If you’re looking to increase your knowledge of hardwood, you’ve come
to the smart place.
And speaking of smart -- rich, inviting hardwood floors are not only beautiful to
live with, they also add value to your home.
It’s a fact, the elegant look, warmth and personality of hardwood flooring,
and the natural characteristics of wood, add depth and a visual appearance to a
home that virtually everyone loves.
Plus, today, hardwood types, options and applications are more diverse and delightful
than ever.
The result of those advancements is that wood floors can now be installed throughout
the home and over a wide variety of subfloors.
Now, when you’re shopping for a hardwood floor, you will see boards in various
sizes.
The narrower boards are called “strips,” and the wider ones, “planks.”
You should be aware that board width can visually impact a room.
Narrow width boards will expand a room, while wider boards work well in a larger
room.
When we think of solid wood floors we are usually talking about a three-quarter
inch thick plank that is two and one-quarter inches wide.
The strips are generally in lengths from twelve inches to eighty-four inches.
Hardwood floors come with either a beveled edge or a square edge.
The three types of wood floors are Solid, Engineered and Longstrip Plank.
Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood with tongue and groove sides.
Solid wood floors can be installed pre-finished or unfinished.
Pre-finished floors offer a wider variety of wood species and save time in installation.
But unfinished wood floors allow you to have a custom job – you choose the
wood and it’s sanded and stained on site.
Because they’re a natural product, hardwood flooring will expand and contract
in response to seasonal changes in moisture.
There are also limitations on where some wood floors can be installed.
Solid hardwood floors are more susceptible to moisture and are generally not recommended
for basements, or installing directly onto a concrete slab.
Engineered wood floors are generally manufactured with 2,3, or 5 thin sheets
or plies of wood that are laminated together to form one plank.
Longstrip plank floors are similar to engineered floors and have several
wood plies that are glued together.
The center core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue
and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the core.
Hardwood styles are the result of the wood species.
Some of the more common species are red oak, white oak, maple, cherry, white ash,
hickory and pecan.
Each species of wood has its own unique graining and texture.
The graining on the boards is determined by the way they have been cut.
Within each species of hardwood you have a choice of colors and finishes, choose
one that coordinates or contrasts with your cabinetry and furniture.
Darker woods tend to be more formal, while natural colors are more casual.
As far as upkeep goes, the days of having to wax and scrub hardwood floors are pretty
much gone forever.
This does not mean you should wash your floor with a mop, but it does mean these
floors won't watermark like the old waxed hardwood floors.
Manufacturers of pre-finished wood floors have developed sophisticated techniques
to quickly apply hard, durable, urethane-based finishes right at the factory.
This is one of the benefits of a pre-finished hardwood floor.
Unfinished floors can take several days to install and finish while the time required
to install a pre-finished hardwood floor is generally less.
Finally, be calculating! The hardwood “cost per square foot” is just
one component of the entire project cost.
We will be happy to calculate the total cost for your hardwood floor including subfloor
preparation, product delivery, installation and materials required to complete the
installation.
There’s a lot to keep to keep in mind before you buy hardwood, but its well
worth the effort to be a smart and knowledgeable hardwood shopper.