Are you thinking about upgrading your home with hardwood flooring? You can’t go wrong with the enduring elegant looks of wood floors that come in assorted styles and types to suit different needs and budget.
All types of wood flooring generally have an unmatched natural beauty that complements any style of decor, be it modern, traditional or country. Plus, it is durable and suitable for any room. Catch a glimpse of the different types of hardwood floors you can use to upgrade your home.
Unfinished hardwood flooring
With unfinished hardwood, after the installation of the hardwood flooring and staining, there is an application of several coats of protective finish. Unfinished hardwood flooring comes in handy if you want custom stain applied before the final finish or if you’re going to match the existing floor colour.
If you want to add hard flooring in your kitchen room, unfinished hardwood is an ideals solution because the finish penetrates and seals the seams between the boards, thus preventing water from seeping between the boards.
Pre-finished hardwood flooring
Pre-finished hardwood flooring is sanded and sealed at the factory; therefore, it comes ready for installation. That means, the installation job is easy and goes quickly, and there are no orders or VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) from finishing on the site.
An added advantage of pre-finished hardwood flooring is that it is ready to walk on immediately after installation. Moreover, pre-finished hardwood features aluminium oxide, minute aluminium particles added to the layers of finish. The particles fill up spaces in the finish, and then they are dried under UV lights which makes the finished product more robust and durable than its unfinished counterpart.
Solid hardwood flooring
Solid hardwood flooring is all made of wood and comes in 5/8 to 3/4 inches thick. Since it is solid wood, it is possible to sand and refinish it as many times. The only limitation is that it is susceptible to humidity and is not recommendable for below-grade basements.
Engineered hardwood flooring
With engineered hardwood flooring, it is a veneer of real wood glued to several layers of wood underneath such as plywood. It gives the wood incredible structural stability over time and makes it a suitable choice for any room of your home, including below-grade basements.
When it comes to sanding or refinishing of engineered hardwood; however, it depends on the thickness of the hardwood veneer. Typically, it is only possible to sand or refinish an engineered hardwood once or twice in its lifetime.
What type is the best?
Although many people choose hardwood flooring depending on their preference in terms of style and colour, sometimes the level of foot traffic in each room can dictate which wood flooring will be ideal.
However, the best hardwood flooring solutions are from wood species that are very hard and readily available—for example oak hardwood flooring and maple hardwood flooring which are good looking choices.
Other exotic hardwoods include bamboo made from Asian bamboo grass stalks, mahogany, walnut and ash. More exotic prices such as jarrah, teak and mesquite will cost you a premium price. Ensure the hardwood comes from sustainably harvested forests.
THE FINAL TAKE
There are a lot of hardwood brands in the market today. Like other products, there is an entire spectrum in terms of quality. While there are hardwood brands that are renowned with an excellent reputation, others are shortlived. Before you settle on a specific one, ensure you do some research and find out what other homeowners have to say about it.
