When it comes it to figuring out which flooring material to use in your home, you have to narrow it down from all of the options available. For example, if you want to lay some residential carpeting in your new home, you only need to worry about figuring out whether you want a half-loom, full-loom, or frieze. There aren’t a lot of options available. This is not the case with hardwood flooring, which is why we put together this guide to the different styles available.
Do You Want Solid or Engineered Hardwood Flooring?
You might think this is a question of pine vs. oak, but there is a lot more to it than that. For example, a popular recent trend in flooring is engineered flooring. Regular flooring is just a straight hardwood plank, while engineered flooring is a much thinner strip of the same material glued or otherwise fixed to something like a plywood plank. It helps cut down on the cost of the material, since you aren’t paying for the whole piece of hardwood and it helps reduce the number of trees cut down. The layers of lower quality wood below actually improve the stability of the whole floor since they offer more support than traditional hardwood. On the other hand, engineered flooring won’t last as long as traditional hardwood since it can only be resurfaced maybe once or twice in its lifetime. This leads us to the next point.
Do You Want a Floor that is Already Finished?
You can buy your hardwood flooring already surfaced and ready to go, or you can do it yourself. Neither option is really better than the other – it just depends whether you like the look and feel of the standard finishes, or if you want to throw something on that matches your home perfectly. In the latter case, you’d probably have to do it yourself, which might not be everyone’s preference. It is very important that you finish the floors after they’ve been installed and stained. The finish is a protective layer that seals all of the cracks in the flooring, preventing moisture, dirt, and other irritants from seeping into the subflooring.
What Kind of Wood Do You Want to Use?
This is the most important question for many people and another one without an easy answer. There are easily a couple dozen of different species to choose from. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when selecting your new flooring. For one, you want something that is going to last, which usually means going with one of the harder woods such as oak. Maple, cherry, and bamboo are also hardwoods that will hold up under everyday wear and tear.. Just try to buy something that comes from a sustainable forest since caring for the environment is important.
Before picking out the wood material you want to use, make sure to decide whether you want something finished or unfinished, traditional or engineered. Then, if you live in the Nashville and greater Middle Tennessee area and still have questions, make sure to contact the professionals at Ozburn-Hessey for all of your flooring needs.
