You really can’t go wrong with wood flooring. It offers a rich, beautiful look to your rooms and is durable. There are a variety of styles and types to choose from. After searching around you’re bound to come up with a website or two that will give you choices that not only suit your taste, but suit your budget too.
If you’re considering wood flooring, here’s some valuable info to know before you choose:
1. Hardwood vs. Softwood
Hardwood: Hardwood is, well, hard. The wood comes from trees which lose leaves in autumn and grow them back in spring. Hardwood is more expensive than softwood and has a longer lifespan in flooring. Popular choices include: mahogany, teak, walnut, oak, ash, birch and maple.
Softwood: The wood comes from evergreen trees. Softwood is the cheaper option to go with, though it might not be as durable as hardwood. Yet, it is still a good choice because while it might not be as durable, it is still quite long lasting, and a good pick for its price. Popular choices include: pine, cedar, and fir.
2. Engineered wood vs. laminate
Engineered wood uses high density fiberboard (HDF) or ply to create a core board. The top layer of the board uses the likes of oak or walnut. Laminated wood is man-made material, usually synthetic. Layers of plastic-like material are fused together, and the top part gives an image of wood.
3. Unfinished vs. Finished
Unfinished wood is first installed into your home and then sanded and finished there. Because the sanding and finishes are done after installment, plank lines are not visible, giving a very sleek, clean cut look. This can be a very good choice for those thinking of flooring their kitchen, for example, as water does not penetrate into the wood because the plank lines are sealed.
Finished or prefinished wood comes sanded from the factory, to the store, to your home. The installation process is very quick and in a few hours, you can have an entire room or more ready to walk on.
The choice people often wind up making is between solid hardwood and engineered wood. Because of its properties, solid wood can be sanded and refurbished several times over, meaning your floor can look nearly brand new after it’s been worn out. You can only do so with engineered wood once or twice. But solid wood is also more susceptible to humidity and water.
Size Does Matter
Choosing the right size plank will have an impact on the room’s overall look. Narrow planks, while cheaper, often make a room look too busy. But people still use them for small to medium-sized rooms (85-150mm wide). Also used can be average wide planks (150-200mm). A wide plank is (200-280mm) and what’s hot these days is very wide (280 – 320mm). But you need to keep the room proportion in mind when deciding.
There are plenty of choices to go around and no one is restricted to just one. You’ll definitely do well by your home when going with wood flooring.
