How to Choose Hardwood Flooring

As you know, wood is one of our natural resources that is environmentally friendly. Wood is not only renewable but it is recyclable as well. Hardwood flooring is durable so it rarely needs to be replaced. They add beauty to any room.

There are three main kinds of hardwood flooring available and the one you choose will depend on what your needs are. Solid wooden floors come in three varieties: strip, parquet and plank. Each of these comes in unfinished and finished. Unfinished floors needs to be sanded and coated whereas pre-finished has already been polished and glazed so it just needs to be installed.

Strip floors are denoted by how thick and wide the wood slats are. On this kind of floor, the width is already set, however the thickness will vary. The thickness of the floors can range from 5/16th of an inch to 3/4th of an inch. It comes in widths that include 1 ½ inches, 2 inches or 2 ¼ inches.

Plank floors come in two different thicknesses: ½ inch or ¾ inch. The widths on plank floor panels can vary from widths of three inches to eight inches.

Parquet floors look nothing like regular hardwood floors. This type of flooring is made from geometrical patterns that are made from the single wood slats that are secured in place with metal fasteners or adhesive.

Engineering is done so that the wooden floors are made by holding together tiers of plastic veneer, that is laminated with actual wood. A single distinction between this kind of floor and laminate floor is laminate floors do not have any real wood in them.

Acrylic-impregnated wooden floors is wood that is mixed with sealant as well as coloring all throughout the wood's thickness. So instead of a regular surface finish, it is a finish all throughout the wood. You rarely see this kind of installation in a residential home but is instead used for commercial buildings. It is extremely hard and is resistant to scratches as well as moisture.

There are many choices to choose from when it comes to varieties of wood. Red oak is a common type of wood variety. It has a very coarse grain and is a dense wood. It is wear resistant to some extent, but it is not as good as white oak.

White oak may be brown but can also have a gray overtone. The grain has more swirling than the red oak. It is also a very hard wood that is much more sturdier than red oak.

Birch is a beautiful wood that can vary in color from yellow to brown. It is a soft type of wood but strong nonetheless.

Pine is another popular wood. It is yellow in color with a hint of brown and has lots of cool swirling and knots in the wood. It is insect resistant and a very strong wood.

Cherry is beautiful with light brown in color. It is a very soft wood but is not used to do an entire floor most of the time. Instead it is used as a decorative wood.