How to Choose the Best Hardwood Floors

Although picking the ideal hardwood flooring may not seem difficult, it is more challenging than you might imagine. Your flooring choice can affect your home’s durability, style, temperature, and appearance, among other things. Before you find a licensed general contractor, you should know your options.

Most types of hardwood flooring will raise the value of your property, but not all of them will be the ideal match for your lifestyle and budget.

At the start of your floor replacement process, you must be completely aware of your end goal. For that reason, our wood floor installer team put together this manual to help guide you. In this guide, we will go through some of the important questions you need to ask yourself and assist you in choosing the best hardwood flooring.

Do You Want Solid or Engineered Hardwood?

It would be best if you first decided whether to go with solid or manufactured hardwood floors. Solid hardwood floors are made from single pieces of wood with no layers, whereas manufactured wood floors are built with layers of plywood and hardwood.

Classic and timeless, solid hardwood flooring can survive for up to 100 years before there is a need to replace them. On the other hand, engineered hardwoods are exceptionally resistant to nicks, scratches, and different types of cosmetic damage, but their lifespan can be reduced by up to 50%.

Modern homeowners frequently prefer hardwood floor installations because of their stability, toughness, and resistance to warping in moist, humid environments. You might still prefer solid hardwood flooring, though, for its timeless appearance.

Research how the two types of floors might differ in appearance, which is better suitable for your environment, and how much each will cost to buy and install.

Pre-Finished VS. On-Site Finishes

The next consideration is whether to buy pre-finished hardwoods or finish the flooring after installing them.

Pre-finished hardwood boards will be delivered to the building site with the topcoat and stain fully applied. This is practical and makes it simple to guarantee that you receive the desired finish. Install the boards as-is; no color or sealant is required.

Nevertheless, on-site finishing, which enables more personalization in stain and sheen, has certain advantages. If you want a particular look, finishing the hardwoods after they come may be the best option, but it can be more time-consuming.

Types of Finishes

There are several types of finishes to consider, but we advise choosing between two primary groups: polyurethane finishes and oil finishes.

In “natural”-toned rooms, oil finishes give the hardwoods a silky, matte appearance that looks excellent. They are more prone to scratching than polyurethane coatings but are also reasonably easy to fix. Contrarily, polyurethane finishes produce a very robust surface that is resistant to wear and strain unless there is a significant issue. In this case, you will be required to polish and recoat.

Consult a hardwood flooring specialist to determine whether you want pre-finished boards with polyurethane or oil treatments. They can guide you toward the choice that best satisfies your wants, your home’s requirements, and your financial and aesthetic preferences.