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About Hosking Hardwood Flooring?
How Do I Check Stock or Availability before I purchase?
Use our "Check Stock Button" next to each product. Depending on supply and consumer demand, flooring could be in-stock one moment and then sold or temporarily out of stock with the next incoming order. Flooring is sold on a first come first served basis, if you call us to check stock on a particular floor and then delay ordering it we cannot guarantee that it will be still available. We highly recommend - checking availability just before you order from us. To avoid any delays in your scheduled project, we also recommend not waiting until the last moment to order your flooring. We can always reserve and hold your order for a week or two until you need it.
Can Hosking Hardwood Install my New Flooring?
We can provide you with our Installation services if you live in eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island. For more information regarding our current prices or to request an in home Estimate please click here: Our Installation Service. If you live outside our installation region, check your local Yellow pages for a flooring contractor, handyman, or carpenter. Many of our customers save even more money by installing the flooring
themselves as it's not difficult - especially with click lock flooring options. After a customer purchases their new hardwood flooring from us, we will gladly take the time to go over any installation questions you may have via phone or e-mail.
Which Type of Hardwood Flooring is right for my home?
There is a prefinished hardwood floor to match everyone's individual needs. To help guide you to the right floor for your needs:
First, what type of subfloor are you installing over?
Concrete slabs require the use of engineered flooring. Most of the hardwood flooring brands we have listed offer engineered lines in addition to their solid wood flooring. You can find the highest quality engineered flooring under the Anderson, Bruce Hardwood Flooring, Armstrong / Hartco Hardwood Floors, Vintage Hardwood Flooring, Kahrs, Lauzon. If you're looking for more, affordable high quality choices that we have in-stock and ready to ship try looking in our sister site at FloorSpecials.com
Plywood subfloors accommodate virtually any type of hardwood flooring: solid or engineered. You will see hundreds of options for solid and engineered hardwood flooring throughout our online catalog. For more information regarding different subfloors and what the right flooring is to use over them see our article: All About Subfloors.
Second, what style of flooring are you looking for?
Hand-Scraped Hardwood flooring is becoming more and more popular. The top brands for handscraped hardwood would be Somerset Hand Scraped Flooring and Anderson Wood Flooring. These brands specialize in distressed, old-looking flooring in engineered and solid constructions. Vintage Wood Floors also carries a wide array of Sculpted and Handscraped 3/4 IN. thick engineered options and Johnson Hardwood Flooring offers quite a few collections with a featured surface texture.
Exotic wood flooring has also seen a spike in popularity because of the deep, rich color variation among boards. Indus-parquet Exotic Wood Flooring is the #1 manufacturer of exotic hardwood flooring. IDP offers both solid and engineered exotic wood species in a variety of surface textures and sizes.
Traditional Classic Red Oak and Maple and Cherry flooring, can be found from most manufacturers. Top brands for these would be White Mountain Flooring or Vintage Floors. Other excellent brands for these classic looks: Somerset Wood Floors, Bruce Wood Flooring or Hartco Hardwood Flooring (formerly Armstrong). Kahrs Wood Flooring has some great engineered click lock options in classic colors as well.
Unique Character Grade Wood Flooring options can be found from brands like Somerset Hardwood Flooring and Anderson Wood Flooring. Most hardwood flooring brands will separate their flooring into different grades according to the amount of character, darker graining and color variation in the boards. More character means that your floor will have a more unique natural appearance.
Finally, What Color Hardwood Flooring will compliment your room and personality the best?
When a hardwood flooring product color is labeled as "natural" this means there is no stain color applied -- it's just a clear coat of finish. This allows the natural coloring of the wood species to be seen. Naturals are very popular flooring options when it comes to hardwood flooring and are also super traditional and "classic."
Stained wood flooring products are available from all of the hardwood flooring brands we carry. Each flooring brand has their own stain catalogs, which could include as few as 2 stains to as many as 50. You'll find the most color options under the Bruce Wood Flooring, Hartco Hardwood Flooring and Vintage Wood Flooring brands. Most hardwood flooring brands these days will offer samples to order via each's individual website. We also carry a limited supply of samples available for purchase.
Is Hosking Hardwood Flooring an Authorized Flooring Dealer?
Hosking Hardwood Flooring has been in business for over 70 years and is the largest flooring retailer in New England with retail stores and warehouses in MA. We are an authorized dealer for every flooring brand that we sell online. Hosking Hardwood Flooring was one of the few who originated online flooring sales nationwide back in 1998.
Are we going to receive 1st Quality flooring?
We only sell 1st Quality flooring. The flooring that we retail to you - at a much better price with no sales tax (except MA) - is the same flooring that you would get locally. We all know that we have to be careful when it comes to doing business with any company local or online and we understand that purchasing a high end item that
may cost thousands of dollars is a little unnerving and scary - especially when you're dealing with some online companies. We'd like to
assure you that Hosking Hardwood Flooring has been in business for over
70 years and is one of the most recognized names within the wood flooring
industry. Please click here Customer Testimonials
to see what our customers are saying about us. We are also a member of
the NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) and of the Better
Business Bureau. Hosking Hardwood Flooring has a long established name in many home decor and home
improvement publications, and some of Jeff Hosking's most notable articles over
the years can be found in “This Old House” Magazine How to Lay Engineered Wood Floors - Floor in a Flash - Selling millions of square feet of flooring nationwide allows us to demand huge discounts from our suppliers. We, in turn, pass these discounts down to you, saving you thousands of dollars on your flooring projects.
Should we choose a floor without seeing it first?
We offer well over 58,000 different flooring styles and colors, making it difficult to stock samples of them all. We do have a limited supply of samples in our warehouse for order, which will be indicated on each product page of our website. If we don't carry a sample of a particular floor you are interested in, many manufacturers these day offer to ship customers samples via their own brand websites. Keep in mind when viewing the product locally that many natural floors, especially exotic wood floors will darken with age. Some darken only slightly, but some take on a darker, richer color with exposure to sunlight after installation.
Do I get notified that my order was received?
Yes, after you place your order you will be automatically sent an e-mail confirmation. Once your flooring order ships out of our warehouse, you will be sent another email with tracking information. If you have any questions at anytime of the ordering process, feel free to email us or give our office a call.
How soon will my flooring be delivered?
Once we receive your order it goes into processing. If we do not have the product in stock at our own warehouse we bring it in from one of our many distributors or have them directly ship the flooring to you. Processing time for an order generally takes 1-2 business days. If our suppliers don't have stock on the product, they may need 1 to 2 weeks or more if the flooring is made for you to get the product in from the manufacturer's mill. We ask for your patience as we and our suppliers are only interested in getting your flooring order to you as quickly as possible. On each product page, there is a "Check Stock" button. A pop up box will ask for your name, email, square footage needed and ship to state. Once you submit the stock inquiry, we will get back to you within 24 business hours with an approximate lead time for shipping that particular product.
How are we notified that our flooring order has shipped?
When your flooring order is picked up by the freight carrier, we will email you with the tracking number for the shipment and the toll free number to the terminal delivering to your home. When you get this email, you would just need to call the delivering terminal and set up a convenient delivery day and time frame. For more information regarding shipping policies click to our Policy Page - Hosking Hardwood Flooring Terms & Policies
Will the moldings be a perfect match to my floor?
Most all flooring manufacturers do not manufacturer their own wood moldings and usually have other companies make them. All hardwood flooring has varying degrees of color indifference within the different boards. It may be impossible to select a molding color that will perfectly match your particular flooring color. Moldings are only sold as a complementary item to the floor and may not perfectly match. We suggest that during the installation process, you pick out floor boards that are the closest match to the moldings that you purchased and install them against the molding for natural blending of color.
Protecting and Cleaning your New Hardwood Flooring
The finishes on “Quality” Hardwood Flooring can last many years before the wood flooring would need to be sanded and refinished new again; but, like all things, they must be maintained properly so that they look good for a long time. Hardwood flooring is one of the easiest types of flooring to take care of and you should always follow the manufacturer’s directions when cleaning their hardwood flooring. Using an inferior brand or a harsh cleaner could cause damage to the finish. Not abiding by the manufacturers cleaning recommendations could result in the warranty being void.
We recommend vacuuming hardwood flooring at least weekly using a soft bristle brush. When washing hardwood flooring lightly spritz the floor area using the recommended Hardwood Flooring spray cleaner then wipe or mop dry in the same direction as the grain of the hardwood floor.
We recommend wiping up any spills as soon as possible as allowing any liquids to sit and seep into the seams of the wood over time can cause delamination of the wood or finish.
We recommend taking care when moving furniture. Use felt chair glides on all your furniture legs which will protect your hardwood flooring for many years and they also allow you to easily slide the furniture out on the floor for cleaning.
We recommend placing mats at all entrances to collect dirt, grit and moisture which could get ground into the surface of the hardwood floors finish and end up damaging the hardwood floors. Place scatter rugs in heavy traffic areas or where twisting and turning is frequent in such areas as at kitchen sinks or at refrigerators etc.
We recommend using directional blinds on windows since direct sunlight (UV- rays) can cause the hardwood floor finish to change color. Deflect the sunlight upwards onto the ceiling. Some exotic wood flooring may naturally darken over the years with exposure to sunlight.
We recommend maintaining a normal relative humidity level of between 40-60 percent to help limit expansion and contraction of the hardwood flooring. During drier winter months, use a humidifier to add moisture into the air to keep relative humidity in the recommended range. During humid summer months, use a dehumidifier or air conditioning to remove excess humidity. Digital hygrometers can help you to monitor the relative humidity within your home.
We recommend keeping large dogs nails trimmed especially if your pets are very active and run around in the home. They have a natural tendency to dig into the woods surface with their nails to try and get traction. Runners on stairs or area rugs near doors can help your furry friend travel throughout your home, while at the same time keeping your new hardwoods looking fresh.
Never use a beater brush vacuum attachment (carpet option) on your wood flooring, it could damage or mar the finish.
Never use rubber foam back or plastic padding under an area rug, they may discolor the hardwood floors finish.
Never wet mop any hardwood or laminate floor as the water can seep down between the seams of the boards causing the boards edges to cup upward and cause delamination or discoloration of the finish. Using tap water alone can also contain acidic minerals which may leave a film or damage the finish. Never use Vinegar and Water. Stick with products specifically made for hardwood floors.
Never use any furniture polish or oil soaps as most contain wax or silicones that will attract dirt and leave a sticky film residue that may be difficult to remove. If you have used any of these types of cleaning products and have problems we would recommend calling them for advice on how to remove any film or residue cleaner before using any recommended manufacturers cleaners that we offer here.
Never use any type of Steamer on your hardwood flooring, as it will damage the wood and possibly cause the finish to peel off.
Fixing scratches in wood flooring: If you need to fix a scratch in your hardwood flooring simply light sand the area using 220 grit sand paper to remove the scratch from the wood and rub a little bit of matching stain (if the wood had been stained a color) onto the area. Once the stain has dried apply several coats of a water based finish in the same sheen with an artists brush. Some manufacturers make touch up kits for the hardwood flooring products they offer but you can also find generic touch up kits in local big box hardware stores.
