If you are planning on moving or doing some redesigning in your home where you have to move big pieces of furniture, this is a blog article for you. While we are a hardwood flooring company, we know that how you move your furniture will effect how your wood floors fare during the move.

Your hardwood flooring is an investment, so you want to make sure you are taking the best care of them. Scratches from moving furniture can be really frustrating. Within a few seconds you could make a mistake that damages your floors, and this can easily be avoided by taking into consideration some of these tips.

1. Don’t Do This Solo. Get Some Help.
I know it is very easy to get impatient and want to go ahead and move furniture without help, but, for the sake of your floors, don’t! It is best to get some help to ensure the move goes smoothly. Ask a friend or family member to help. Often times we think we have gotten everything handled and then in a split second you may realize you don’t and if you have people around it is much easier to avoid any havoc from happening.

2. Take Off The Extra Weight.
If you are moving anything with drawers are glass in it, go ahead and take it apart. The less weight the better. If you can take it a part, then go ahead and remove all the pieces. This will put less pressure as you are moving it and help to avoid scratches and putting unnecessary weight on the wood.

3. Never Drag Your Furniture.
I know this is the third point here, but this is the number one tip: NEVER DRAG! Dragging the furniture on the bare floor will cause scratches and is never a good idea. If you can’t pick it up, go back to point number one and get some help. It is better to pay for help then pay to have your wood floors redone.

4. Use Some Padding.
If the pieces of furniture is too heavy to carry off the floor, then you can put some padding on the floor so that it can glide on the floor. In this case you need to make sure you have enough padding and that you move slow. You can buy gliders that are designed to help with moving big furniture pieces. If you don’t have those on hand, you can use towels or cardboard. You just need to make sure that there is enough padding between the furniture and the floor.

If you do move furniture and ended up with some scratches, you can reach out to Atlanta Hardwood Flooring & Cabinetry. We can give you the best advice on how to proceed and what would be necessary in order to restore your floors.

Today on the blog we wanted to highlight some of our custom storage solutions and furniture pieces. Your home is your unique space and so we love to walk alongside you and create a custom storage solution that will be personally and uniquely yours.

We have worked on custom storage solutions for every room of the house. When you contact us for a consultation we’ll work with you to understand the needs and dimensions that you are looking for. We’ll draw up a solution and work with you to produce a custom piece that is both functional and aesthetically beautiful. ​

Are you thinking of doing a kitchen remodel soon? If you are, you’ll want to make sure you plan your remodel out to keep from making mistakes that will cost you and keep you from the kitchen you desire. You’ll need to plan out the order in which to get your kitchen done because this will effect how your kitchen turns out. Make sure you consult with experts to ensure that your kitchen remodel leaves you with a kitchen you love rather than a headache.

If you are looking at putting in hardwood flooring and getting new cabinets as part of the kitchen remodel you’ll want to plan on installing them in the best order. If you are planning on installing hardwood floors then most often it is best to put your flooring in FIRST, prior to putting in your cabinets. There are several reasons for this.

1. Hardwood Floors will effect the hight of your cabinets.
If you are looking specifically to get hardwood floors installed in your kitchen, this will effect the hight measurements of your cabinets. It is important to have 36 inches of hight in your cabinets in order to allow for appliances. If you get the hight wrong on your cabinets then it will cause you some trouble. Putting cabinets in prior to getting your floors done may keep you from getting the flooring you want. You may have to go with different flooring if you did not leave enough room.

2. Will allow for a cleaner look
Having your hardwood floors done before hand will allow for the floors to roll seamlessly in your kitchen. This will keep you from having to have quarter rounds installed. Quarter rounds are base modeling that covers up the edge of the wood planks as it comes up to the edge of the cabinets.

3. Will allow for changes in cabinets in future
Styles of cabinets come in and out of season, but hardwood floors last a long time. You’ll want to change your cabinets long before you’ll need to get new hardwood floors and if you put your cabinets in prior to your hardwood floors then you will be stuck with the cabinet pattern of your current cabinets for future changes since the flooring was built around that pattern.

For several reasons, on the whole, it is often better to have your hardwood floors done prior to having your cabinets installed. It is always good to get a consultation with an expert on your exact building project because there are some cases where you would not want to get your flooring done prior to the cabinets. One of these cases is floating floors. If you are getting floating floors installed, you’ll want to do them after you do your cabinets.

If you need a consultation on the best manner to do your kitchen remodel when it comes to your hardwood floors and cabinets, give us a call and we’d be happy to schedule a consultation.

It is the summer season and this is the time that a lot of families take advantage of to go on vacation. If you have been planning on refinishing your floor this year, it is best to plan ahead and plan your refinishing work during your vacation. Why?

1) Refinishing Takes Some Time

When refinishing floors it can take a couple days to get the refinishing work done due to the process and steps needed to refinish the floor. And then after it is complete you still need to wait at least 4-5 days before you can really use the room in order to allow time for the finish to set. During this time its not the most  convenient being in your home for the reasons listed below. 

2 ) Refinishing Misplaces Your Furniture

During the refinishing process you need to move your furniture out of the way. That means that you need to store it in another part of the house that is not getting refinishing work done. This could cause your house to become a jungle gym pretty quickly as all the furniture is crammed into a room. And as in the point above, refinishing is a process and furniture should not be moved in until 4-5 days after the refinishing process is done.

3) Refinishing Is Dusty and Comes With Strong Smells Included

The refinishing process includes sanding off your hardwood floors so that a new coating can be put on your wood and creates lots of dust and debris. The last part of refinishing is adding coatings of stain and finish which causes strong odors that you do not want to be around. It is not the most pleasant thing to smell. The best thing is to avoid all the dust and odor by have your family out on a nice vacation while your house gets its make over.

Planning ahead will make the process of refinishing your homes a lot less hassle free and allow you to come home to beautiful hardwood floors.

To be honest, the absolute BEST time to get your hardwood floors refinished is right before you move into your house so you don’t have to mess with moving the furniture, but if your not planning on moving soon and you need to get your floors refinished then vacation time is you next best bet at planning ahead and getting your floors refinished.

Not sure if your floors need to be refinished? Check out our hardwood floor refinishing page that goes through when you should consider getting your hardwood floors refinished. As always if you have any questions or need help with getting a game plan for getting your hardwood floors done, feel free to reach out to Atlanta Hardwood Flooring & Cabinetry. We’d be happy to help you come up with a solid game plan.

The summer is starting here in Georgia! Schools are letting out and this week have been dealing with summer rains. It has started getting hot and humid.
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There are several things that you should keep in mind this summer in order to help protect your hardwood floors and keep them in good shape for years to come!

During the summer months there are 3 things to keep a tab on - sunlight, humidity and dirt!

Summer time comes with lots of bright, beautiful sunlight (well except for weeks like today which are full of rain, rain and rain). Sunlight is great, until it starts causing fading to happen on your hardwood floors. Direct sunlight on your floors can cause fading. This is most likely to occur in areas close to windows that have access to direct sunlight. Some ways that you can guard against this is to close your curtain during the heat of the day so direct sunlight won’t hit your hardwood floors. If you are already planning on doing some work on your windows you can invest in windows that protect against UV rays.

The second issue is humidity. Summers in Georgia can get hot and the heat in Georgia, as we all know, is a humid heat. Humidity can cause your wood floors to cup. Wood responds to the moisture in the air. If there is more moisture in the air then the wood expands. This is normal and will happen. What you need to guard against is if there is excess moisture causing the wood to warp and cup. Make sure to measure the humidity level and if the humidity level gets high it is important to have a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air. Keeping your house cool, the doors closed and the ac on goes a long way on those hot humid summer days.

The last thing to guard against in the summer is dirt! Summer brings with it lots of summer parties and houses full of children and guests. During summer days kids run in and out causing more dirt than normal. Playing outside and enjoying the outdoors is great, but you’ll want to make sure that fun doesn’t cause chaos to your hardwood floors. In order to make sure that your hardwood floors stay in good shape you need to make sure they stay clean so that dirt doesn’t scratch the floor as people move about. Regular cleaning of your hardwood floor will help with that as well as having your guest take off their shoes when they enter the door.

Happy start to a wonderful summer season!

The last couple posts we have focused in on cabinets and helping you become more knowledgeable about your options for kitchen cabinet designs. This post will continue that on and talk about the corner cabinet spaces. 

Without skillful thought and foresight, kitchen corners can easily become dead spaces. When looking at cabinets, dead space cabinets are just for look on the outside and have no functional use for storage for your kitchen. 

Blind base cabinets occur where two cabinets meet in the corner, but only one is functional. This will cause there to be some blind space in the back of the cabinet that is difficult to get to. It is the place that all the rarely used pots and pans get pushed off to and forgotten about. It is the no man’s land of kitchen items. This can be frustrating.

Now, here at Atlanta Hardwood Flooring & Cabinetry we get into custom work to help you build a custom cabinet that meets your needs and requirements. If you are looking to optimize the storage space in your kitchen we can help you come up with the best designs that will allow you to maximize your available space - including the corner spaces.

You can have your corner spaces built as diagonal cabinets so that you can still utilize that space for storage. The one thing to note is that the door will be smaller than the storage space inside. It allows you to utilize that storage space, but it may be tricker pulling items out. However, with thoughtful storage options, you can best organize your kitchen items in your corner cabinet, allowing for easy and quick access. One of the most popular storage tools is a Lazy Susan that allows you to rotate shelving to access to items in the cabinet.

We can work with you to optimize your kitchen space and custom build cabinets for your unique kitchen.

Give us a call today for your custom consultation!

If your considering getting your cabinets redone there ares several things to consider. In the post below we spoke about deciding between frame or frameless cabinets. In this post we’ll talk about a couple different door styles that you can choose from. Becoming familiar with the terminology will help you as you decide what style you want for your home. It’s helpful when you see something you like and then be able to share with others the styles that most draw your attractions.

There are several times of door styles that you can choose from. We will be going over the terminology of a few of them. 

Now the basics behind many cabinet doors is a five piece system: The four edges and the center piece.

Slab Doors: These types of doors are the simplest and most contemporary. They are just a flat door with no indentions or raised parts - it is all one piece and all the same size.

In the post below we spoke about insert and overly doors. This speaks more to the way the door fits into the frame and will deal more with issues of storage inside. 

If you have more questions about the constructions of your cabinets, reach out to Atlanta Hardwood Floor and Cabinetry for your consultation.

When selecting new cabinets for your home you want to be well educated about your choices. Here at Atlanta Hardwood Flooring & Cabinetry we make it our job to make sure you are well informed about your purchasing decisions. In this article we will go over one of the options that you have when selecting cabinets for your home.

When selecting cabinets for installation you’ll need to decide weather you want a frame or a frameless cabinet design.

In America the typical cabinet design are frame cabinets, while in Europe the typical cabinet design are frameless cabinets.

So what is the difference?

Frameless cabinets are cabinets built without a frame. In this case the doors are connected to the wall of the cabinets. The benefit of this type of cabinet is that it allows more space for storage and does not require you to have a center stile in the middle of the cabinet. In frameless cabinets the doors cover the full face of the cabinets. There are less design options, but this style is more sleek and is becoming more popular in America as well. ​

Overlays
Overlays describe how the door sits on the cabinets. With framed cabinets there are 3 main types of overlays: insert, standard or full.

Insert overlays are doors that fit within the frame. In this case you see the full frame from the outside. The doors fit perfectly within the frame. 

Standard overlays are doors that lie over the frame. Your still able to see the frame, but the door sits on top of the frame. 

Full overlays are doors that lay onto of the frame and only a slight portion of the frame is visible.

Making your decision for cabinets comes down to functionality and design. Here at Atlanta Hardwood Flooring & Cabinetry we love to hear what your goals are and then are able to show you what the best options are. We want you to have cabinets that meet your desired function and look. We do custom cabinets installation. If you would like a consultation then be sure to give us a call!

​You finally invested in those beautiful wood cabinets you always wanted, but now - how do you take care of the cabinets? That is an important thing to consider to keep your beautiful cabinets in good shape. It is simple to keep your cabinets clean and there are some things to keep in note. We will go over these things in this article.
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Regular Dusting
Dust is everywhere. And it gets on EVERYTHING. Regular dusting helps to keep dust from piling on - and those with dust allergies will thank you! Just take a cotton cloth and dust off the cabinets during your regular Kitchen cleaning.

Deep Cleaning
It is suggested that you do some deep cleaning at least twice a year. When you are doing deep cleaning of your cabinets you just need a few supplies so you can make sure to get off all the film, food and bacteria that has built up from heavy usage - our kitchens are very busy places! You’ll need a cotton cloth and some regular oil based dish soap. You can make a cleaning mixture by mixing the oil based dish detergent with water. You don’t want to use anything too harsh as it will intrude on the protective finish of your cabinets. Use the cleaning mixture to wipe down the cabinets and follow up with a damp cloth. After that take a dry cotton cloth and dry everything down. Moisture is bad for cabinets so make sure you dry it up good!

Warning: Watch out against harsh detergents or waxes as they can do more damage then good. They will eat at the finish and could destroy your cabinets. Its better to stick to good ‘ol dish detergent.

SPILLS!
It is important to take care of spills right away. Wood does not like moisture and so it is important to not let any water stand on your cabinets. Make sure you take a clean cloth and wipe up those spills right away. Prolonged spills can cause irreversible damage to the wood, leaving stains on the wood. If you have some water damage here is a trick that may help, depending on the damage: Cleaning Up Water Stains 

Tips
I know it may be tempting to hang damp cloths on your cabinets, but that is a bad idea. Wood can be negatively effected by moisture so hanging a damp cloth on your cabinets is not doing your wood any favors.
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If you have some tough stains on your cabinets you can use a mixture of water and either vinegar or baking soda to get those stains off. Make sure to wipe it off right away as both these items are acidic and if left on the wood can cause damage to the finish. This should only be used for tough stains and should not be used for regular cleaning.

The kitchen is the heartbeat of many homes. A lot of time is spent in the kitchen preparing meals, eating food and having conversations. When thinking of designing your kitchen or making changes to your kitchen one of the things that you may be considering is having a kitchen island. There are several reasons why you may want to consider having an island in your kitchen.

First, kitchen islands can help with your storage issues. It is often hard to have enough storage space in the kitchen. You think you have enough space, but once you put away the plates and cups you realize there are a wide array of other things that need a home in your kitchen.  Your trying to figure out where to put the tuba-ware, pots and pans, that large serving plate your mother-in-law gave you, your extra appliances that you don’t want cluttering up your counter. There are a lot of items that need to be put away in a kitchen. A kitchen island is great because it gives you more storage space to put items away so they will not clutter your kitchen.

Second, kitchen islands give you more counter top space for when you are cooking and baking. Preparing meals can get crowded if you don’t have enough counter top space to work. Having more counter top space allows more people in the kitchen, helping with the meal. It is also great if you want to bake cookies with kids. They can gather around your kitchen island with you and help pour, stir and prepare the cookies.

Third, not only does a kitchen island give you more counter top space for cooking and baking, but it also gives you another space to eat and for your kids to do homework. Kitchen islands provide another place where you can sit down and have a low key meal. Just pull up your bar stool and its another space for you to enjoy a meal. If you need to keep an eye on your kids as they do their home work they can do their homework at the kitchen island while you prepare dinner.