BELLAWOOD Engineered  1/2" x 5" Select Brazilian Koa Engineered

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All of our flooring products are designed to be installed in climate controlled environment.
Being a natural product it will be subject to the effects of temperature and humidity. If proper heat and humidity levels are not maintained your flooring may shift, shrink, expand, gap or buckle. Thank you for your inquiry.

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All wood products are affected by environmental conditions, especially prefinished materials.
To control wood movement- expansion or shrinkage- it is recommended to acclimate the new flooring in the areas to be installed, not in (garages, U-Haul trailers, sheds, or tents) to normal lived-in conditions while in the boxes. If the products are protected in plastic then open the ends of the boxes. Length of time is not the determining factor. The goal of acclimation is for the core of the product to reach an equilibrium or moisture balance of the new flooring with its surroundings before installation or fastening. This balance could be achieved in as little as 1 to 5 days, or longer for some dense or oily exotic species.

Avoid shocking the floor.
Just like you, wood actually performs best with consistent indoor temperatures of 60°-80° F and indoor humidity levels of 30% - 50%. Very dry or humid regions of the country usually require extended conditioning. Maintaining the recommended acclimation levels even after the installation should be viewed as ongoing floor care. Your doing so will help to minimize board movement, excessive squeaks, finish cracking and gaps.

Hygrometers sold in most Target and Wal-Mart stores ($10-$45) can be used to easily identify the need to regulate the humidity or air moisture.
In addition, to prevent board warping or bowing, do not cut the plastic support bindings on the outside of the packaging until ready to install. Store products flat, in a dry place. Provide air flow under and around cartons. Do not store directly on bare concrete or next to outside walls. Cartons should be placed as close to the center of the installation area as possible.

Proper jobsite conditions, acclimation and moisture testing of the subfloor along with the new flooring all works together for the success of the installation and is the responsibility of those overseeing the project.

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These are random lengths up to 84".

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All pre-finished flooring requires a micro-bevel. Only unfinished flooring has square edges that require site sanding and finishing.

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For general cleaning a swiffer type system works best. Not one that sprays the floor however. Lightly damp is fine but never soak or flood mop your floor. Do not use steam mops. Have a no shoes policy as much as possible. Use felt pads on all furniture. Sweep often.

Bellawood Cleaner works well, find here - http://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/s/flooring-molding-tools-accessories/floor-care-products

In addition, Bona Kemi makes good and safe hardwood flooring cleaner.

Do not use oil-type cleaner of any kind.

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Underlayment is not required for a direct glue product (hopefully you will never have to replace this 100 year warrantied product).
You could install this flloring in a floating application.
You can find complete installation instructions on the product page by clicking on the specs tab and then clicking on - Installation Guide.pdf
Thank you for writing in.

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Thank you for writing in! I would be glad to help you with your questions.
You can contact me directly:
Mark
Technical & Installation Specialist
Office (800)-366-4204 ext. 4857
My work hours are 9AM to 6PM Eastern Standard Time

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Full refinishing will take slightly under a 1/32” off the veneer of the wood flooring. The thickness of the veneer and how much wear and dents a floor has will determine how many times it can be refinished. Solid hardwood that is ¾” thick may be refinished 4 to 7 or more times depending on how much wood was taken off on each refinishing. Low profile solid wood flooring like 5/16” thick flooring may be able to be refinished twice if the flooring is in good shape. Engineered flooring with a 1/8” wear layer or more will be able to be refinished at least once. If the engineered product has a 1/16” wear layer a professional sander may be able to refinish it, but many won’t take the chance in case they make a mistake and take too much off the wear layer. We recommend that hardwood floor refinishing be done by a professional and if your not sure if you can refinish your flooring have professional sand and finish expert come to your home and evaluate your flooring. Thank you for your inquiry

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Thank you for writing in! I would be glad to help you with your questions.
You can contact me directly:
Mark
Technical & Installation Specialist
Office (800)-366-4204 ext. 4857
My work hours are 10AM to 7PM Eastern Standard Time

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Any engineered flooring can not be ranked on the Janka scale due to the core of the board not being the same species of wood as the wear layer therefore, giving it a false test rating. The Janka or hardness rating of a solid Koa is 2160 or 43% harder than solid Red Oak

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Bellawood Engineered Hardwood Floors feature a multi-ply cross-layered wood core and thick 3.5 mm solid, dry-sawn top layer.
3.5 mm is equal to 5/64 (just shy of 1/8')