Q. Got a very cheap quote from a flooring company for a maple floor. So cheap that Laminate was more expensive. The company said they are having a huge sale. Is maple a good wood? we have dogs, cats, kids. What can go wrong with maple that would make other woods better

A. I'm not so sure about maple being a hard wood, just try staining it and you will see how soft it really is, do this test.. take a piece of maple and a piece of oak and cut them with a hand saw and you will see how hard oak really is, it is one of the hardest, I have seen many blades broken on oak. Oak would be my #1 choice for wood flooring and it stains & finishes great. Maple is lighter in color but does not accept stain very well because it is soft.

Q. We are renovating our house, and our contractor is getting oak doors and baseboards which we are going to varnish. We were going to use oak engineered floors as well, but we just found a nicer looking engineered maple wood floor today for much cheaper. We were not planning to match the colors of the floor and the doors/baseboards to start with (doors and baseboards just varnished to keep its natural light color; floor, brownish with a tinge of red), but they were all oak before we found this maple flooring. Is it not a good idea that various woods used in the house do not match? Thank you.

A. You floors and doors can be different..but...I would not put in oak trim with maple flooring..I would strongly suggest you put in painted trim...you put in too much wood, and you will get wood overload...it will be very heavy looking..don't get me wrong, I love wood, (have hand honed oak hardwood planking for flooring, and antiques), but realistically too much wood is not a good thing. The oak trim will not match the maple flooring. I still like painted trim throughout homes. The off white colour of the trim will pop the wood.

Q. My living room has nice ash wall covering in a medium tan that must stay. I'm looking for flooring that would look best. I'm torn between a light maple wood or a light porcelain tile. We are country folks and track in a lot of dirt. Help me decide.Pros and cons,please.

A. Since the ash is in a medium tan you should go with a dark stained wood for your floors or light porcelain tile. Light maple will not provide enough contrast with the ash walls & will compete in tone. Wood floors are great, but they do require a little more upkeep than tile. Tile never loses it's shine & a quick wipe off with a damp mop after sweeping/vacuuming will make them look like new. ~m~

Q. I am remodeling my whole house and it seems the kitchen and bath are the most exspensive. I need some ideas on where to save money.

A. Craigslist.com. It is the best. You can find a LOT of things for free!!!!!! I got TWO hutches, one for $50, one for $20, and they are beautiful. I also got a maple bed frame for $10, and a maple, very old, dresser for $50. Best place ever!

Q. Attention Cabinet Makers! I would really value a professional's opinion. We are renovating our kitchen and would like to know what a flat panel door is made of? We want maple shaker cabinets, with a veneer covered center panel.

A. If this is a DIY project then you should make the styles and rails from 1x3 solid maple . For this task you will need a good 15 amp router and router table with a set of rail and style router bits . For the center, you only need 1/4 " maple plywood which is a veneer . P.S. cabinet making is not for the average do it yourselfer if your looking for professional results . Good luck !~

Q. I'm considering getting some gutter guards that will work to keep maple leaves and other maple tree debris out of my aluminum gutters. I have a very large old maple that stands 8' from my house. In Spring and Fall, the gutters get filled. Wondering which type will work best. I also do not want the leaves to be able to get stuck in the guard. If you have found some that work well at keeping a large amount of tree debris out, which ones are they?

A. I had 3ft plastic ones on my gutters. they warped in the sun in north tx. useless. i went to Lowe's and bought 3ft metal mesh ones and screwed them onto the gutters. problem solved for less than $40.

Q. Can I service notice of damage and retain deposit or is this considered wear and tear. Deep scratches thorughout. Had Maple wood floors completely re-finished prior to them living there- like new when they moved in. I did not collect an extra pet deposit- but have a full month's rent as deposit. I did do a walk-through and have have pictures pre and post damage. the floors were re-finished due to water damage that had occured prior to them living there...leak from neighbor and was an insurance claim- unrelated. however, contractor is gicing statement of work and condition of floors prior to them damaging. does anyone have anything to refernce on this? a support document or ruling?

A. NO. Scratches, chew marks, pee stains and any other pet damage is never wear & tear. It does not matter if the dog was allowed or not. If it caused any damage then the tenant must pay for it. PERIOD.

Q. I need help soon. I ordered quarter round for hardwood floors from a company that no longer exists. I need to find the same quarter round. Item number says ART20510. Description is quarter round 96Inches maple arizona (stain color is arizona) What does ART stand for?

A. Since it's prolly defunct co's part no for that particular item, there's no telling what the 'ART' portion represents. Best guess? Something to do w/the mfg/product line. Seen this? http://en.allexperts.com/q/Flooring-Carpeting-1621/2008/2/brand-ART20510-quarter-rounds.htm Good luck but staining might be the way to go figuring time to be of the essence...