Where can I see the woods available for flooring?

Visit us at 81st & Memorial (the southeast corner, in the Echelon Shopping Center) in Tulsa. Our hours are 9-6, Monday through Friday, and 10-5 on Saturday. We recommend you visit because wood floor samples will not give you a true appreciation for a wood's look in large areas. Our showroom offers multiple large areas of hardwoods, from large planks to small-width strips, in a variety of colors and styles. This will give you a better appreciation of how a hardwood really looks as flooring.

Which woods are the hardest? The softest?

Hardness is the measure of a wood's ability to withstand wear and tear, dents (from high heels or falling objects, for example), and long-term loads (from chair and table legs, for example). Typical hardwoods are Hickory, Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Ebony, Brazilian Rosewood, Brazilian Walnut, Golden Teak, and Santos Mahogany. Typical softer woods are American Cherry, American Walnut, and White Oak.

A visit to the Superior Wood Floors showroom will give you a good idea of what the various hardwoods are, and the staff will answer your questions regarding your available choices. Stability and hardness are very closely related. Read the next question about stability for more information

What about stability in wood floors? How will Oklahoma humidity affect it?

Wood stability refers to how a wood floor contracts or expands depending on ambient humidity. Higher stability woods are typically American Cherry, Australian Cypress, Bloodwood, a number of Brazilian hardwoods, and Santos Mahogany

A visit to the Superior Wood Floors showroom and discussions with the staff will help you determine what woods offer good stability, depending on the location in the home. Stability and hardness are very closely related. Read the above question about hardness and softness of woods for more information.

How long will my wood floor last?

Superior Wood Floors has done repair work on homes in the Tulsa area in which the floor was laid as long as a hundred years ago! Bella Wood, for example, offers a 50 year warranty.

How does wood flooring compare to tile? To carpet?

Wood flooring is comparable in cost to tiles, and wood floor laminates are less than the cost of tiling! Also, temperatures between wood floors and tiled floors are different. Wood floors layered with vapor barriers are as warm as the room during winter. Tiles are not.

Wood floors outlast carpets, and they offer additional benefits for the extra investment. The first is the durability of a wood floor. A wood floor can outlive your family! Wood floors also offer benefits to those with allergies and respiratory problems. Wood floors are easier to keep clean than carpets, and can be more thoroughly cleaned. Wood floors trap less pollen, dust mites, dust, and mold than carpets do.

What are my installation options?

There are three major types: floating, glue-down and nail-down. Floating is laying wood flooring by buttressing strips together, or using a rolling system like Click xpress® from Balterio.

Glue-down is what it sounds like: wood planks are glued down to the base.

Nail-down installation uses staples or nails to affix the wood flooring to a base material (often between it and the concrete sub-flooring). Nail-down provides the best protection from moisture and helps ensure a wood floor with a longer life.

Superior Wood Floors uses nail-down primarily, but let's be clear: there is no right way for every situation. Depending on the location, the wood, and the sub-flooring, Superior will install for the best results.

What do I need to do to prepare for installation from Superior Wood Floors?

If no sanding or finishing is required, very little, really. You'll be able to walk across the floor as it is being built. Furniture can be moved and adjusted as needed.

If sanding or finishing is required as part of your installation, then all the furniture in the room will need to be removed. But there will be NO sawdust clouding your home, remaining for you to clean up after installation!

Superior Wood Floors is the ONLY service in the Tulsa area to use an Atomic Dust Collecting system. We've invested a considerable amount of money to ensure that all the dust and fumes from sanding and finishing are sucked up immediately!

How do I clean a wood floor?

The first time, remove any remaining dust, etc. with a vacuum cleaner or a soft brush, cleaning the floor with a dry dust cloth. Then use a damp cloth to clean it again.

For daily or weekly cleaning, and depending on the type of wood used, use a sponge mop with soft soap and warm water. For dry mopping, use a swifter dust mop.