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wood flooring finish

Home - wood flooring finish

14 Apr

Dog Friendly

Finish and Install, Misconceptions, Misdirections and Misinformation

2024 Dog Friendly Floors Update

Dog friendly floors are all about the finish. Of course, you will here that real wood is not good for big dogs or even dogs in general. This is simply not true, at all. However, before we talk about the finish, we should address the question of Southern Pine and if it is a dog friendly floor.  There is so much confusion regarding pine because there are so many variations of this versatile and durable species. First and foremost, not all pine is created equal. Dimensional lumber (2×4) and New Heart Pine are not from the same species, or age of pine but unfortunately this is not common knowledge.

dog friendly floors from syp direct owner and dog

Dog Friendly floors need dog friendly people; while the content below is about dog friendly floors, the aim is to introduce CARA and two special dogs. Our company, and the writer believe passionately about the work the employees and volunteers do at CARA as well as other No Kill Shelters. If you can help you local shelter, we urge you to do so. Every little bit helps, from blankets to kitty litter. Beware of visits, you might find one hard to leave, we sure did.

Community Animal Rescue and Adoption

Community Animal Rescue and Adoption of Jackson Mississippi, or CARA is one of 4000 No Kill Shelters in the United States. A community shelter is considered no-kill when every brick-and-mortar shelter serving and/or located in that community has reached a ‘save rate’ of 90% or higher. Estimates put the total number of entities deemed animal rescue groups with or without brick and mortar over 14,000. Those numbers were eye opening when you put them into the context of the total number of animals involved. For more information search your local animal shelter or visit CARA of Jackson and adopt a new best friend.  

Our reasons to support CARA

Tank- What is he is usually the first question when inquiring about Tank. Our answer or guess, Tank is a Plott Hound or at least part one. The AKC tells us that the breed is “noted for stamina, endurance, agility, determination and aggressiveness when hunting” which Tank does very little of today unless he losses a dog treat. Tank was adopted and then returned to CARA by the owners which is heart breaking. He was love at first sight, we brought him home in 2013 where he remained an only child until 2016 and the Moo arrived.

One the best dog friendly floors and finsh

Thank you CARA

Ellie
Ellie "Moo"

Ellie Moo – After being saved from the city animal shelter by a dedicated employee Ellie spent almost two years in CARA. When she arrived her hair patchy and her neck marked from the chain, there was not much hope of adoption. If you did not realize, Ellie is a pit bull and in some places illegal to own. Our assertion has always been that the problem lies with the breeders and owners not the dogs, Ellie Moo was just confirmation. Today her life is much different,  she has custom dog bed a big yard, daily walks and her buddy Tank. In case you wonder Ellie Mae became Ellie Moo, now really just the Moo for her close friends.

 

The finish is 10x more important than the type of floor, all woods scratches and scuffs with kids and dogs. For the DIY, ease of repair is my first choice followed by ease of application which includes time.

Dog Friendly floors

In the days when everything was toxic, the term dog friendly meant sap and knots, character for lack of better word because this allows scratches to be easily hidden. Today dog friendly can be about the allergens or aluminum dust, but good or bad the that terminology is everywhere. So, to be clear we are talking about the best finishes hiding and or fixing damages and we have a 100% zero VOC option, too.

A dog will be a dog- so dog friendly includes being easy to fix

Any UV coated finish can protect against normal (not large) dog wear and tear. The problem occurs when fixing an issue is necessary. As far as we know, only Monocoat by Rubio allows to “topically repair only the affected area” and better yet there is no sanding or ripping out entire rooms because of an entryway. It is no secret that Monocoat is our favorite DIY finish product for a number of reasons, including a true zero VOC product that requires ‘one coat’.

Homemade Scratch Repair- Olive oil and vinegar

Mix equal parts water and Vinegar which creates a natural wood filler perfect for tiny scratches. Mix the solution together & apply to with a clean rag, done.

Lemon juice and oil. Mix together equal parts fresh lemon juice and oil—canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil would all work. Apply to the scratch with a microfiber cloth, being sure to wipe in the direction of the wood grain, done.

Walnuts or Brazil Nuts. The natural oils Simply rub the nut over the scratch and let the natural oils fill in the dent. Because of their texture, walnuts and Brazil nuts work the best.  We have no 1st hand knowledge; however, trusted sources swear by this one. 

 

IN A HURRY- TEXT much faster 601 826 1296
Text us now 601 826 1296
Southern Yellow Pine Direct offer homeowners the reliability of an A+ rated BBB company; the best quality, pricing and service bar none. We operate under an "old school" philosophy that the customer is always right. We make sure you are just that by educating and dispelling myths about Southern Pine and Heart Pine flooring.
Remember we are a mill to order manufacturer of unfinished and prefinished Southern Pine, including our speciality Heart Pine. Our lead times are normally about two weeks, with Hardwoods and Imports the lead times vary and that is an understatement. 2 days -2 months has bee the answer since COVID. But things are imporving, as White Oak prices continue to fall. (Jason Howard 9/9/2022)
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Southern Pine Durability
02 Apr

Southern Pine Durability

Misconceptions, Misdirections and Misinformation, Wood Floor Shopping

Southern Pine durability should not have to be in question, look around and find out the price for reclaimed heart pine, locally. Southern Pine handles moisture and temperature changes better than most species, we build decks and docks out of it!

Southern Pine Durability is legendary.

You have probably seen the evidence of Southern Pine durability, such as Antique Reclaimed Heart Pine. Ever seen a 100-year-old house with pine floors? What about the price and beauty of Antique Reclaimed Heart Pine. Think about it, Antique Oak looks a lot like new oak in that, unlike pine, it does not get better looking with age. Southern Pine purchased today will outlive the house, only to be reclaimed one day and sold for triple today’s price. From an investment standpoint, that ain’t bad.

Southern Pine Durability is the reason we build everything with it!

Is pine would too be soft to be a floor? Are you asking if pine is durable? I guess so I just hear a lot about pine denting and scratching very easily. That really depends more so up on the finish than it does the wood unless you are talking about something extremely hard like Walnut. But the thing about mature pine, the character and color variations hide the imperfections. It’s part of its appeal, without a doubt, the ease of finish and ease of fixing kid tracks.

Southern Pine durability

Is pine to soft?

The Janka Hardness of Caribbean Heart pine is 1280, Heart Pine 1250 and Southern Yellow Pine 690. Now those numbers, two of them anyway are very misleading. The 690 score of Southern Yellow Pine takes in all the species (11) within, what is, really a description and not a species. Time, climate, and time; that is what makes pine hard durable and gorgeous. Buyer beware. Ask the question; “does your 50% heart content ad mean 50% or better, 50% is max or does it mean, and this is happening today that 50% of the boards will have heart content.

Pinterest

Janka Rating & Southern Pine Durability

If you are measuring Southern Pine durability remember not all pine is created equal, furthermore, the durability doesn’t depend on the Janka Rating. And this rating only rates Yellow Pine, i.e., Southern Yellow Pine, not the (standalone) species. A dozen species make up the description, Southern Yellow Pine. And for the record, Eastern White Pine is not one of them. Durability is about handling stress such as temperature and humidity, moisture is the killer for wood floors.

Moisture and wood flooring

Moisture and wood are not friends. However, real wood flooring can go through a flood and dry out, the same cannot be said for laminate or LVT. Forget about this “waterproof” term you see when shopping at boxes and liquidation stores. Waterproof, really, it is proof not resistant?  Real wood with the right finish creates longevity and durability only ‘engineered by mother nature. For the record and to repeat again, Southern Pine, on the microscopic level, is more porous than most hardwoods which allows moisture to “come and go” without swelling, for example.

Engineered floors opposite of durable

Does anyone remember when the words engineered and flooring were put together? Probably not, but engineered flooring has long been a product, or bi product of solid wood or prefinished solid wood. Originally, it was the veneers or leftovers that mill works shops used to create engineered flooring. Today, it is the direct opposite in our industry. Crazy warranties claim to be waterproof and have fueled the single use floor cover craze. We ship of timber to Asia which returns as slivers, furthermore all of it ends up in a landfill.

Southern Pine durability and the finish

What is the best finish for your pine floors? The question was asked so often early on we decided we needed to test them all, or it seemed like it. We love clear and simple, but if you need color – go Monocoat and you cannot go wrong. We keep it simple, Monocoat by Rubio. Directions, sand, apply, dry.  Beware of local installers who claim to be pine professionals, in Maine for example. No offense ME, and shout out to clients but you guys are not a hot bed of Southern Yellow Pine experts. The best pine finish for you may not be the same as mine! What are our goals? Protection, maintaining finish, aesthetics or all of the above, of course we want it all. Monocoat has won our loyalty not exclusively but when you “gotta pick one sizes fits all”.

IN A HURRY- TEXT much faster 601 826 1296
Text us now 601 826 1296
Southern Yellow Pine Direct offer homeowners the reliability of an A+ rated BBB company; the best quality, pricing and service bar none. We operate under an "old school" philosophy that the customer is always right. We make sure you are just that by educating and dispelling myths about Southern Pine and Heart Pine flooring.
Remember we are a mill to order manufacturer of unfinished and prefinished Southern Pine, including our speciality Heart Pine. Our lead times are normally about two weeks, with Hardwoods and Imports the lead times vary and that is an understatement. 2 days -2 months has bee the answer since COVID. But things are imporving, as White Oak prices continue to fall. (Jason Howard 9/9/2022)
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Milk paint blended tung oil finish on southern pine
17 Jun

Tung Oil Finish

Finish and Install

Southern Pine handles moisture better than hardwoods making it more durableTung Oil and Tung Oil blends such as Milk Paint make the short list of our best pine floor finish products. Pure Tung oil has been trusted for thousands of years as a water-resistant wood finish. Ships used Tung Oil because of the ease of repair, yes ships on water. We realize you thought boats had Vinyl or Engineered hulls because the way each handles water but no, all real wood finished with natural oils. Tung oil is FDA approved as food safe, butcher blocks, and cutting boards where it again encounters water.

 

Pure Tung Oil Finish

Tung oil or China wood oil is a drying oil obtained by pressing the seed from the nut of the Tung tree (Vernicia fordii). The oil and its use are believed to have originated in ancient China and appear in the writings of Confucius from about 400 BC. Not that we are directing you away from this thousand-year-old 100% natural product, but it takes a serious commitment. Regular reapplication is a must—once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year ever after,” as the saying goes. The results can be gorgeous, as long as you have the necessary patience.

 

Pine and Tung Oil

 But what about Tung Oil and Southern Pine? Every single finish, customer project using oils looks amazing, it is about time certainly not the protection. After drying time, this oil finish forms a protective final coat over top of the surface to which it’s been applied. As for Southern Pine and Heart Pine our experience has been with blends or additive products, such as Milk Paint. However, as long as you are using 50% or greater Tung Oil you can get that amazing protection which looks great on pine.

 

Milk Paint Tung Oil and Mineral spirits finish from our customer shows the colors you get with Tung Oil FinishPenetrating oil look  & ‘Green’

Why do we love it? Two reasons; Unlike almost everything else imported from China, Tung Oil is ‘Green’. And Tung oil “makes pine pop”. Nothing deepens the contrast and colors of our #2 Knotty Pine more perfectly.  Oils period, and certainly Tung Oil (s) have many detractors, but they make some gorgeous floors. And by detractors we mean installation professionals. Most are not keen to 4-5 coats and 2-day cure with sanding in between. SYP Direct can help you with that problem, find out more.

About SYP Direct

What about SYP Direct makes us so unique? Southern Yellow Pine Direct aka SYP Direct is the only true online pine flooring mill. Furthermore, Our mill partnership (s) allows us to manufacture using custom specifications aka milled to specs or milled to order. Milled to order is a really big deal. How so? Nothing is sitting around on a shelf waiting to be. matched with another run, weeks later. Every board of your floor comes from the same timber milled at the same time; we have no inventory. Milled to order and direct from the mill floor eliminates the retailer with all their overhead.

Prefinished New Heart Pine

Bona Natural Traffic

Prefinished 1 x 8 x 12’ (3/4 x 7” x 12’) t/g ends matched with micro bevel 2-10’-end matched; Mill Run Longleaf New Heart Pine- 5800 available – contact Jason 888 286 20 57

IN A HURRY- TEXT much faster 601 826 1296
Text us now 601 826 1296
Southern Yellow Pine Direct offer homeowners the reliability of an A+ rated BBB company; the best quality, pricing and service bar none. We operate under an "old school" philosophy that the customer is always right. We make sure you are just that by educating and dispelling myths about Southern Pine and Heart Pine flooring.
Remember we are a mill to order manufacturer of unfinished and prefinished Southern Pine, including our speciality Heart Pine. Our lead times are normally about two weeks, with Hardwoods and Imports the lead times vary and that is an understatement. 2 days -2 months has bee the answer since COVID. But things are imporving, as White Oak prices continue to fall. (Jason Howard 9/9/2022)
Read More
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