Are you considering wood flooring? Wood flooring is great for homes because they are easy to clean, beautiful, and long-lasting. There are many types of wood flooring, some styles have specifics purposes while others come in a variety of hybrid designs.
If you are thinking about installing wood flooring in your home, you'll need to know the differences in material, hardness, and wood type. Read on to learn more!
What is Wood Flooring?
Hardwood flooring has been a popular floor surface for many centuries. Its design and versatility provide longevity as well as a unique charm to your home's floor.
Hardwood harvested from trees grows at a slower rate. This produces a wood that is much denser and will require less maintenance down the road. Hardwood flooring comes in many different types and variations, which allows for options when it comes to determining your budget.
Different Types of Wood Flooring
There are many different types of wood flooring. Some wood floors are made from one solid piece of wood, while others comprise multiple layers. Let's take a look at the different types of hardwood flooring.
Solid Wood
Solid hardwood planks are made from a solid piece of wood that can be 17-20 mm thick. Depending on the wood, some floors can be harder and denser than others. The great thing about solid hardwood flooring is that it can be sanded and refinished many times.
This adds longevity and sturdiness for years to come. Solid hardwood flooring can add a lot of appeal to any business or home.
Engineered Hard Wood
Engineered hardwood comprises three or four layers of wood glued together to make a sturdy and thick board. It is then topped off with a thick solid wood surface, which gives the flooring the ability to be sanded and refinished.
Engineered hardwood flooring is considered a rival to laminate flooring. This product provides greater stability when it comes to temperature changes and humidity.
Hand Scraped Wood
This type of flooring is solid wood that has been scraped to give it a rougher 3-dimensional look. The advantage of hand-scraped hardwood is that each plank is truly unique and is scratch resistant.
Handscraped pairs well with a house with rustic and vintage characteristics.
Pre Finished Wood
Normally when installing hardwood flooring, you'd need to sand and seal your planks during installation. Pre-finished hardwood flooring comes sanded and sealed from the factory, eliminating additional labor costs.
However, if you are looking to match the existing flooring with new floors in your home, you'll want to go with unfinished wood flooring.
Popular hardwood
The great thing about hardwood flooring is that there are many wood options to choose from.
The different types of trees have their own characteristics and different price points. Let's go over some of the most popular hardwood on the market.
Oak
Oak hardwood is a tight, dark grain that can appeal to any room in your home. Oak is one of the most popular and durable hardwoods, and it's widely available on the market.
Oak hardwood can have a longevity of over 100 years if maintenance and upkeep are done regularly.
Maple
Maple is lighter in color than oak and has a very predictable oval-ringed pattern. Indoor basketball courts use maple hardwood, which proves its strength and durability. If you have a home with lighter accents or contrast dark to light colors, go with Maple hardwood.
Hickory
Hickory ranks high on the Janka hardness scale. If you're looking for something where foot traffic is high, hickory is a great choice.
Since hickory is denser than other hardwoods, it has the advantage of being more scratch-resistant and less prone to dents.
Bamboo
Although bamboo doesn't come from a tree, it has become a big trend in the hardwood flooring industry for the last couple of decades.
Bamboo has an excellent harvesting rate, it takes about 3-5 years for bamboo to mature to be harvested. Normal hardwoods like hickory take over 100 years to regenerate.
Walnut
Walnut is very dense and has a striking appearance with its dark, vibrant, rich colors with lots of color variation. If you want something in your home that will stand out, walnut will give you that appearance.
Walnut is used in more extravagant homes, upscale establishments, and commercial spaces. It gives off a great personality and exudes a sense of warmth that will make your guest feel welcome.
Walnut has the characteristics of sophistication. If you want something flashy, unique, and high-class, walnut is the way to go.
Cherry
Cherry is another top contender on the Janka Hardness scale. Cherry wood features tight flowing grains that present a deep dark reddish color. Cherry hardwood is perfect to contrast dark to light in your home.
The great thing about cherry hardwood is that it can last decades in a home if kept up. Hardwood flooring companies stand by cherry hardwood.
Is Hardwood Flooring Right For Me?
After going through the many types of wood flooring types, you may ask yourself if hardwood flooring is right for you. That depends on your style, home needs, and budget.
If you want something durable, long-lasting, and something that will give your home a sense of personality, hardwood flooring is the way to go. Need help finding hardwood flooring? Contact us, and we can help steer you in the right direction.
