We continue our hardwood floor refinishing series. We dive into the nitty gritty of belt sanding. This can be intimidating to anyone who doesn't have experience with heavy machinery. A lot can go wrong here if you aren't careful, so we recommend paying extra attention before you begin anything.

We continue our ongoing series which details just what you need to know if you want to refinish your hardwood floors. This week we're covering everything you need to know about sandpaper and wood scrapers.

Hardwood floor refinishing can be challenging, but it most definitely can be taught. We learned the nuances of our craft over years and we can safely say that experience is something that you can't teach. Hardwood floor refinishing is very much an art. We'd like to let you behind the curtain as we begin a multi-part series that details the ins and outs of hardwood floor refinishing. Look for the other parts of this series to come out in the coming weeks.

It's already April and we think that we've had long enough to see a couple trends happening already happening in 2016. Hardwood floors are all about style. The right shade of stain can make or break a room for years to come. Because hardwood floor refinishing is a labor intensive process, you don't have very many opportunities to try different things. That's why we typically recommend going a little conservative with any color choices you make for your hardwood floors. That said, here are two looks that nearly every customer is asking for.

Hardwood flooring in a kitchen has always been one of the those topics that gets people riled up. There are some people who really don't think the kitchen is a place for hardwood floors while there are others who think the kitchen is the perfect home for hardwood floors. As with most things, it comes down to the type of person you are and what kind of living situation you are in. 

Hardwood floors and families are like two peas in a pod. We've seen all kinds of families with hardwood floors, and we've yet to see an instance where hardwood floors were a bad idea. From families with toddlers to families with pets, hardwood floors are a great idea for any family.

There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the topic of hardwood floors. It's natural for half-truths to form around a topic like hardwood floors because it's not something that most homeowners deal with a lot. By that, we mean that most homeowners seek out professional help when they need some work done to their hardwood floors. When we talk to our customers for the first time, a lot of the same types of myths come up. We'd like to mention some of them in the hopes that you can avoid falling in some of the most common traps.

Homeowners will often have a choice between hardwood floors and carpet at some point during their ownership. Carpet and hardwood floors are two very different products that can completely change the look and feel of a home. We think there are a few things you should know before you make a decision.

A lot of our customers have pets. It's a common thing in the United States. We even have pets ourselves! Unfortunately, pets and hardwood floors don't necessarily mix well. To be more specific, we're talking about urine stains from pets. It doesn't seem like it would be a huge deal, but it could wreak havoc on your hardwood floors. Read after the break to see why.

It's been a special week at Plus Hardwood Flooring. We are official members of the NWFA. The National Wood Flooring Association is an incredible organization dedicated to making sure that hardwood floor companies across the country maintain a level of excellence that is respected by the best that the hardwood flooring community has to offer. 

At Plus Hardwood Flooring, we take hardwood floors very seriously as you can imagine. Feel free to look at some of our past work to see what we mean. We love what we do and we love doing this work for our customers. We often have our customers remark on how enthusiastic we are about hardwood floors, and we tell them that we're only like this because we know that we're some of the top professionals in the Chicago area. We're giving you some reasons to consider refinishing or installing new hardwood floors this year.

This week, we continue our hardwood flooring profiles series with a new wood - ash. We like working with Ash because it's not something that is very common in the Midwest when it comes to hardwood floors. Part of this is simply because people don't know much about this wood. We can assure you that it's a great and we'd love to tell you why.

It's bitterly cold out there, but we all know that Spring is going to be here before we all know it. This could very well be the year that you finally do the hardwood floors you've been meaning to do for years now. Why not knock two birds out with one stone and get your floors done as well at clean the entire house?

Maple is a personal favorite of ours. Maple can be stained in various colors that are going to impress any guests you have in your home. We love Maple for its hardness and durability. We have it in our own homes and can wholeheartedly recommend it to any one of our customers.

Sometimes, it's our job to come into a home and fix a problem that we didn't cause. This happens all the time because unfortunately, many professionals in the industry simply don't have the skills that they advertise. It always pains us to see a homeowner wasting their precious time with someone who clearly isn't a professional, but that's the way this industry works. Read on if you'd like to make sure that this doesn't happen to you.

It may be cold outside, but we all know that spring is going to be here before you know it. With Spring comes a Summer that gets here before we know it. Now is the time to start making plans for any home improvement that you've been putting off for years. Home improvement is daunting for nearly everyone. Do your research and start now if you plan on doing anything construction related in your home this year.

This week, we're going to be focusing on maple hardwood floors. Maple has a very distinct elegance to it that immediately attracts homeowners that are looking to add a level of seriousness to their space. We love working with maple as it is a "regal" wood. It definitely has a richness and fullness that you're hard pressed to find in any other type of wood.

Bamboo is wood that many people are familiar with, but they forget about how it looks on a floor. In recent years, bamboo floors have gained traction in the market and they are now a major seller with those seeking to create modern looks for their homes. We find bamboo to be a particularly fascinating wood choice which has obvious upsides as well as downsides. Read on to see what we're talking about.

The Plus Hardwood Flooring Facebook page is so incredibly close to acquiring 500 likes! It's been a long journey, but we're incredibly proud to have this many fans on Facebook. It wasn't too long ago that it would be normal for most small business to not have any online presence. The times have changed inconceivably over the past decade. Everyone is expected to have a website and some social media presence. We accepted the challenge and we're proud of what we've built.

It's that time of year again. News Years Eve is just around the corner and we hope that you have your plans set already. Millions of Americans host partied in their homes every year. We'd like to give you some ideas when it comes to keeping your hardwood floors clean this year.