporary.

The next unique characteristic is that this type of flooring has been found to insulate much better than other types of flooring. Cork flooring is a relatively new concept that is quickly emerging as one of the most popular choices when it comes to "going green". As you have learned here, there are a number of advantages due to the unique characteristics of cork tile flooring.

About the Author: Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to AllTileFlooring.com AllTileFlooring.com a website with resources and information for all your Tile Flooring Needs.

Installing Floor Insulation

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A Brief Guide to Floor Cleaning

Cleaning floors is one of the most important aspects of any cleaning programme and an essential element of any property, also depending on what kind of surface you have in your house; it will require different specialist equipment and techniques. Some general tips for keeping floors clean are to employ a proper selection of mats at doorways, often an entrance area with easy to clean floors (for example laminate flooring) and a dedicated area to store shoes. Just some of these simple techniques can make a dramatic impact on the cleanliness of a house that doesn't have these ideas properly implemented.

How to Prevent Slippery Floor

Carpet Cleaning & Care It is always a good idea to regularly vacuum the surface of carpets, this helps remove dirt that can cause permanent damage to fibres and also try to deal with spillages as soon as you can, the longer a spillage stays on a surface the more damage it can do. Often people look to get carpets or rugs cleaned professionally but there are various ways in which carpets can be cleaned to a very high standard without hiring professionals. Always use recommended or qualified products that are specified for use on the surface that you want to clean and so it is a bad idea to use generic cleaning products such as soap or dish washing liquids, these will often damage the surface far more then they clean it (for example the colour will bleed). It is a good idea before any new cleaning is done to a carpet to test the quality of the finish in inconspicuous areas, but always make sure you use a quality carpet cleaning machine.

When it comes to specific floor types, each different surface requires different cleaning techniques and products, some of these include,

Marble Floors Marble and limestone flooring is surprisingly delicate to clean, these surfaces are very tough and will last for a very long time but in order to keep the best possible surface there are some techniques that can be employed to ensure its lasting quality. Due to the nature of the surface it is a bad idea to use strong acids or alkalis that are often used to attack dirt as this often damages the quality of the surface. It is also a good idea to not scrub the surface of marble or limestone floors, especially with coarser cleaning equipment such as scouring pads, this also includes buffing or scrubbing machines as these can leave visible marks on the surface which can only be removed with polishing. Marble surfaces will clean efficiently with dilute detergent solutions and should be well rinsed after washing and left to dry, often surfaces such as marble are polished professionally but can be polished with a dry cloth.

Wood Floors Often wooden floors are polished so this has to be taken into account when cleaning; it isn't a good idea to use detergents, bleach, vinegar and ammonia. It is always a good idea to purchase wax based detergents to maintain wax flooring, and use a damp cloth to remove scuff marks, which should be removed quite easily with a bit of water and some scrubbing. You should always remember that the majority of normal detergents remove wax from flooring, always be careful when cleaning waxed floors as water can make them very difficult to stand on. After wooden floors have been cleaned it is a good idea to fully buff the finished floor, and it always a good idea to regularly re-wax wooden flooring to ensure that it keeps the quality of shine that it had to start with.

Laminate Flooring Often a good idea for houses that want a low maintenance solution, it is often considered as an alternative to genuine wood or stone surfaces. Often have a greater adaptability then genuine surfaces such as wood and stone, for example they react far better to water so can be used in kitchens and bathrooms. The first cleaning required on laminate flooring is the simple sweeping and vacuuming of the entire area, always clean the flooring with solutions specified by the manufacturers and use a simple flat mop and use smaller quantities of cleaning solutions then perhaps you would use on normal carpets. It is a good idea to never polish or wax laminate floors; these will damage the current finishes and make the flooring appear patchy, and also never clean with abrasive cleaning products such as scouring pads or steel wool.

Concrete Flooring Often cleaned using mild cleaner or dish soap, never using ammonia or vinegar, concrete floors are often quite easy to maintain and obviously have a high resistance to stains and ware. Always make sure to remove any remaining soap residue with warm water after the area has been cleaned and always wring the mop thoroughly during cleaning, too much cleaning solution or water may degrade the finish and generally only small amounts of water are needed to clean concrete.

About the Author: Andrew Doyle. The author is a contributing writer for clickcleaning.com. Click Cleaning are one of the leading providers of cleaning products and floor cleaning products online.

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Everything You Need to Know About Garage Flooring

When it comes to the garage floor, you need it to be durable and capable of withstanding quite a lot of force. As your car will be going in and out of it frequently, it should be able to withstand the pressure of the car and for that reason usually the floor of the garage is concrete.

Maintaining Your Garage Flooring

Grinding the garage floor - 00:51 min.


Most of the time, the flooring in the garage is concrete because it is simply the best material for the job. It can be easily cleaned and it can last through all weathers. There are some people who use carpet but generally concrete is the material of choice.

Now in order to keep the garage flooring looking clean and tidy, there are various things you need to do. Cleaning it out ready for summer is one of them. Whilst you may not realize it, the garage floor often gets covered in leaves and dirt. Think about it - when you get out of the car you are likely to have some dirt on your shoes. This dirt will be transferred to the floor and it will stay there until it is clean. Leaves can also be carried on your shoes or they can blow inside on a windy day when the garage door is left open. So in order to make it look nice for summer, it is advisable to give it a good clean.

You may also want to repair parts of the flooring too if it is cracked and chipped. If you want to really work hard then you can break the concrete up. When you have done this you can then break the bits of concrete up into really fine pieces of concrete and they can be used on the driveway as gravel. That way you will be updating your driveway as well as your garage.

One handy tip that you can use which many people do not usually consider - is to spread straw over the new garage flooring. This helps to stop weeds growing up through the new flooring you will be placing over it and it will also act as insulation too. Once you have spread the straw over the flooring, you should then make a frame roughly two inches by six inches around the floor which will act as a border that stops the wet concrete from passing over it.

If you are new to construction then it is useful to know that you will need a fifty pound bag of concrete mixed with 3 gallons of water if you want to have enough concrete for the floor. Mix it together in a wheel barrow and ensure that all of the powder does completely mix with the water before you place it onto the floor.

It is a good idea to use a hoe to level out the concrete as you pour it onto the floor. This ensures that you give it an even coverage and it will allow you to cover every part of the floor too. You should leave it to dry completely before anyone or anything is allowed to touch it.

About the Author: Adam Peters enjoys writing about interior design for www.home-decorating-reviews.com .Keep reading about installing hard wood flooring and interior design at his web.

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Keep Buffing Up That Marble Floor

Your floors are a vital part to your home and so it is certainly understandable that you want your floors to be well-maintained and long-lasting. Marble now comes in a broad range of shades and more often than not go with streaks and alternate colors loping through it. The grain of marble essentially ranges from supple to solid and generally polishes to a profound mirror-like shine. Before, honed marble was used for floor covering as it was considered low-cost construction material and not only that, was also very tough and simple to manage. Marble with unpolished finish only needed a partial amount of sweeping and mopping to keep it well-maintained. All the same, owing to the numerous advances in manufacturing and alterations in style, contemporary households are now using more beautiful and elegant flooring. Even so, together with such improvements, the rate of maintaining such fine floors is increased.

Stone & Marble Floor Cleaning - 00:34 min.


When it comes to commercial marble restoration in boca there are presently many methods that are being used in order to bring back the natural beauty and shine of your stone flooring. Sanding with diamond abrasives is the most resilient polishing technique and is presently the only alternative for marble restoration. On the whole this process entails grinding down the floor with apparatus named commercial grade diamond abrasive pads. As a result sequentially finer pads are also utilized in order to bring about a mirror-like shine. Then again, polishing powders can also create very successful results since this method also brings off a similar shine. At the same time, this is an estimable choice when it comes to good regular maintenance.

Coatings like wax and urethane are also used as fast and simple fixes. Then again they are also regarded as to be more of a setback than a solution for the reason that these coatings in reality put a stop to the stone from breathing. Your stone floors may in fact be damaged by the substances and other materials used for stripping the coating off the marble flooring. At the end of the day, they may only make the problem shoddier since these finishes are not completely dependable and so the paramount solution is not use coatings in the first place. Regardless of which method is used, the most essential thing is for you to habitually buff up your marble flooring because once the finish grows fainter into a dull surface then it is in fact more difficult to bring the shine back. It actually takes you three or four more times.

Professionals that deal with floor restorations also offer other extra features like carpet cleaning services boca. Abrasion from walking on polished floors can cause the shine to dull and regular polishing is the method that could bring back the beauty and maintain the elegance of your flooring. You may be sorely tempted to try and do your own thing at a major cleaning but the professionals are definitely better able to coordinate work involved in the project such as a floor restoration. One dependable way is to find a professional by word of mouth and so try to survey and interview neighbors, family and friends in order to find out whom have they used for their successful restoration or cleaning projects. Scout out professionals who can help you in your house cleaning from top to bottom. You should not overlook the fact that cleaning and maintenance is crucial to the durability of your marble floors.

Maintenance is a complicated dealing but you have to come clean that the display of your marble floors strikes a chord in you of nature´s beauty and wonder and you forget for a minute that almost everything in this world is synthetic and fake. When you have marble for floors you might discover right away that these stone floors are practical, economical and durable and yet you definitely can not replace them anytime soon. What is more is that you can now hire professionals who are prepared to adjust to your schedule if need be. Fortunately for the modern household services such as marble restoration boca are now being offered.


About the Author: Markus Skupeika. Every home owner wants to have clean tile and grout. See which tile and grout cleaning services are within your budget and can make your tiles in your home looking like new without the high cost.

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