Hardwood Floors
Hardwood flooring is one of the most popular choices in home design nowadays. And no wonder!!! They improve and modernize the appearance of your home by adding style and comfort, charm and warmth.
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Even though they have been used for centuries, they never seem to actually go out of fashion. Hardwood floors manufacturers have greatly improved many of the aspects of flooring since the past ages. From finish and durability to the ease of maintenance, nothing is neglected. They are not rigid and the level of detail has greatly increased since the initial models. Compared to other more modern, contemporary types of floors, hardwood floors rank very high, lasting for life.
Structure:
Solid flooring is constructed from a single piece of lumber and made into strips, planks, or parquet. Solid wood is very durable, but it may expand or contract as a result of humidity change, therefore it is highly recommended to leave a gap between a wall and the floor during the installation. Solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished over several decades of use.
Styles:
Hardwood floors are also categorized into different styles e.g. strips, planks, or parquet.
Strip flooring is made most often from oak and the most popular kind used for installation. It is constructed with a lineal tongue and groove; the width ranges from 1 ½” to 3 ¼” (the usual strip width is 2 ¼”); available in solid or engineered, unfinished or prefinished wood. Solid strip flooring is always nailed down to the subfloor and almost never glued.
Plank flooring is the same construction as strip wood except for the width. They start with at least 3” wide and some varieties reach from 12”-14”. Plank flooring is also available in solid or engineered, unfinished or prefinished wood. Same method of installation is used on planks; however they can also be screwed to the subfloor.
Parquet consists of smaller pieces of solid wood that comes in standard patterns of 6”x6” blocks and constructed into patterns or designs.
Types:
There is a wide selection of wood types from all over the world to choose from according to your personal preferences. Some of the most popular wood types are: Ash, Brazilian Walnut, Birch, Fir, Maple, Mahogany, Oak and Pine.
Installation:
Considering that hardwood floors are 100% wood, the installation process is more difficult then majority of the flooring products. If a homeowner has little or no experience in this area to try as DYI (Do It Yourself) project, then hiring professional contractors would be the next best choice. Hardwood flooring can be stapled, nailed or glued to the sub floor. For best results it is very important to carefully prepare the subfloor by getting rid of all preexisting flooring material including staples, and nails. As mentioned above hardwood flooring expands and contracts with the humidity changes, therefore prior to the installation date it is recommended to stack them inside for few days for the floors to adapt to the humidity level of your home.
Maintenance:
Hardwood floors require very little maintenance which is ideal for today’s busy lifestyles. There is no need for fancy solutions besides the typical floor washers.
In addition to being durable, they are also environmentally friendly. And most importantly, hardwood floor is the best investment for your home as they add great value of your property.