Stop dreading your home improvement project and get inspired! This guide on how to choose the best hardwood floor for your home will give you the basics for your decision-making process. Allow us to help you by providing you with crucial information about the kinds of hardwood flooring you could install in your home.
Solid Hardwood vs. Engineered Hardwood
When it comes to hardwood floors, you have two main options: solid hardwood or engineered hardwood. Solid hardwood consists of natural hardwood that you can sand and refinish from time to time. This comes in handy if your floor were to get a scratch or dent. Keep in mind that temperature affects hardwood flooring, so consider the climate you live in.
The alternative is engineered hardwood flooring. This flooring is artificially made from several natural wood species. These floors are stable and resilient, but altering them over time is not possible. Because the wood is a manufactured product, warping and dampness can’t ruin the floors.
Style, Cost, and Durability
When you’re deciding on hardwood flooring, it’s essential to keep in mind your style, your price range, and how durable you want the wood to be. If the option of changing up the look up your floors is vital to you, solid hardwood flooring would be best. However, solid hardwood is more expensive than engineered wood. And if you have pets, engineered wood might be better to prevent scratches, although maple, hickory, and oak are harder and therefore more durable hardwoods.
Species of Hardwood
There are numerous species of hardwood flooring on the market. A few examples include:
- Maple
- Hickory
- Oak
- Birch
- Cherry
- Ash
Color, Texture, and Finish
The last things you want to consider when deciding how to choose the best hardwood flooring for your home are the floor’s color, texture, and finish. Don’t be afraid to look up pictures of different flooring to get a feel for what you want. Do you want a dull or glossy finish? Do you want the wood grain to be facing a certain way? What about light or dark floors?
There are endless opportunities to explore with hardwood. Keep a keen eye on the characteristics you want out of your floor and what will benefit your home and family the most. The best thing about any hardwood flooring is that it’s replaceable, so you can change it as you see fit.