Basic Types of Wood Flooring
As you build your dream home, one of the most important challenges you will encounter will be flooring. Tile and ceramic floors might look good and are relatively easy to clean and maintain, but if you want to achieve a natural, classic look for your home, wood flooring is your best bet. The types of wood flooring available vary in durability and maintenance required.
If you decide to go with the warm, homey feeling of wooden floors, you need to be oriented with the different wood floor types available. You need to consider both the merits and limitations of the types of wood flooring available before you decide on one. Ultimately choosing a wood floor type depends on the level of commitment you are willing to provide.
There are four different types of hardwood floors. They are:
- Solid wood floors which has two kinds. The look of the floor and how it is installed is determined by each kind.
- Parquet floors are versatile and offer the most possibilities in design. They usually come in the standard 6” x 6”, and you can achieve the best designs with this type of wood flooring.
- The most common solid wood flooring type, strip flooring solid wood floors come in strips with a range of widths to choose from, the most common being 2 ¼”. These types of wooden floor are relatively easy to install. They are simply nailed on to the subfloor.
- Wood laminates, with its many plies and thickness, might also be ideal for your home. This type of hardwood floor has plywood bases and is topped with a layer of veneer. Ideally, the three ply or 3/8” should do just fine.
- Synthetic wood or plastic laminate wood flooring are made with a fibreboard center and wrapped in high pressure laminate. These types of wood flooring are commonly available in ½ inch thick variety. They can be installed easily but cannot be resanded or refinished. Instead, they should be removed and replaced once they wear out. These types of wood floor usually come with a warranty.
- Engineered wood flooring is usually made of wood from different tree species or the same wood in different grades stacked together in layers and glued together with heat and pressure. With these types of wood floors, warping is not a problem.Engineered wood flooring can be installed either above or below ground. Most of these types of wood flooring cannot be sanded. There are a few types, however, that can be resanded and refinished a few times.
Solid wood floors may contract and expand, depending on your home’s humidity. Wood floor installers add an expansion gap between the floor and wall to remedy this. The gaps are often covered by base moulding to give the wooden floor a clean and seamless look.
Solid wood floors should be installed above or on ground level. You can resand and refinish these types of wood flooring throughout its lifetime to periodically refresh its look.
Hardwood flooring is the perfect flooring to create that warm, cozy feeling in your home. With the many types of wood flooring, choosing can be a chore. Know what you want and make sure it is properly installed so you will finally be at home.