2. Choose the right cleaner. Hardwood, like many natural surfaces, can become affected or even damaged by the wrong cleaning ...

Engineered hardwood floors last between 20 and 30 years, depending on the quality of the flooring, the amount of traffic it’s exposed to, and how well it’s maintained. Generally, a floor with ...

Learn about flooring types and features, plus how to save on the best flooring for your home. And learn how CR tests flooring in its not-for-profit labs.

Most hardwood floors today have a finishing coat of clear polyurethane. “Polyurethane essentially sits on top of the wood,” protecting it from moisture, wear and staining, Mr. Hammel said.

(Image credit: Shutterstock) 4. Now that your floors are clear of debris, next come the mop and bucket.Once again, a microfiber head design is recommended. You will need to use a hard-floor ...

Hardwood Floors Follow Trees’ Natural Shape, Getting More From Less Bolefloor offers floorboards, cut using custom algorithms, that follow the natural warp and weft of trees. BY John Pavlus 1 ...

Repeating patterns. Even the most expensive laminate will only have a limited number of “patterns” giving it that wood-grain look. Examine a few planks closely and look for repeating features.

Fortunately, you can fix minor types of hardwood damage yourself, using these simple tools and natural, Stuff happens. If you have beautiful wood floors, ...