ServiceWhale: Top Hardwood Flooring Choices

The addition of hardwood flooring to your home can add character, charm and timeless beauty. When you’ve made the excellent decision to enhance your current flooring situation with hardwood, there are a few considerations to take into account. Gathering all the information will help you pick the right flooring option for your home. Keep reading to learn about all of your choices when it comes to hardwood flooring and find out why upgrading your flooring is a great decision.

Your Floor’s Destiny

One of the most important questions when selecting hardwood floor is where you plan to install your flooring, specifically above or below grade (above or below ground level). This is an important choice because only one type of hardwood is suited to below grade: Engineered. Another factor to consider is how much foot traffic your floor experience, as more traffic needs a harder wood species.

A typical choice for many homeowners is solid hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood comes in varying thicknesses and can be installed almost anywhere in your home. Be careful, though, as solid hardwood is not well suited for basements—moisture and temperature swings can warp the wood. A benefit to using solid hardwood is that it can be refinished many times over, saving you the cost of replacing your floor.

Engineered hardwood floors are also a great choice for your home. Thanks to the intricate production process involved in creating engineered hardwood, this material is less prone to the warping, expansion and contraction that solid hardwood can suffer from. This added stability means that engineered hardwood floors can be put anywhere in your home, including below grade (i.e.: basements).

Appearance is Everything

The biggest indicator of what type of flooring you should choose is based on what you want out of its appearance. Both solid and engineered hardwood flooring can be made from a variety of wood species and inover 50 different styles. It is completely up to your taste and decorating style, as well as budget, what you choose.

You can choose from lighter tones, such as maple or ash wood. Lighter tones will show less dirt, dust or pet hair and make rooms feel open and airy. If darker tones are your preference, look for walnut or mahogany. These styles tend to lend a more formal, stately feel to your room.

To Shine or Not to Shine?

Another thing to consider when selecting your hardwood floors is the level of shine or sheen you want. Flooring finishes come with different sheens, as well as finishes. As a general rule of thumb, the lower the sheen—whether flooring or paint—the less visible imperfections will be.

While this is strictly a matter of preference, you may be limited in your options, based on if you have a factory finished instead of site finished floor. If factory finished, you may be limited by the finishes the factory chooses for your flooring choice.

Nice Floors Finish Last

The finishing of your hardwood is the final sanding and leveling of your wood and application of the final sealant. This can either be performed in the factory or in your home. There are pros and cons to each of these options.

On-Site finishing allows for greater flexibility in choice of finish, especially sheen. It also affords for a much easier repair process if there is any damage to the floor in the installation process. A major drawback to on site finishing is the length of the process and the mess. A lot of dust and debris will be generated from the sanding and you have to leave sufficient time for the finish to dry.

Factory finishing is exactly that. The sanding and sealant is applied in the factory and the finished wood is sent to your home. This method reduces the dust and hassle of on-site finishing, but you will be limited in the customization options.

The Final Steps

Once the floor is installed, your project is nearly finished. To keep your floor looking showroom new, the biggest thing you can do is keep it clean.  If, however, your floor starts looking dull, you can use specialty hardwood floor cleaners, but you must choose one specifically designed for your type of floor to prevent damage. Performing just a little regular maintenance will make sure your floors keep that freshly installed look for years to come.

Choose Hardwood Flooring for Your Home

As we have seen, choosing hardwood for your home is one of the best choices that you could make. With a variety of style features and extreme durability, hardwood will give your home the attractive look you’ve been searching for. Install hardwood flooring in your home and get all the benefits this amazing material has to offer.