How to Reduce Wood Flooring Hazards Without Compromising its Beauty
Written by Megin Potter | Photos provided
{From the 2024 Home & Lifestyle Magazine}
While Tom Cruise endeared himself to many with his iconic floor slide in the 1983 film, “Risky Business,” wearing socks on hardwood floors no longer needs to be synonymous with slipping and sliding thanks to high-performance, eco-conscious solutions.
Hardwood floors are practical and enduringly popular, but what happens when they start to become hazardous?
Future-proofing your floors for children, pets, and aging adults can help prevent accidents while maintaining a safe and attractive environment.
Since 2016, 518 Floor Care has been polishing their skills and developing best practices for repairing, replacing, sanding, staining, sealing, and finishing wood floors.
When to Repair? When to Replace?
Water, termites, mold, and rot can wreak havoc on hardwood.
Signs of wear, sagging, cupping, warping, squeaks, and musty odors can all be detected by 518 Floor Care during their free in-home inspections.
“We generally try to repair and refinish, when possible,” said 518 Floor Care owner Jan Friedman.
Most homes he walks into have red and white oak hardwood flooring, he said. Softwoods, including pine and Douglas fir, became popular mid-century, effectively outshining trendy and beautifully exotic choices like Brazilian cherry or tigerwood in this region.
To match your existing floors, 518 Floor Care sources a large selection of woods, including reclaimed, and engineered hardwoods, from industry experts like Horizon Forest Products in Albany.
Achieving the Look
After providing you with a written estimate, 518 Floor Care fixes and finishes damaged floors using state-of-the-art vacuum systems that eliminate up to 90% of the dust created during sanding.
A trained and certified craftsman, Jan uses a selection of Bona brand floor sealants to achieve a wide array of colors (ranging from stark Scandinavian whites to deep, rich amber tones).
Applied with Bona’s leading floor finishes, an ultra-matte to high gloss surface sheen can be accomplished. These Greenguard Environmental Institute Certified products emit no harmful fumes, have low VOCs, and dry fast without compromising indoor air quality.
Adding No-Slip Grip & That “WOW!” Factor
Pack away those area rugs and stair treads, it’s time to let the full expanse of your wood floors shine with new formulations from Bona applied by 518 Floor Care.
For mid to high-traffic floors, kitchens, and stairs, a high-performance Bona Traffic HD® Anti-Slip finish meets the highest standards for slip resistance.
Add some extra “WOW!” in entryways with herringbone and chevron wood inlays. These intricate patterns are precisely measured to be the pride of your home, creating unique charm with staying power.
Protect your investment with 518 Floor Care, a National Wood Flooring Association member, specializing in residential wood flooring, who has also completed flooring in commercial spaces including Lola Saratoga, and educational institutions like the Troy Public Library.
Based in Round Lake and serving the Capital District, their attention to detail will transform your floor and future-proof it from all the water, pet scratches, and impromptu dance parties that threaten it in the years to come.
For more information, visit 518floorcare.com
Situated on a 60 x 150 sq. ft. lot, the refurbished property will feature a total of 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. While Caitlin and Chevy are overseeing all phases of its construction, the framing, leveling, and wall preparation is being completed by LSB Carpentry, with finishing work by DNB Custom Finishes. Gold Star Roofing built the gorgeous metal roof, and the utilities were installed by Kevin LeClair of Saratoga Plumbing and Heating, and Capital Electric. Brian Stone and Nicole Stack at Curtis Lumber assisted in material procurement and kitchen design (which includes adding the showstopping elegance of an 11’ waterfall island, dual dishwashers, and a 12’ sliding glass door to invite lots of natural light into the space).
Caitlin and Studio K’s Kennedy Flack have worked together on the interior design, adding features like a second fireplace, to create a truly grand great room; a charming coffered ceiling, to add character to the game room; and a second washer/dryer set, to accommodate the needs of a family of six.
Maximizing the potential of the property’s outdoor space, the home’s rooftop terrace will add to its value and be an ideal spot for gatherings. In this home, even the stairway gets special attention – it will be finished with an iconic Saratoga equestrian motif featuring horseshoes and pewter railings – blending the past and the future in an indelible way.
This summer, Caitlin will be sharing the essence of Saratoga, its vibrant lifestyle and culture, with a national audience as network host of the Emmy-nominated program, The American Dream TV.
To find out more, visit linktr.ee/realestatecaitsaratoga