Enhance Your Home with Wood Floor Inlay Designs
Your hardwood floor is a beauty in itself. But if you are looking for ways to further enhance your home, a wood floor inlay pattern is the perfect option.
Wood floor inlay patterns originated as an art form. Hand-made decorative wood floor inlays, though costing a fortune, are stunning to behold. These come in many designs, and are traditionally used as borders or center-pieces to hardwood flooring.
With the advent of computers and graphic design, well-designed wood floor inlay patterns can now be purchased at affordable prices. Your classic wood flooring can be enhanced by simply adding wood flooring inlays. You can choose from pre-made designs or even have designs made especially for you.
Decorative wood floor inlays are often made from exotic wood species and are often designed to enhance the unique characteristics of the wood used. Some wood species preferred for wood floor inlays are:
- Oak for its dark and naturally tight grain.
- Birch for its many knotholes and naturally soft characteristics.
- Fir, also a soft wood, has large patterns of dark grain.
- Ash with is uniform light texture and grain.
- Makore.
- Santos Mahogany.
- Quilted Maple.
- Bubinga.
- Imbuia.
Positioning
Wood floor inlay patterns are best utilized when placed at key positions on your hardwood floors. There are two types of positioning ideal for wood floor inlays. These are:
- The medallion which serve as an attention-grabbing element on your wood floor. With medallions, large wood floor inlay patterns are placed at the center or at conspicuous places around your hardwood floor.
- The borders of your hardwood flooring are also a good focal point for wood floor inlays. Designs of simple geometric figures or curlicues of vines and leaves are typically used for this.
Installation
The installation of wood floor inlay designs is no small matter. This requires a lot of skill and if you want your floors to turn out right, then this should be done by a professional. Don’t put your do-it-yourself skills to the test if you don’t know how. To do a wood floor inlay requires a lot of precision work, where cuts are made on the wood flooring using high-powered tools with specialized bits and specific dimensions.
Care and Maintenance
Wood floor inlay patterns are relatively easy to care for and are no different from your regular wood flooring. Wood floor inlays are still made of wood. The urethane coating used in your hardwood floor is similar to the wood inlay. Floor dusting and vacuuming regularly should sufficiently keep your wood floor inlays tidy. For stubborn dirt, rubbing the spot using a damp cloth with a white vinegar and water solution should do the trick. Products with oil soap ingredients and those that leave a coating of film should be avoided.
You must remember that though wood floor inlays are generally beautiful and pleasing to the eye, overdoing it can be a disastrous eye sore. Less is still more. Do it right and wood floor inlay patterns can add a touch of class and timelessness to your home.