Understanding Your Solid Hardwood Floor Solid hardwood flooring had become more competitive lately as technologies advance and alternatives are getting plentiful. Laminate, cork, bamboo and a variety of other flooring have risen to take on and out hardwood from areas around your home. Still, these competitors will be hard pressed to be combined with the warm style and durability of a high quality solid hardwood floor. Reacquaint yourself with what has taken so many homeowners to this type of flooring for years. The Build-up Solid wood floor – is a solid piece of wood from top to bottom. Typically, the thickness of a wood floor ranges from 3/4 to 5/16 of an inch, although this can vary depending on the type of wood you prefer. Hardwood is available in strips and planks – strips are narrow and planks are wider. Each of this can be available in finished and unfinished in various grades. The appeal of unfinished boards is that they can be stained and varnished to match the nuances of your home whilst finished boards only require installation. The grade you select may depend on the budget; however, a clear grade provides a top of the line choice with few flaws and uniformity in color and shade. Meanwhile, a common grade with some knots and more variation in shade will be more affordable, and still may work in your home. The type of wood you choose for your home gives a striking presence to a dining or kitchen area. Ranging from light to almost dark, the different types can be adapted to your needs as well. Oak is one of the best choices among many homeowners, while maple offers a harder alternative and parquetry inlays by using of mixed woods which are seen in many upscale homes. Finding the type you love is always and certainly important, and sometimes simplicity in wood choice offers overall flexibility as well. Keeping Power
Resiliency is one of the major advantages of solid hardwood over compete other alternatives, including engineered wood flooring. Maintenance is relatively easy if you give your hardwood floor consideration and the option of re-sanding makes a whole new experience for your spaces. Solid wood flooring has a wear layer, or a layer of wood that can be sanded down for years. This layer is thicker as compared to engineered wood flooring, increasing the number of times you can sand and refinish your floor. Generally, this is not done but a handful of times as the amount is limited to the thickness of the floor along with the time and determination it takes; however, it is a variable of hardwood that cannot be matched. A decade after installing your hardwood, you might decide to freshen up your flooring. Rather than pulling it up, having your solid wood floor be re-sand and refinish essentially will produce a new floor. Sweeping or dusting regularly in addition to the occasional mopping and considering the products you use must not be corrosive to the wood or your finish will make your hardwood flooring remain beautiful. Hardwood has become an important piece in the flooring industry and in homes because of its refined beauty and endurance. While the alternatives have begun to rival wood, the benefits of new hardwood flooring continue to make it a desirable option for any home.