Carpenter and Renovations Pros at Wood FX Share Information on the Janka Hardness Scale

8. Aug 2019 Admin Saskatoon Contractors, Saskatoon Renovations, Trusted Tips

Wood FX Contracting is a Saskatoon family owned and operated with over 18 years experience. Their carpenters and renovation team consist of hardworking individuals ready to tackle your interior home renovations - big or small! They are on-site daily ensuring client satisfaction. In this article, they explain what the Janka Hardness Scale is. Wood FX are Trusted Saskatoon Carpenter and Renovation Pros!

The Janka Hardness Scale

Hardwood flooring is one of the best decisions you can make when it comes to interior home design, as it is a product that never goes out of style. It’s easy to assume that all hardwood flooring is the same when it comes to durability, but this is actually quite far from the truth. Hardwood’s actual hardness is measured by something called the Janka hardness scale. Let’s take a look at what the Janka scale is and how it works.

What is the Janka Hardness Scale?

The Janka hardness scale is a way of measuring the hardness of a given piece of hardwood. It was invented in the year 1906 by an Austrian wood researcher named Gabriel Janka, and it is an adaptation of the Brinell hardness test for metals. In order to better understand the Janka scale, you first need to know how the Brinell test works. The Brinell hardness test is used to test metal materials that are too coarse or rough to be tested by other means. The test involves a steel ball with a 10mm diameter being pressed into the material’s surface under 3,000 kgs of pressure. The resulting indentation is then examined to determine the hardness of the material.

How Does the Janka Hardness Scale Work?

The Janka hardness scale works in a very similar way to the Brinell test. It measures the pounds of force (lbf) it takes to drive an 11.28 mm diameter steel ball halfway into the surface of a slab of hardwood. A test done on the surface of a board, perpendicular to the grain is called a test of “side hardness”, while the same test being performed on the cut surface of a stump is called a test of “end hardness”. Every hardwood board will not yield the same test result, seeing as the hardness of wood varies with the direction of the wood grain, and will be different from one board to another. While durability issues come up when we look at different types of wood grains, there is usually not much deviation when it comes to differences in separate types of wood material, as estimates usually find the difference to be about plus or minus 10%.

Why is a Janka Hardness Rating Important?

Hardwood flooring is a big investment and will typically cost you a pretty penny, so you’ll want to make sure you are getting top quality wood that is not going to deteriorate or wear down after a few short years. While wood with a low Janka rating can still serve you just fine, it is only going to do so if you live a quieter lifestyle that does not involve your home seeing heavy foot traffic. If you have children and/or pets, try to find hardwood with a higher Janka score. A Janka hardness rating is going to give you a great indication of what kind of wear and tear your hardwood is going to be able to handle, helping you make a smarter decision when it comes to making a purchase.

Any questions about hardwood installation or maintaining your hardwood contact Wood FX Contracting! Wood FX is a Trusted Saskatoon Carpenter and Renovation Pro!

Trusted Saskatoon Plumber JOB Heating & Air Conditioning share advice about clogged drains

20. Feb 2019 Ally Saskatoon Plumbing, Saskatoon Renovations, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs! In their latest Saskatoon furnace tip, owner Jeff Bolton, shares why you can trust JOB with your Saskatoon heating and furnace issues.

Saskatoon Plumbing Tips for Drain Clog Prevention

Having to call your Saskatoon plumber every time a drain in your home gets clogged can become time-consuming, frustrating, not to mention very expensive. Your drains may work right now, but clogs can happen at any time. Though plumbing codes, normal plumbing maintenance, and good drain pipe materials can keep the rate of clog formation to a minimum, most people do not have the advantage or the ability to decide what plumbing materials are to be used. No one thinks about plumbing maintenance until there is a clogged drain. Clogged drains can create severe water damage to a home’s structure (such as the wiring) and can be a potential health risk. Problems caused by a clogged drain can be avoided by taking necessary steps of drain maintenance to prevent clogs from occurring. Remember, prevention is not only easy to do but can save you a lot of money in the long run!

Tip 1: When cleaning up after dinner, run hot water through the drain to prevent grease buildup and hard water deposits. Once every few days, to really prevent buildup in your pipes, first put in a half cup of baking soda, followed by a half cup of vinegar, and then wash it through with boiling hot water.

Tip 2: Check your bathtub stoppers every three months for hair and buildup of biofilm (a mixture of bacteria, food particles, soap residue, and body oils that hardens as layers begin to build up and lead to a clogged drain) and see if the stopper needs to be replaced due to wear and tear. Once a week, fill the bathtub halfway to three-fourths full (while the stopper is in the drain) and then pull out the stopper. The weight and volume of the water will fill the pipe and will flush the drain line.

Tip 3: Have your home plumbing system regularly inspected for maintenance from the team at JOB Heating and Air. As a preventative measure, at least once a year, hire a plumber to snake your home’s drain lines for any buildups that can lead to a clog. For major connections, such as your septic tank or your main pipe to the sewer system, have periodic inspections. Small roots that penetrate a drain pipe can be cleaned up before it turns into a big problem. If regular inspections are not performed by a plumber, the roots can become entrenched in the drain pipe and will have to be replaced altogether.

Tip 4: Special clog prevention for kitchen sinks include: remove all kitchen waste from the sink; do not pour coffee grinds down the sink; do not pour grease down the sink; and catch all food from falling down the sink.

Tip 5: Most plumbers will tell you to avoid using chemical-based cleaners as clog prevention on a regular basis as they can corrode metal pipes after awhile. A natural cleaner is an enzyme/bacteria based cleaner. Once poured down a drain, it creates colonies of good bacteria that destroy bad bacteria that cause clogs in your drains. Use natural-based cleaners at night, just before everyone goes to sleep – large amounts of water used after the cleaner can get rid of the good bacteria before it has had time to work.

At JOB Heating and Air.

Your Comfort Is Their Concern

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning Trusted Saskatoon Furnace, Boiler and Air Conditioning Experts

JOB. Heating & Air Conditioning are Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers

Trusted Saskatoon Carpenter Wood FX Shares Why Monitoring Humidity In Your Home Is Important

7. Jan 2019 annak Saskatoon Renovations, Trusted Tips

Wood FX Contracting is Saskatoon family owned and operated with over 18 years experience. Their carpenters and renovation team consist of hardworking individuals ready to tackle your interior home renovations - big or small! They are on site daily ensuring client satisfaction. In this article, they share why it's important to keep an eye on the humidity in your home especially in our cold Saskatchewan winters! Wood FX are Trusted Saskatoon Carpenter and Renovation Pro!

Home Humidity Tips From Wood FX

Wood is a natural material and because of this, it reacts to changes in humidity and temperature. If you have hardwood floors in your home or a lot of wood you should monitor your humidity. When there is high humidity in home moisture is absorbed into the hardwood floors and too much moisture can cause warping of the floorboards.

During the summers moisture levels are higher and if relative humidity is not maintained within a stable range than warranty might be void.

During the dry Saskatchewan winters when humidity levels are low, it is important to use a humidifier in your home which helps to keep humidity levels maintained. This will prevent the loss of moisture from your hardwood floors. Loss of moisture leads to problems such as splits, gaps etc. The recommended humidity range for hardwood floors is between 45% and 55%.

A hygrometer can monitor the humidity levels in your so that you don't have to worry and you can keep your new hardwood installed by Wood FX Contracting looking beautiful for years to come!

Any questions about hardwood installation or maintaining your hardwood contact Wood FX Contracting!

Wood FX is a Trusted Saskatoon Carpenter and Renovation Pro!

Western Carpet One, a Trusted Saskatoon Flooring Expert Shares Beautiful Family-Friendly Dining Room, and Tips on Creating Your Own!

18. Feb 2016 Ryan Saskatoon Flooring, Saskatoon Renovations

Western Carpet One Floor & Home is a locally owned and operated Trusted Saskatoon Flooring retail store servicing Saskatoon and area since 1974. They are a full service store offering no charge estimates and full installation on all flooring products. A newly expanded stunning showroom offers a comfortable shopping experience for every type of flooring. Whether it is Carpet, Hardwood, Ceramic Tile, Laminate flooring, Cork, Sheet vinyl or area rugs, you will find it at Western Carpet One Floor & Home.

Creating a Family-Friendly Dining Room

A Family-friendly dining room that works for casual and formal gatherings is a great update for households that like to entertain. Paying attention to the details and focusing on how the space will be used can lead to a space that feels comfortable enough for a family gathering and formal enough for a dinner party.

Learn more about this beautiful and versatile space and get some great tips how to create your own family friendly dining room in this interview with designer William MacDonald!

BDMS: What were your clients’ needs for this space?

William MacDonald: They wanted the space to be light and airy family-friendly and with enough seating space for extended family events.

BDMS: Were there any challenges to designing this space?

WM: Initially I had plans for a carpet but leaving the carpet out provides a sense of the casual easiness with a lot less maintenance.

BDMS: Do you have any special considerations or requirements when creating a dining room?

WM: Yes absolutely I like dining rooms that have very comfortable seats, no benches! And various sources of light for example pot lights a central chandelier, picture lights etc. I also like a big dining room that allows people to move around easily.

BDMS: How does the flooring play into your design?

WM: The flooring is a great part of the overall design after all it is the fifth wall. And in dining rooms I prefer elegant easily maintained floors ...and floors that allow for chairs to easily move back-and-forth.

BDMS: What makes this room functional?

WM: This room is made functional buy the use of the built-in sideboard and storage, it has three points of entry and is located next to the kitchen via a butler's pantry. The table is also expendable and can seat 18 people.

BDMS: Why did you choose these colors?

WM: I wanted to create a calm, serene and elegant space that could work both casually and formally and for day or night. So using shades of white gray and brown makes sense as it ticks all of those boxes.

BDMS: What is your favorite aspect of this room?

WM: My favorite aspect of this room is the architecture - the moldings and the internal windows that provides drama and character. Also the chandelier - it's very unique and acts as a wonderful focal point for the room.

BDMS: What did you client like the most?

WM: That's a good question I asked my client and she said it was impossible to answer as she loved the design I created, but she said the thing she likes the most was how she felt in the room..."at home." As a designer this is the ultimate complement.