A Complete Hardwood Floor Service Company
National Floors specializes in hardwood floors. Our hardwood floor contractors have been operating in the Bay Area for well over a decade. Throughout the years, National floors hardwood floor contractors has transformed and upgraded thousands of homes with installation and refinishing of hardwood floors. Our hardwood floor contractors are C15 licensed, which gives us "Expert" credentials in this field. It's our goal to produce high quality craftsmanship at a reasonable price. Our reputation is very positive, with a 5 star rating throughout the years, you can bet we have pride in our work. National Floors is so confident that your floors will turn out amazing, we back it up with a "No deposit" policy. This gives our clients the comfort and confidence when hiring us. We have a wonderful way of pleasing our customers and look forward to doing business with you.
Refinishing Hardwood Floors
What to look for in a hardwood floor contractor that refinishes hardwood floors: First of all, hardwood floor sand and refinishing is our specialty. National Floors Sand and refinishes over 100 hardwood floors per year. Refinishing hardwood floors is by far, the most difficult remodel project anyone can take on. If you think you can refinish hardwood floors and get professional results, think again. Our contractors are well experienced sanding, staining and coating hardwood floors. There are many species of hardwood floors that can be sanded: Bamboo, Brazilian Cherry, Santos Mahogany, parquet flooring, Red Oak hardwood, White oak hardwood and more.
The tools that our hardwood floor contractors use is top notch. We use the best sanding machines for the flattest floors and top coat them with professional, commercial grade polyurethane for the best looking and longest lasting protection. Our goal is simple, take your old worn out hardwood floors and transform them into a "Like New" state. Our refinishing costs are very fair and with a high level of craftsmanship and a positive reputation, you can count on us.
Hardwood Floor installation | Solid Hardwood vs Engineered hardwood
National floors hardwood flooring contractors install all types of hardwood floors both solid hardwood and engineered. The differences have much to do with the species, the type of flooring and the dimensions. They all play a part in the material cost. Here is a list of some of the basic varieties you can choose from:
• Bamboo flooring both solid and prefinished
• Engineered flooring comes in prefinished and unfinished
• Oak flooring. You have a choice of red oak or white oak
• Solid flooring is the same species from top to bottom
Hardwood flooring has different types or options to choose from depending on the what type of surface you are installing on, i.e., wooden sub-floor or concrete slab. Solid flooring is intended to be nailed down onto a wooden sub-floor. Engineered hardwood is intended to be installed/glued onto a concrete slab. We have found that some contractors see engineered hardwood floor as a one shoe fits all approach and nail it down to sub-floor as well. Engineered hardwood floor is designed to block moisture from the slab and prevent the floor from buckling. Solid hardwood floor is not intended to block moisture and that is why a moisture blocking paper is used in the installation process.
The low quality engineered CANNOT be sanded and is considered a "One" time floor. In other words, once the floor is worn, it will need to be replaced and lacks the option to sand and finish to restore to a like "New" appearance. This "Cheap engineered hardwood floors" will seem like the best choice until you weigh out the consequences. You should know, that in the big picture you pay much, much more when you purchase cheap hardwood floors.
Can I sand my engineered hardwood floors? 
It depends on the thickness of the wear layer and only a qualified hardwood floor contractor can tell you. Take a look at the "Profile" picture on the right. If the wear layer thickness is equal to or thicker than that of the nickel, you can safely sand the floors.
Hardwood Floor Repair
National floors and its hardwood florring contractors can handle every type of hardwood floor repair. We can fix solid, engineered, oak flooring, etc... Most hardwood floor damage has occurred due to water damage, fire damage, termite damage or just wear and tear.
If in fact you have excessive "Water damage", please read more. There is a specific protocol that should be implemented prior to any hardwood floor repair. A typical example would be to have a water damage/restoration company come to your home and professionally dry your floor, walls, etc..If your not sure of the process, give us a call and we will run you through the steps.
Questions and Answers | Hardwood flooring projects
Q: We have a scratch going across a few boards. Can you touch this up or fix this?
A: Sorry, we don't do "Spot refinishing". The entire room must be coated in order to produce professional results and for it to match seamlessly.
Q: Is Engineered hardwood floor and laminate floor the same?
A: No, not even close. Laminate floor is cheap imitation of hardwood floor. It's a high density card board with a "Picture" of hardwood on top of it. Laminate contains NO wood whatsoever. The Engineered floor has a thin wear layer or top layer of Real Hardwood on the top of 3-5 layers of plywood (The base of the floor) to protect your floor from the moisture in the concrete slab.
Q: The cost of refinishing hardwood floors vs new floors
A: The cost of refinishing hardwood floors vs. new floors is ALWAYS fractional in comparison. Refinishing hardwood floor cost is very cheap compared to new floors.
Q: My floors scratch easy. Am I doing something wrong?
A: It's very possible. All furniture should have protective pads on the feet to prevent from scratching. It is "Always" best to lift and place furniture when you have to move it. Dragging furniture is almost a guarantee something bad, like a gouge will follow.
Q: Will polyurethane prevent my floor from denting or gauging?
A: No! Polyurethane is a protective coating intended to protect from the moderate downward force of a person walking. Polyurethane does not protect against heavy or sharp impact.
Q: Do hardwood floors dent?
A: Yes! Though some hardwoods are denser than others, no hardwood floor is impervious to denting or gauging. When enough force is applied, any hardwood floor will dent.
Q: Is there such a thing as "Scratch proof" hardwood floors?
A: No, there is no such thing as a scratch proof hardwood floor
Q: Why are my hardwood floors dull?
A: 9 times out of 10 it is because you are using a cleaner that contains chelates. Chelates are acidic that slowly dull your floor. All floor cleaners should be PH neutral for hardwood floors to avoid this. Another possibility is the cleaner you are using is leaving a film behind and that film effects the sheen. The last reason is micro scratches that occur after years of usage.
Q: How do I get my hardwood floors to shine again?
A: Cleaning more or scrubbing harder will not revive your hardwood floors once they have been damaged. Ultimately, the dullness is fine scratches that require a recoat (new coat of polyurethane) How to clean hardwood floors
Q: I'm going to paint my house, should I put craft paper and painters tape on my hardwood floors to protect them?
A: The simple answer is NO! Putting paper on the floor is okay, but when you apply painters tape to hold it down, you have a very good chance of harming the floors by pulling the finish off the hardwood floors once the tape is removed. Hardwood floor polyurethane finish is designed to withstand downward force, not have it's adhesion qualities tested in an upwards direction. There are a few times a month when we get calls because a homeowner or less experienced professional painters is naive to this rule and will experience lifting the finish off the hardwood floors with painters tape. It can be fixed, sometimes. Other times it may require the complete room to be either recoated or completely refinished. Be careful.
Q: Are some hardwood floors more resistant to denting or gauging than others?
A: Yes. Hardwood floors are density rated with the Janka scale. This scale identifies which hardwood is the softest to hardest hardwood based on its density. If you were to compare Douglas fir to Brazilian cherry, the Brazilian cherry is 4 times denser or harder. Therefore it would take much greater force to damage Brazilian cherry vs. Douglas fir. Ultimately, given the right amount of force, any hardwood floor will dent.
Q: How long does it take to refinish hardwood floors?
A: That depends entirely on the total square footage and the color of choice along with any other issues like repairs. Even the smallest job, like one bedroom would take 2 to 3 days due to the dry time of 3 coats of finish being applied.
Q: Do I have to leave my home when you are refinishing my hardwood floors?
A: It is possible to stay in your home. That all depends on the architecture of your home and the scope of work. If you have access to let's say bedrooms while the other areas of the home are being sand and finished, then yes, you can stay in your home
Q: Do you make color suggestions like an interior designer?
A: It is against company policy to make color "Decisions" for our clients.
Q: What is better, water based polyurethane or oil based polyurethane?
A: As a company, we favor oil based finish. The durability has been tested and proven over the years. There are some high quality water base finish out there, but unfortunately you can get the same quality in the high end oil base polyurethane that we typically use for a lesser price. If you are on a budget, we would suggest oil based polyurethane over water based urethane. Ultimately, you are the boss and we use whatever you deem proper.
Q: How long should hardwood floors acclimate in the home before installation?
A: According to the National Wood Floor Association, a minimum of 4-8 days.
Q: What is better, solid hardwood flooring or engineered hardwood flooring?
A: It's not always a matter of which is better, it is a matter of which is correct for your project. Engineered hardwood floor is designed to be installed on top of a concrete slab. Solid hardwood floor is designed to be installed on top of a wooden sub-floor. If you had the same quality of engineered vs. solid hardwood floor, engineered typically cost more but should last as long as solid. So it is not advisable to install engineered on top of a wooden subfloor simply because it's not cost effective.
Q: Which hardwood floor last longer; Engineered or solid hardwood?
A: Solid hardwood will typically outlast engineered floors. The life of engineered hardwood life is based on how thick the wear layer is. If you purchased a low end engineered hardwood floor, then you can bet the life of the floor will be fractional compared to that of a solid hardwood flooring. A high quality engineered floor with a 3/8" wear layer is comprable to solid.
Q: What should I know about gluing down hardwood floor?
A: First choose a glue that doesn't contain isocyanate. That chemical will etch the top coat or finish of your hardwood floors. If your messy with the installation that glue will get everywhere. No amount of cleaning will remove this etch. Secondly, you should first know that it typically cost more to remove glued down floor than it does to install it. Knowing that, make sure you purchase a quality engineered hardwood floor that will last decades.
Q: Is refinishing hardwood floors easy to do?
A: On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most difficult. It's easy to say that sand and finishing a hardwood floor is a 10. Each month we intercept projects that homeowners attempted to complete and found that they not only had the skill, but lack the work ethic to complete these types of projects. Those DYI shows never show you close ups of the disasters (chatter marks, dips, swirls, stop marks, edger marks, buffer marks, uneven staining, lap marks) the homeowners did to their own hardwood floors.
Q: When shopping for a contractor, should I choose the cheapest guy?
A: Common sense will tell you that if a contractors price is cheap, so is the quality of work. Perhaps the person is not licensed, insured or bonded. All of which is the standard for operating a hardwood floor business to insure your protection. When the cheap guy botches your job, they almost always run and disapear forever. Your ability to recover lost funds is lost. On the contrary, a contractor that is producing high quality work will not work for less because they are in High demand and have the reputation and history to prove it. We can go a step further and say that our company has a "No deposit policy". You don't pay until the work is completed.
Q: What kind of deposit is expected?
A: When you work with National Floors, there is no deposit on services rendered. When the work is completed and you are satisfied, you will pay 100% on the back end. Most contractors won't work like this, but since we specialize in hardwood floors and we are confident in our ability to make your home look amazing.
Q: How long should I expect my refinished hardwood floors to last?
A: That all depends on the occupants and the level of activity your home will experience. Let's say there are only 2 people that live in the home and they never entertain and always take their shoes off when in the house. You might be looking at a 20-40 year life. On the other hand, if you have a family of 4, with young kids, a pet(s) and entertain a few times a year, you can expect a shorter life for your floors due to the increased usage.
Q: How much does it typically cost to refinish my hardwood floors?
A: There is no exact answer because each job is unique in some way. I can give you a hypothetical: A home that has 800 square feet of hardwood floor and the customer wants it stained, the cost is approximately $5.00/square foot. To be certain, have our estimator visit your home. There is no charge or obligation for this visit.
Q: Is it cheaper to refinish hardwood floors or install carpet?
A: Believe it or not, it is almost "Always" cheaper to refinish your existing hardwood floors than it is to install new carpet.