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I have to tell you I think you will do well in the coastal area because of how fast it is growing in some towns more than others but it seems as though everyone wants hardwood floors. My mother used an interior designer (in NH) who said she hated pergo etc. because it doesn't "sound" real. Good point I thought. I'd use that in advertising! NH is great and you will love it- just try to choose a good location for your business and half your work is done already. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be very successful. I'd look into Exeter for a business location-wealthy area and great little village as well as easy to get to from all points.
There are a number of ways to "fix" squeaky floors. Many books have been written about this “problem”. Any library, bookstore or Home Despot has lots of them. It all involves tricky work but is not hard to do. I like the squeaky stairs I live with in the condo.
ca46, It could be a number of problems but here is a place to start. It sounds like the hardwood flooring nails have loosened and squeak. As the floor is walked over, the nail slide in nail hole causing the squeak. It may be possible to repair by applying screws to the underside of floor. Unless the entire floor has the same problem, have someone walk the floor above until you've located one of the squeaks from below (you may have to remove insulation). While someone applies pressure to the flooring above holding it down, another installs a screw to hold the flooring down. Continue until your happy. But, just one word of advice. Please don't use screws which are too long and exit the topside of the flooring. Your helper just may complain loudly! If the squeaks are from the sub-floor nails (nails which hold the sub-floor or plywood down against the floor joist) you may be able to determine that from below also. With a finger placed against the joist and sub-floor as someone walks over that particular spot, you may be able to feel movement between the sub-floor and the joist. Repair for this problem has a few options. Report what you find and we can take it from there.
Anybody up there need some hardwood floors? ;-) THANKS!
As others have said, there's plenty of demand for H/W floors. However, people are spending less money on houses right now because of the state of the home and mortgage markets. Probably also worth remembering that h/w floors take a beating up here with all the winter muck being trod through the entry ways, etc. Many newer houses we've looked at have wide pine plank floors, or cheaper manufactured flooring rather than more expensive solid hardwoods (I dunno if that means less margin for you). This might mean you'd want to look into offering not only new installs, but refinishing work too.
ca46, It could be a number of problems but here is a place to start. It sounds like the hardwood flooring nails have loosened and squeak. As the floor is walked over, the nail slide in nail hole causing the squeak. It may be possible to repair by applying screws to the underside of floor. Unless the entire floor has the same problem, have someone walk the floor above until you've located one of the squeaks from below (you may have to remove insulation). While someone applies pressure to the flooring above holding it down, another installs a screw to hold the flooring down. Continue until your happy. But, just one word of advice. Please don't use screws which are too long and exit the topside of the flooring. Your helper just may complain loudly! If the squeaks are from the sub-floor nails (nails which hold the sub-floor or plywood down against the floor joist) you may be able to determine that from below also. With a finger placed against the joist and sub-floor as someone walks over that particular spot, you may be able to feel movement between the sub-floor and the joist. Repair for this problem has a few options. Report what you find and we can take it from there.
Thank you ever so much for the info......will give it a try
CG
hi check out bob villa this old home. I saw him do a show on this problem in MA
it did not look too hard, however you needed to know what you were doing. Go to
that web site and do a search. When i live up north we covered the hardwood with
carpet, why sand dogs etc. oh and the snow. we also learned to take off our shoes.
Pre-finished & Un-finished Floors, What's Up With These?
A really good friend of mine is having the pre-finished hardwood floors installed this coming week in her condo. She had them installed in 2 of her bedrooms a while ago and they came out absolutely awesome. So hopefully these guys installing them this week are able to match the color of them and that they blend right out to the living room with the new ones.
A lot of competition the further south you go from New Hampshire to the Boston area for the pre-finished hardwood floors. YES, they are extremely popular and they are amazing looking. This friend of mine is getting a group of vietnamese guys to install them. She was on a waiting list for months, due to the fact these guys are perfectionist installing them. So once you get a reputation with installing them, look out, you're going to be in demand like you wouldn't believe, especially if your charges are reasonable and installation is to a "T' perfect.
I actually don't know the difference in them, or I shouldn't say that, I can tell the difference right away, but what I mean is, what's up with this pre-finished hardwood flooring? What was used before they came out with these? Unfinished or something? I probably sound like a ditz, but why call them pre-finished if most of them are any way? Can some one answer that question for me, for down the road when I install them myself! It also might help the business owners to educate their consumers!
CityGirl52,
Prior to the newer "pre-finished" hardwood flooring coming to market, hardwood flooring was made via the use of solid hardwood boards. True hardwood flooring is made from solid boards milled with a thickness of 5/8 to 3/4 inches and cut to 2 to 6 inches wide. They are install by nailing directly into the sub-floor and usually require sanding, staining if desired, and finished with three or more coats of a polyurethane finish.
Although this solid flooring can be purchased pre-finished also, most of the pre-finished flooring you see installed today is a veneer type flooring with a thickness of 1/4 of an inch or so. They can be glued down, nailed, or laid dry with fastening around the edges. The product can be produced like plywood with various layers and, normally, only the top layer is the type of wood ordered such as oak or maple.
This plywood type flooring is now "pre-finished at the factory to save time during installation. Pre-finished flooring can be manufactured differently using different materials other than I have stated but, this is basically the differences in the flooring,to try to answer your question.
I see there is a poster who installs hardwood flooring here on the board recently. Perhaps he/she can expand on my explanation for you.
Thank you so much for your quick response back. That answers my question about the pre-finished floors very much.
I always used to wonder what the difference was. The house that my family and I lived in in Boston, had the most beautiful hardwood floors in it that we ever saw. My mother said they were there for years since the late 30's and they survived all through those years that we lived there and even today to this day, they're still stunning. They're in the bedrooms and living room and we always say that we never see floors like that any more. So that's definitely the reason why. It's amazing what they can do now a days. The pre-finished floors are still amazing and better all around to install and to have now just the same.
Thanks again for your post, I appreciate it immensely!
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Pre-finished & Un-finished Floors, What's Up With These?
