Hardwood Floor Articles:

Borders, Vents and Feature Strips

We all know hardwood floors can be a beautiful addition to any home and often are the focal point when done right. But few people know the variety of ways that you can make your hardwood floor stand out even more.

Installing custom designed border — Installing a custom-designed border

Here are some extra options we offer to make your floors unique:

Flush frame vents
Baseboard vents
Borders
Medallions
Creative patterns
Headerboards
Feature strips
Creative staining
Mitered side-skirts for staircases
Custom fabricated transitions strips
and more!

Some of these can be labor intensive and require a higher investment (i.e. borders and creative patterns). Still, many others (i.e. headerboards, custom fabricated transition strips, and mitered side-skirts for staircases) come with the cost of a standard install. That is, as long as you’ve hired the right company.

Flush frame vent matching surrounding floor

These features that accentuate your hardwood floor are often what low-bidding companies leave out because they require expertise and time.

These features are often what low-bidding companies leave out

Companies that have the expertise and are willing to take the time to do things correctly cost more initially. There will be a significant difference in the final appearance and durability of your new hardwood floor, depending on who you hire.

Borders and creative patterns will come with a higher initial investment due to the extra labor involved. There are so many options in this category that it would be impossible to list them all.

Borders can be a simple one or two-board combination that contrasts with the field (the main floor), or it can be a series of varied colors and patterns of boards for a more intricate look.

Installing custom hardwood border — Installing a custom border

Creative patterns can encompass the entire floor (i.e. herringbone, chevron, and log cabin framing) or feature the middle of a floor with an interesting design. The sky is the limit. If you have existing hardwood in your home, a creative pattern can also be created using stains during the finishing process.

Wood floor stain pattern — Custom stain pattern

Custom transitions, headerboards, and flush frame vents are often low-cost and have a huge impact

Often it is the little things that matter most. Custom transitions, headerboards, and flush frame vents are often low-cost or built into the cost of the installation price and significantly impact the final appearance and feel of the floor. These are the things that your friends and family genuinely appreciate when they are drooling over your floor.

Creative wood floor pattern — Custom creative wood floor pattern

Keep in mind we can often add borders, vents, features, and custom transitions to your existing hardwood floor. For example, we cut in new flush frame vents and add custom transition strips to most of our refinish projects. They are a relatively small investment and provide the extra detail to make your hardwood floor stand out.

Custom transition strip — Custom flush transition strip joining wood to tile

We love to make our customers’ floors stand out from the crowd. That’s why we take extra time to do these things right. It's what we take pride in! We want your neighbors, friends, and families to be a little envious when they walk into your home and see an elegant, stunning hardwood floor. And the closer they look, the more the little things stand out.