Zebrawood is an exotic hardwood that hails from the central region of West Africa, growing predominantly in Cameroon and Gabon.  Well-named, the heartwood of this species features narrow dark streaks set against a background of pale yellowish-brown.  The sapwood from this species, on the other hand, tends to develop a whitish hue over time and lacks the striping that gives the heartwood its name.  Zebrawood can also be found under other names such as Zebrano, Zingana, and even Allen ele, though the botanical name of the tree that produces it is Microberlinia Brazzavillensis.

Zebrawood exhibits a strong pattern in the grain, but the pattern is highly variable from one tree to the next.  This means that every floor fashioned from zebrawood is distinct.  Those who choose hardwood floors made from this species should be aware that the colour tends to darken over time.  Stripes that begin in the brown range will turn almost completely black, making a floor look ever more zebraesque, while the background colour changes from the shade of hay to the deep, rich hue of amber.

The overall effect of these changes is to make your floors appear more exotic over time.

Zebrawood tolerates floor sanding and polishing very well.  Its Janka hardness rating of 1575 means that is it substantially more durable than most species of oak and maple.  This durability means that wood floor restoration projects on planks made of zebrawood are easily accomplished since scratches tend to be light to begin with.

When it comes to floor sanding and finishing, there are a few things that every homeowner should be aware of. Finish is the topcoat that effectively serves to protect the wood flooring from the wear and tear of everyday usage. Beyond this though, the finish is also the product that helps to give wooden floors their lustre and their colour, and as a consequence this is an excellent way of giving your wooden flooring some character and personality to reflect your own individual tastes. Whether you choose to go for high gloss, a satin finish or just dark or light coloured wood, the choices are almost limitless when it comes to finish.

Another important consideration regarding finish is whether to apply the finish personally to a new wooden floor or to simply purchase flooring that is already pre-finished. Pre-finished flooring is able to offer a large range of wood species and can also save an awful lot of time and mess in the home, although wood floors that are unfinished do mean that customers can choose to have a finish that is specifically customised to their requirements. Pre-finished flooring also often comes with an extended factory finish warranty, which is another plus.

Whether you decide to finish the floor off yourself or elect to go with a pre-finished wood floor, it is still very important to be aware of all the various different kinds of finish that are available on the market.

For people who have floor coverings on their hardwood floors but who are now wanting to restore the natural warmth and beauty of the original wood flooring, it will be necessary to strip the flooring down to the bare wood and remove the old floor sanding and finishing. Refinishing wood floors cannot be undertaken until the old finish has been completely and totally removed.

Floor refinishing is a pretty messy job, particularly during the sanding part, and it is important that you remove everything from the room before commencing, including the likes of curtains, furnishings, pictures and everything else. It is also vital that if you are attempting the job yourself, you should wear safety glasses and a safety mask in order to protect yourself by keeping particles of wood out of your eyes and the finish from entering your lungs.

Cooling and heating outlets all need to be sealed off with masking tape, and all doorways except the one you are using too. It is almost impossible to prevent a little bit of dust from sanding from entering the rest of the house, but by sealing duct outlets and doorways the mess should be reduced to an absolute minimum.

20-grit paper in the drum sander should be used for the first sanding. Be sure to go backwards and forwards over the whole floor along the grain, going slowly, and using either a sanding block or the disk sander in areas where the drum sander won’t reach. Repeat this with 40-grit paper, and then once more with 100-grit paper.

Vacuum thoroughly, and apply the new finish.

An organic form of finish when it comes to refinishing wood floor sanding, oil is very popular among owners of wooden flooring because of its natural look and how easy it is to maintain. It also gives what is perhaps the ultimate kind of natural appearance, which ages in a very graceful manner.

Oil helps make the shading of the wood that bit richer, as well as meaning that the grain is also more pronounced because the finish soaks into the wood itself rather than just laying on the surface. During the summer season, or in a particularly warm climate, the wood can dry out, but it is a simple task to recoat the wood with oil to prevent any damage.
All wooden floors need to be properly maintained in order to be able to keep their shiny appearance.  Regular care and maintenance, such as the application of natural and safe methods like oiling and waxing, can ensure your wooden floor will retain a fresh and new look.

A hard wax oiled floor can end up being just as resilient to moisture, staining and wear as the toughest of lacquered finishes. A bonus is that a hard wax oiled floor will never need to be sanded providing it is given a little light maintenance on a regular basis, such as by using a natural soap for wet cleaning of the floor. Localised damage, such as abrasion and scratches, can also be dealt with much more easily and quickly.

SOURCE: http://ezinearticles.com/?Wax-Oil-Finish-On-A-Wooden-Floor&id=6517454

A question that sounds like it should be obvious and yet often comes up as a source of discussion is “When do wooden floors need refinishing?” Perhaps the reason why the question is asked so often is that there is no one answer. Refinishing wood floors does tend to depend almost entirely on what the individual homeowner regards as the condition of the floors that require wood floor refinishing, wood floor refreshing, wood floor restoration or needing to be brought back to a better looking appearance. Many homeowners have no difficulty in accepting a bit of everyday wear and tear on their wooden floors. Indeed, many people actually prefer to keep the patina that has been acquired over many years of use, while others are more particular about demanding that their floors retain their original lustre.

Unless the wooden floor in question is an unusually thin one, it is not possible to refinish a wood floor too many times to the detriment of its strength or overall durability, although that does not mean that floors can or should be refinished on an infinite number of occasions. The more antique the wooden floors in question, the better they are at generally being able to handle multiple sanding jobs, due to the greater thicknesses that were often used in the past. Newer forms of engineered hardwood flooring tend to have more limitations in terms of how often it will be possible to refinish them, and the cheaper the engineered floor is, the more limited it will be.