Wood flooring is a beautiful feature to add to any home. By choosing hardwood flooring, you’re investing hugely in your home. Yes, their initial cost is relatively higher than that of the other alternatives; this shouldn’t a hindrance as they’ll prove worth the investment as time goes by. When properly taken care of, these floors can last a lifetime. It, therefore, calls for you to take a whole lot of factors into consideration before you finally decide to make a choice. It’s not simply deciding on the colour of the wood and nothing else. Presently, these flooring options are completely customizable. To help you make the decision, take the following into consideration:
1. The Wood Type
There’s a wide variety of wood species that you can choose from. Each of them has a different hardness and grain. Maples, cherries and oaks are the most common types of wood flooring due to their hardness. They’re very sturdy and can withstand a lot of harshness put on them in terms of use. Exotic woods like Brazilian cherry and mahogany have an incredible look but aren’t as durable.
2. The Colour
Wood flooring colours vary depending on the wood type chosen and the finish is done on the wood. There’s everything from black to luscious cherry colour to brilliant blond floors. Staining on wood floors can be done to achieve nearly any colour.
3. The Hardness
Those who have children and pets will need to invest in a flooring option that’s as hard as possible like the red oak floor. The wood species has the capacity to withstand wear and tear far much better than pine floors; softwood that often easily scratches.
4. Engineered or Solid wood
Today, there’s an option of engineered wood for flooring. Basically speaking, these come as thinner wood planks that have a hardwood layer that’s bonded to other composite layers. In solid wood flooring, there’re solid wood planks. Each of these two options has both advantages and disadvantages. These are:
• Sand scratching out of engineered wood isn’t possible because the top layer is way too thin.
• Engineered wood can be glued directly to concrete. Solid wood floors, on the other hand, are often installed on a layer or layers plywood. This makes it likely possible that the solid wood floors can interfere with baseboards or doors.
• The design of engineered wood ensures it prevents shifting and warping.
• Solid wood shouldn’t be used on floors that are underground because moisture from the ground can cause problems.
5. Width of Board
The different types of boards that are available make it possible to do a lot with wood floors. For a more traditional appearance, there are narrow strips that are less than 3 inches in width. Wider planks, on the other hand, have a rusty appearance causing a space to look more open. Geometric designs like rectangles and squares can also be used to make a place appear more formal.
6. The Texture
Whether you’re looking for a floor that looks rustic and lived in or shiny and brand new, you have the option of hand scraping the wood. This gives it an appearance that’s timeworn. This makes a floor to look incredible and allows one to disguise heavy use with time.
7. The Finish
The finish of the wood is its source of colour and protection. You have the option of either finishing the wood on site or buying a prefinished one. Prefinished wood often lasts longer. The site finishes give more options to choose from. Prefinished wood is also easier to replace in case of damages.
