Buying hardwood flooring for your home may jumble up with dozens of decisions in our mind. These hardwood floorings initiate with the types either solid or engineered. Depending on our preferences for wood species and hardwood flooring grade, select the most appropriate.
Once these decisions are nailed, other aspects can be considered such as flooring style, edges detail, dimensions, colors and much more. The below-written material will surely explain you and clear all your hardwood flooring questions. This is an ultimate guide for all your hardwood flooring.
Types of hardwood flooring
Depending on various types of hardwood flooring, there are two main categories of it; one is solid hardwood flooring while the other is engineered flooring.
Solid hardwood flooring
When people imagine of hardwood flooring, the prime picturesque arises is that of solid hardwood flooring. This flooring consists of pieces of solid wood from the preferred species. The entire plank of the hardwood is designed and constructed with the selected wood species.
Solid hardwood flooring is highly considered as everyone loves the natural beauty. An immense, authentic and warm look is achieved with hardwood flooring irrespective of the species. The solid hardwoods are extremely resistive and durable. Installation and handling them in an appropriate manner will surely make your hardwood lasts for a lifetime.
The only drawback of solid hardwood flooring is its hiked price. The hardwood floorings are also susceptible to damage due to moisture. Using in a room with extreme humidity will definitely damage it.
Engineered hardwood flooring
The engineered hardwood flooring is made from numerous layers of woods pressed together. An actual layer of hardwood is placed at the top as well as at the bottom of the flooring. This multiple layers of ply connection lessen moisture effect and thus is more durable.
The woods in engineered flooring can expand and even contract irrespective of any negative effects or damage to the flooring. They are highly flexible due to their expanding and contracting nature. The engineered hardwood floorings are versatile to utilize them in basements and even in upper-story floors.
The engineered hardwood floorings can be easily installed directly over a concrete floor or even in a radiant heating system without any ill effects. This flooring is prettier less expensive than the solid hardwood flooring.
The only drawback of the engineered hardwood flooring is that they cannot be sanded and refinished once they are done. Although they have very low resold value but are highly durable.
Different types of wood species
There are dozens upon dozens of wood species utilized in hardwood flooring. These species include woods that are domestically grown as well as the exotic species imported from abroad countries. The selection of the species of the wood overall dictates our flooring look, the inclusion of their colors and grain patterns.
The harder the wood selected the more they are durable and resistant. Despite numerous numbers of species available for wooden flooring, there’s a handful of species that are often chosen by homeowners. Below is some often chosen wood for hardwood flooring.
- Cherry
Cherry is the most frequently chosen wood for flooring. It is available in enormous varieties. The often used is American cherry. It is also known as black cherry. This flooring is often notable due to its red and pink texture as well as its tight and wavy grain.
The cherry hardwood flooring is often complimented and extremely popular due to its lustrous finish. Although being a soft hardwood, the cherry hardwood flooring is still manageable and maintains high dimensional stability. The cherry is expensive types of hardwood flooring.
- Maple
For a distinctive look, people often choose maple hardwood flooring. Due to its notable characteristic and grain patterns, the maple hardwood flooring sets her apart from other. The durability of maple hardwood flooring is quite high. This is the simplest and hardest hardwood available.
The maple flooring does not get scratched or scuffed easily. It is even known for its high resistance to heavy impacts. The overall durability of maple hardwood flooring is quite extensive and is considered for even children and pets. It does not even require much maintenance.
- Teak
The other popular and extensively used hardwood flooring is teak. This is an exotic type of hardwood flooring. It is highly durable and is considered to be one of the hardest and strongest woods.
The resistance of the teak hardwood flooring can resist dozens of kids or the highest traffic of your home, numerous pets, the flooring will surely stand the test of time. The teak hardwood flooring is recognized due to its natural shine and finished look.
Many people do not finish the teak hardwood flooring due to hold on natural oils making them luxurious even unfinished. The naturally aged teak hardwood flooring looks more beautiful. They add extra charm and upscale swagger to your home.
The only downside of the teak hardwood flooring is it requires high-quality maintenance. Oiling of teak is required every few years in order to maintain its luster. Teak hardwood flooring is expensive flooring largely due to its import.
Other considerations essential for hardwood flooring
- Insulation has a big impact on temperature as well as for sound
- The durability should be as high as possible
- Extra floorings should be considered apart from the measurements
- Leave expansion space around the perimeter of the room
- Select the hardwood flooring requiring lest maintenance such as sweeping and mopping
- The cost and budget place a vital role. Select the pricing wisely with woods species.