Wooden flooring is a trending material for contemporary homes, with many home-owners and interior designers preferring it over carpet. Decorative wood floors add charm to your home décor, and can be used throughout the entirety of your home. While hardwood floors are more expensive compared to other flooring materials, they bring in warmth and durability to your home décor, and offer great value on investment. For decorative wood flooring, get in touch with a company dealing in hardwood floor installation.

Since hardwood flooring is a valuable investment for your home interiors, you need to carefully evaluate your options before buying it. Your budget, quality and type of wooden flooring you desire, and your lifestyle are some key factors that govern the purchase of wooden flooring. This article gives you great tips on important considerations before buying wooden flooring for your home.

Solid vs. Engineered Wood

There are two main types of hardwood: solid and engineered. Solid wood flooring is made of a single solid piece of wood from top to bottom. Solid wood flooring has a vintage appeal to it, and makes your home décor look traditional and timeless. Solid wood is susceptible to moisture induced wood movement. . Solid wooden floors look great in living or dining rooms, thanks to its eternal charm. High-quality solid wood floors can be sanded and refinished several times, and they are highly durable, meaning you can have peace of mind knowing they’ll last for years to come.

Engineered wooden floors are manufactured using multiple layers of wood surfaces. Engineered wood is made in a manner such that the grain of each layer runs in perpendicular directions, making it very stable. The manufacturing process of engineered wood enhances its functionality, meaning it will expand and contract less than solid wood flooring during fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Engineered wood can be easily installed to either a wood or concrete subfloor, making it a preferred choice for basements, which cannot use solid wood flooring. Engineered wood can also be used in all other rooms of the house.

Choosing the Wood Variety

Different wood species have varied appearances, colors, and patterns. Selecting the best one for your home depends mainly on your budget and décor style. Light woods like ash or maple make your rooms look bright and spacious, and are recommended for smaller spaces such as the guest bedroom or kitchen. Medium hued woods like hickory or oak are great for those who want a rustic décor theme in their home, these species make a room warm and cozy. Dark woods like walnut or mahogany give your home a striking appeal, and work well for large living rooms and master bedrooms.

Choosing the Right Surface Finish

Wood flooring can be either factory-finished or site-finished, the choice of which depends on the level of customization you require and your décor needs.  On-site finish means that the wood will be sanded and finished when it’s being installed in your home. This type of finish gives you great flexibility to choose your own stain color and finish sheen.

Opting for hardwood flooring for your home needs careful consideration. Get in touch with us at WOOD & Co. for gorgeous wide plank solid and engineered wood flooring installation.