Lure of hardwood floor

Tired of the old flooring and want to change it to a wooden flooring preferably hardwood? That’s a good idea. But, wait a minute. Have you thought o the various aspects that go into getting hardwood flooring? Here are some of the things you need to look at before going in for hardwood flooring.

Types of flooring

First of all you need to know that there are two options available in hardwood flooring- the solid wood and the engineered wood.  Solid wood refers to the thick solid planks of wood milled from a single piece of timber. Engineered wood comprises of layers of wood sandwiched between a solid wood top layer and bottom layer of hardwood backing.

Installing the wooden floor

Each of them has a different installation method. The solid wooden floor has to be nailed or glued to the base floor and is quite a challenge to take on. It is advisable to enlist the services of professionals. The engineered wood is glued onto the concrete base. The solid wood should not be installed below grade as it could get affected by the moisture from the ground where as engineered wood can be installed below grade.

Tensile strength

Determine the kind of usage the floor wood be subjected to. Check if it has the tensile strength to bear the clatter of kids and pets, frequent parties and the numerous spills that go along with them.

Style

Decide on the style of the floor that you need- modern or traditional. The traditional floor requires a wooden floor of darker shades while the modern style demands lighter shades for the floor. Again the choice of the style will depend on the kind of windows and natural light available. If there is a lot of natural light streaming in, then the dark tones of the floor could even out. If the light streaming in is not adequate, then going in for light shades would make sense.

Maintenance

Both are given to being bruised by scratching and require a lot of maintenance–especially when there are pets and children around. The polyurethane method of staining wood gives if a great shine and when scratches appear, they are easily visible. The oiled finish on the other hand lends a matte finish which helps in concealing the scratches. The solid wood can withstand refinishing two to three times owing to its thickness. Engineered wood can be refinished only once or twice.