A choice that lasts for years
Buying a hardwood floor is an important decision and significant investment. In order to choose the type of flooring that’s right for you, it’s important to know your needs and preferences in terms of design, wood species, durability, technologies and maintenance. Types of wood flooring
Unfinished solid hardwood These low-cost non-varnished rough boards have to be
nailed to a wood subfloor. Prefinished solid hardwood Sold as ready-to-install, the finish is factory-applied in an ideal, controlled environment. Prefinished engineered hardwood – Sold as boards made up of a hardwood surface (called the wear layer), these are glued on a plywood base. The boards can be glued directly onto concrete, an acoustic underlay, or even a subfloor with a floor heating system. Color
A stained floor gives a unique feel to each room. But be sure to select stains that will match different decors, since your wood floor will outlast any trend in home fashion. Species
Each species of wood has its own grain, color, and veining. Your choice of species depends on your personal preferences and the effect you want to achieve. The most popular species are oak and maple, followed by birch, ash, beech, cherry, and walnut. Exotic woods are also available such as Brazilian cherry, mahogany, sapele and tigerwood, which are very warm in color and extremely hard. Gloss
There are three main glosses on the market:
1. High gloss: A very bright, smooth finish that tends to highlight scratches or marks, and makes dirt and dust more visible.
2. Semi-gloss: This medium-bright finish is the standard for prefinished hardwood floors.
3. Low gloss: More and more popular, low gloss finish minimizes the appearance of scratches and marks. It stays looking new longer than glossy finishes. Width
Boards are generally available in standard widths of 2.25, 2.5 and 3.25. Wider widths are becoming more and more popular, some up to 5 in width. Your choice will depend on the effect you want to create. Narrower boards make a room look longer, while wider boards make it appear shorter. Remember, that a tight grained wood like maple expands more with humidity, which may make narrower boards preferable for some uses. Grade
Grading is a means of rating boards according to variations in the wood’s natural color. For example, Select & better grade woods are more uniform in color than exclusive or traditional grade, which presents greater, more pronounced natural color variation. Maintenance
Your floors worst enemies are water, soap, and sand. Don’t use a wet mop or commercial soaps. All you need is a damp cloth, or use the care products recommended by the manufacturer, and vacuum regularly. Unlike other floor coverings, wood is a living material. That means you have to be particularly careful of the humidity level in your home before, during, and after installation. To avoid stressing your floor, you should always keep the average relative humidity level at about 45%. As you can see, a number of variables come into play when choosing a hardwood floor. But equally important is finding out about the various retailers and choosing wisely. Buy your hardwood floor from a specialist one who not only sells flooring, but can also give you advice and help you complete your project according to your priorities and budget. information provided by
http://www.currentsnj.com/live/hard-facts-on-hardwood-floors/
