How to Choose the Right Hardwood Flooring for Your Home

How to Choose the Right Hardwood Flooring for Your Home

We all know the charm and appeal hardwood floors add to any home. They are a wonderful investment and a preferred surface for their durability and elegance. Apart from increasing property value (you heard that right), hardwood floors easy to clean and modern technology has created some variations which are as effortless to maintain. Whether you’re renovating a home or just craving a fresh look, hardwood flooring is a wonderful way to instantly spruce up your interiors. However, there are various factors to consider when choosing hardwood flooring. Here’s how to choose:

Type of Hardwood Flooring

There is a variety of hardwood flooring but you’ll need to consider a few factors like pets, children, climate, and the like when choosing. However, when thinking of hardwood flooring, two main types come to mind: engineered hardwood and solid hardwood.

Engineered Hardwood

This type of hardwood is manufactured. The uppermost and bottommost layers are made of 4mm thick natural hardwood while the center is a five to seven-layer sandwich of plywood. The thin top layer, if not treated, poses the threat of being dented or scratched so sanding it down can be a risk. However, the plywood sandwich at the center can withstand numerous conditions without warping. Thus, engineered hardwood flooring allows versatility in the home especially for damper areas like the laundry room and basement. This type of flooring is also relatively cheaper than its solid natural counterpart and has become a viable choice for many renovations.

Solid Hardwood

Solid hardwood is known for its sturdy and versatile nature. Because it is so durable, it can be sanded down without any problem once it is dented or scratched. The downside of solid hardwood is its porous nature, making it warp as it ages, especially when subjected to moisture or humidity. Tropical and warm climates may cause the hardwood to warp over time. Despite that, proper care will still keep its form and timeless appeal. Solid hardwood is also quite expensive usually twice the price of engineered hardwood. Installation can also be costly and may require a sublayer of plywood before being put in place.

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Variety of Hardwood Flooring

Whether solid or engineered, hardwood comes in a variety. Each one comes with their own characteristics including durability and hardness which should be considered. For homes that take a lot of foot traffic, consider harder variations like hickory and oak while staining ability is usually associated with a softer variety like cherry. Of all the 20 varieties of hardwood, the most popular include hickory, maple, cherry, walnut, ash, birch, red oak, and white oak.

Consider Your Budget

While we all want our homes to be as resplendent as a 19th-century manor, or at least have touches of it, hardwood flooring can be expensive—from the wood alone and the installation process. But it does have its upsides, like increasing the home’s value apart from its visual appeal. Even with its pricey nature, you can still choose a hardwood variety that’s relatively inexpensive to stay within the confines of your budget. Then, you can use the bulk of that budget for the costly installation which normally includes installing a sublayer of flooring for the hardwood planks to settle on. Harder varieties of wood are generally cheaper so Maple and Oak tend to be the best bet for the budget-conscious. However, it’s still best to look around for hardwood flooring Dallas to find one that best fits your budget.

Look for Hardwood that Fits Your Style

Here’s the fun part. Hardwood comes in varieties and with that, a roster of options for colors, finishes, textures, and grain. Merge your own personal design preferences with your lifestyle. Despite design trends, it’s important to choose a hardwood flooring that will continue to be timeless as your style and preferences diversify and grow.

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Depending on the amount of space allotted, consider the color of the hardwood. Lighter stains brighten up and expand a smaller space while darker stains add a classic look to any space. Finishes also vary from matte to glossy. A satin finish is right in the middle, offering a nostalgic gleam seen in the hardwood floors of antique homes.

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One Reply to “How to Choose the Right Hardwood Flooring for Your Home”

  1. This blog was super informative and a great read for anyone looking to change the flooring in their home. Hardwood floor installation doesn’t have to be as daunting of a task as it’s made to be and there are actually some really great alternatives to real hardwood flooring that are both more affordable and easier to care for. One of the biggest points made in the article was to consider your budget because hardwood floors can get really expensive. Good alternatives to hardwood are laminate floor installation and vinyl plank floor installation because both have many options that look like wood and they’re both significantly more affordable. Before choosing a hardwood for your home it’s very important to consider the pieces of information given in this article and it’s a great idea to keep other types of flooring in mind as well.

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