Once you have decided to install hardwood instead of laminate flooring, you have a large amount of calls to make when it comes to the kind of hardwood flooring that you’re going to install. In order to do this, you need to comprehend the different terms that are used to explain the various types of flooring available.
Solid wood floors is that which is created out of planks of wood. It is just what it sounds like, and can be acquired in different sizes. You’ll be able to find parquet, strip, or plank solid wooden flooring. You can get this flooring either prefinished, meaning each piece that you install has been sanded, stained and sealed ; or half finished, meaning that after you install the flooring you will have to finish the flooring by performing these actions.
Prefinished is simpler to install, but bear in mind that then the spans between the pieces will be subject to water and dust. Finishing the floor after installation will seal all of the cracks as well so the floor will be easier to keep clean and looking nice.
Another type of hardwood flooring is made of engineered wood. This means that many different thin layers of wood, known as veneers, are combined to make one piece of flooring. Typically a cheap wood is used for the main part with a rather more expensive wood used on top to give the appearance you are looking for. This sort of flooring is cheaper, and it also has usually been treated so that it is better ready to take extraordinary temperatures, spills, and humidity than solid wood.
The other type of hardwood flooring that you could come across is an acrylic impregnated wood floor. The wood used for this sort of floor has been covered with acrylic and coloring in order to make it more resistant to scratches and other damage that you could find in heavy traffic areas.
Now that you are acquainted with some of the commoner terms you have to know it’ll be way easier for you to figure out which sort of flooring is best for you. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks, which you’ll want to keep under consideration when shopping for your new floor. One last tip : add some nice area rugs to your room to bring everything together.