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According to the article, custom home starts for the twelve-month period ending at the second quarter of 2017 were up 2.4 percent from the same period of time over the prior year. After several years of receding numbers after the housing crash—due in part to tightened lending criteria—custom homes now make up about 21 percent of the overall market, reflecting pre-recession trends. (We note a similar trend within the Tulsa home builder’s market.)

While the entry-level home market is expected to grow more substantially as more buyers enter the marketplace, the outlook for custom-built homes still remains positive over the next several years.

This news is especially good for Renaissance Wood Flooring. At any given time, a sizable percentage of our flooring projects are performed in custom-built homes, in part because of our unique designs and in part because of our commitment to using only the highest quality materials. We are excited to see what great new homes Tulsa homeowners will build in the years to come, and we’re pleased to be part of the process.

If you’re looking for top quality wood flooring in Tulsa, Broken Arrow or Jenks, we’d love to be your flooring company. Give us a call at 918-298-4477 to see what we can do for you.

The post Custom Home Starts Continue to Perform Well in the US Market appeared first on Renaissance Hardwood Floors.

It seems like a nightmare waiting to happen. You install gorgeous hardwood flooring in your home, and when the family dog runs across it excitedly, she starts to slide and digs her nails into the boards to stop herself. Your beautiful new floor has now been initiated with several long, glaring scratches.

Hardwood floors are popular. So are dogs. When they coexist in the same space, it can be a recipe for disaster for your floors. What do you do?

Get rid of the dog? (Not likely.)

Not have wood flooring? (You look at the dog and reconsider option 1…)

Here’s the good news: You actually don’t have to choose between the dog and your floors. With a bit of planning and forethought, you can minimize the risk of damage from dogs and other animals, and you can mask their appearance if and when scratches do occur. The following tips should help.

Avoid Glossy Finishes

High-gloss or shiny finishes make scratches nearly impossible to hide—and not just from your family pets. Even a few stray bits of dirt and sand attached to shoes or socks can be enough to cause a scratch. Unless you want to have the floors buffed every couple of weeks, try choosing a duller satin to make scratches less noticeable. These finishes are popular and fashionable, and you’ll sleep better at night.

Choose a Denser Wood

Generally speaking, the softer the wood, the easier it scratches. Most wood floors are considered hardwood, but some have a higher hardness rating than others. If you have large dogs, especially, harder woods like white oak or hickory will resist scratching much better than pine, cherry or walnut.

Choose a Rustic or Distressed Look

Here’s another thought: Eliminate the risk by making scratches part of the look itself! Distressed wood finishes are highly popular, drawing from the notion that the weathered look adds character to the room. With a wire brushed or hand scraped finish, the blemishes and inconsistencies become part of the overall beauty, and any new nail scratches blend in to the look seamlessly.

Keep the Dog’s Nails Trimmed (and Buffed)

It goes without saying that keeping your dog’s nails short will minimize the risk of scratches, but that’s only half the battle because freshly trimmed nails can actually be sharper than longer, weathered nails. Don’t just have the dog’s nails trimmed—have them buffed, as well, to take off the sharp edges.

Clean Up Accidents Quickly

Of course, scratches aren’t the only damage a dog can do to your hardwood floors—ahem. If your pet has an accident on the floor, get it cleaned up as soon as possible to prevent the acids from damaging the finish or causing stains.

As you can see, wood floors and dogs can coexist without the floors becoming a casualty. It just takes a bit of planning and being proactive. For more advice and tips on installing dog-friendly wood flooring for your next home improvement project, call Renaissance Hardwood Flooring in Tulsa at 918-298-4477.

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Just as styles in the world of fashion are always changing, so do our style choices when building a home. While hardwood flooring in general is always in vogue, we’re always coming up with fresh ways to create chic new looks that match the times. As new home starts in Tulsa continue their upward climb this year, we’re observing some specific and interesting trends in what builders and homeowners are asking for. Here are a few standout trends for Tulsa wood flooring that we’ve been seeing in 2017.

Gray Is Here to Stay—For a While, at Least

When gray-stained wood floors first started appearing a couple of years ago, most people swore it was little more than a passing fad. Not so fast: Gray floors are now more popular than ever, and they’re consistently at or near the top of our orders month after month. Gray floors add an unusual touch of elegance to any home, and they work well with almost every color scheme. Don’t expect to see this trend fading anytime soon.

Bolder Colors and Contrasts

With the exception of gray floors mentioned above, neutral is out, and bold is in. These days, basic brown and tan floors are taking a back seat while customers choose stains that are either very dark or very blonde. Dark floors add a great sense of contrast with light or white furnishings, and lighter floors can make a room feel lighter, larger and more open. If you don’t want gray, chances are you want it light or dark—not in the middle.

Wide Planking

Not only do wide planks make your room look larger, but they also add a sense of richness to your home décor. With open-concept floor plans in high demand, it comes as little surprise that wide planks continue to be very popular in 2017. They’re an excellent choice if you’re trying to create the impression of space and luxury.

Distressed Flooring

While satin finishes remain a consistent choice among Tulsa builders and homeowners, a growing number of people are calling for the “distressed” look. (Think of it almost like buying pre-damaged, hole-y jeans at one of those trendy boutiques—only for flooring.) We get frequent requests for hand-scraped finishing and beveling techniques to give brand-new floors that “lived on” look—or even to make them appear like reclaimed wood.

Creative Patterns

Another way people are making their wood floors stand out is with a nearly infinite variety of creative planking patterns. Herringbone flooring (similar to parquet, but with longer planks) is a popular pattern;  installing the planks diagonal can also add style and visual interest to any room. Or, let us create a customized pattern that’s unique and original to your space. The possibilities are endless.

While there’s something to be said about creating a “timeless” look, modern homebuilding trends tend to last a bit longer than seasonal clothing fashions. Any of these wood flooring trends for 2017 are likely to continue over the next several years, and they’re great choices for adding both elegance and resale value to your home. Here at Renaissance, we do all our stains and finishes by hand, and we use only the highest quality wood to ensure your floors last for many years to come. To learn more about current wood flooring trends in Tulsa, give us a call at 918-298-4477.

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