Wood flooring has been a wonderful floor covering for many years, but has enjoyed especially good growth in the last 10-15 years.
Areas of the home, which in past decades have been carpeted, are now being covered with beautiful wood flooring, available in more species than ever before and arriving from the factory with hearty polyurethane finishes that last for years and years. As Shirley Pai Hilton of Kahala Pacific Floors tells us, one of the best places in the home for wood flooring is your staircase.
It is amazing the wear and tear that carpeting on stairs takes.When you stop to think about it, you have such a large concentration of traffic on a small area, and the next time you take the stairs, stop to feel just how much hoisting of your body weight and grinding that you do as you go up those steps.
Contrary to what some folks think, having a hard surface on your stairs does not present a hazardous situation. Most accidents on stairs are caused by rushing, tripping on something on the stairs or running up and down with socks on.
The main advantages that wood on stairs gives you are durability and ease of maintenance. Even after many years of daily use, a well-done set of stairs will look as beautiful as the day it was put in. And if you have ever had a carpeted set of stairs, you know how much trouble vacuuming them can be.
With wood, all you will need is a good wood cleaner and a microfiber rag. Each step will be clean in a matter of seconds. There are two main methods for doing stairs.
One involves using a molding on the front edge of the step, called a stairnosing. This piece is coupled with flooring for the balance of the tread and up the riser, with some folks opting for a white riser made of melamine covered board or a finish quality plywood.
The other method involves using a stair tread, which consists of one big piece of wood with a rounded edge that is placed over the entire tread or flat area. This is coupled with a one piece riser in the same wood or, again, sometimes in white.
Excellent information, such as the above, is covered at Kahala Pacific Floors’ monthly seminar, Wood and Stone Flooring 101. You will receive an excellent basic education on wood, bamboo, laminate, vinyl and tile flooring, and attendees will receive special private sale pricing on materials and installation.
The next class will be held Saturday, July 19 at 10 a.m. Please call 847-7711 to reserve your seat today.
KAHALA PACIFIC FLOORS
contact // 847-7711
address // 926 Kohou St.
web // www.kahalafloors.com
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