Cherry Hardwood Floors
March 22, 2011 by Robert Mccormack
Filed under Cherry Hardwood Floors
Cherry Hardwood Floors
If you wish to add beauty and value to your home, installing hardwood floors is one eye-catching way to do just that; a beautiful, striking hardwood floor in your foyer or living room is the first thing that your guests, or prospective buyers, will notice about your home. Most installations use popular woods such as oak and maple, but many people are turning to cherry wood as an alternative.
Cherry wood has been used in the making of furniture for the past 2,500 years. It has a rich and unusual color, varying from a rich red to reddish brown, and its color darkens with age. The wood's satiny, smooth texture adds warmth and character to your living space. Some advantages of cherry floors are: they produce a smooth finish; the wood is readily available in both finished and unfinished boards; and it is easy to clean and maintain. Some disadvantages are: the color of cherry wood tends to fade; it is easily scratched by grit; and, like many other hardwoods, it can be damaged by excessive moisture.
Cherry trees are grown worldwide; American cherry is considerably softer than cherry woods from South America and elsewhere, but is still used for flooring. The heartwood of American cherry is dark to reddish brown; the sapwood is lighter and more pinkish in tone. Some manufacturers will steam the lumber, so the darker heartwood color "bleeds" into the sapwood, creating a more uniform color throughout. The grain is fine and often wavy, and uniform in texture. American cherry is strong and durable, but is usually considered too soft to cover an entire floor; usually, American cherry is used for small areas, borders, and accenting. Or you can consider it in a drawing room or parlor -- a room that gets limited traffic, where you want to create a visual impact. If you are considering American cherry, be sure your dealer knows where you intend to lay the floor, so he can provide advice as necessary.
More popular among cherry flooring is Brazilian cherry, also known as “jatoba.” Brazilian cherry is considerably harder than American cherry, and can be confidently used in any room in the house. The floorboards have an open-grained appearance similar to that of oak, but twice as hard. One interesting feature of Brazilian cherry is the dark brown or black streaks that contrast with the background color, which ranges from dark orange to reddish brown. The boards tend to darken with age -- sometimes as quickly as several months after installation -- so be sure to take this darkening effect into account.
For an interesting and complex effect, you might consider combining Brazilian and American cherry in the same floor. The main planking, particularly in high-traffic areas, should be the harder Brazilian wood, but you can install inlays of American cherry as decorative accents and highlights, producing an overall palette of warm red tones. Talk with your dealer, and play around with different patterns, but don't get too carried away; such mixtures might not work in every setting, and if in doubt, stick with the simpler solution.
Another variety of cherry wood is Bolivian cherry, which is even harder than Brazilian cherry. This Bolivian variety displays a dense reddish-brown tone with very fine graining; as with other cherries, it darkens slightly over time, the medium reddish brown becoming a deep red. One peculiarity of Bolivian cherry is that the dust from sanding can cause allergic reactions. If you are prone to allergies and planning to refinish a Bolivian cherry floor, hire outside help!
Installing a cherry wood floor follows a procedure similar to installation of other woods; because Brazilian cherry is so heavy, it requires a little extra effort, particularly cutting the pieces. As always, have your wood delivered at least a few days before installation, so the boards can acclimatize to the humidity level of your home. Also, be sure to install a layer of 15-lb. asphalt felt between the subfloor and the cherry boards; the felt will provide a moisture barrier, and will also dampen sounds.
Cherry floors are easy to clean and maintain. A simple dust mop is sufficient for most daily cleaning purposes; the grit and dirt that accumulates on any wooden floor can act like sandpaper and eat into the boards. Although your dust mop can be slightly dampened, do not wet mop the floor, as the moisture, over time, can warp the boards. If you wish to use a cleaning product, be sure to consult with your dealer or a knowledgeable salesperson, who can recommend a product that is suitable specifically for cherry floors. And get into the habit of removing your street shoes before walking on your floors; your shoes can bring in dirt and grit, which will damage your floors. Wear stockings or slippers inside your house.
Because the color of cherry floorboards can fade over time, try not to expose the boards to direct sunlight. You can install window film, which filters the light passing through; or use traditional blinds or drapes, and ensure that the drapes are drawn closed during hours of intense sunlight.
If you take proper care of your cherry floors, you and your guests will enjoy their beauty for years.
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