Floor installation is a costly choice that affects your dream house permanently. You can’t change your mind about the floor after installation.
Do you know what drives demand in the matter of hardwood floors? Durability, strength, attractiveness, simple maintenance, affordable cost, improved indoor air quality, etc. No matter what style of hardwood floors you pick, they will continually enhance the interior value of your house.
It won’t matter whether you get rustic, antique, or vintage hardwood flooring. Invest in hardwood flooring instead of carpet or tiles to boost your home’s value and have fewer issues. Hardwood flooring fits any décor or theme, unlike carpet or laminate.
Even though hardwood has numerous perks, you shouldn’t purchase it because everyone else is doing so. You must choose flooring that meets your needs and tastes.
You must gather enough information to justify buying realistic and affordable hardwood flooring. Here’s a detailed guide on hardwood floors for designing a flooring plan.
Think About Your Preferred Interior
Solid hardwood is the actual wood floor that enriches the look of the hour with elegance and timeliness. It creates an illusion of what makes a small house look more prominent. Victorian-themed interiors might have antique or rustic hardwood flooring.
Age and weathering make reclaimed hardwood more sustainable than tile or carpet. Engineered hardwood flooring may be readily adapted to traditional or contemporary interiors.
You are willing to spend
There are several flooring solutions for those on a tight budget.
- You will need a lot of money if you want to install solid hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood consists of planks cut from wood and generates a high production cost.
If you want a lovely floor on a budget, you may use solid unfinished wood treated with oil. Oak flooring is a cheaper option you might consider. The standard Bamboo flooring is also a more affordable option, priced between $3 and $12 per square foot. If your priority is vintage or antique hardwood flooring, ambiance sold wood is the perfect option.
- The engineer would be cheaper than solid finished flooring, commonly ranging between $2.50 and $10 per square foot. The engineered flooring is a multilayered plywood core with a thin layer of solid wood on top.
However, you need to pay more to install the engineered floor. The installation cost varied depending on the style, texture, color, and quality.
- The eco-friendly reclaimed hardwood flooring option comes with a higher cost compared to virgin wood. It is true because it requires intense work and nail pulling to create the final product.
This floor is currently in high demand in the local hardwood flooring stores in Texas, Florida, Louisville, and other major states. Due to that, recovered hardwood is in scarce supply. There are some additional services people get from these hardwood stores.
laminatePeople can get installed tile and laminating floor services in Louisville. Their carpentry skills may add crown molding, baseboards, and built-ins to any area as well. A few Hardwood Flooring Louisville stores and online retailers offer reclaimed flooring. People in Florida have hardwood flooring stores that also sell abrasives, adhesives, coatings, etc.
The Texture You Want
You can customize the texture of the surface with different processes available. And this is based on your preference.
- For glossy and semi-glossy looks, water-based finishes are quite popular. It gives a shiny, stretchy surface with high moisture resistance. It is also an effective way to refurbish old hardwood flooring.
- Oil-finished floors are relatively less expensive, providing a natural look on the surface. This option is highly utilized for commercial properties. For vintage hardwood flooring, this option is prioritized.
- The lacquered finish gives the floor a smoother texture. You can choose this option for a matt or semi-matt surface. This method is predominantly used on antique hardwood flooring and antique hardwood flooring.
- If you want a natural and textured floor, a hand-scraped finish is the one you need. It involves scraping the finished floor, offering a coarse and rustic hardwood flooring option for your home. This process is costly compared to other choices.
- The unfinished floor entails the raw sold woods, which are processed with oil or lacquer coat for protection and resilience. This one is the cheapest option out there.
Are You Looking for a Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Option
When choosing materials for flooring that have less impact on the environment, you need to rely on engineered hardwood floors.
Solid hardwood flooring uses way more trees than engineer hard work flooring. This makes solid flooring less desirable when you are seeking eco-friendly flooring.
Engineered hardwood flooring requires a small amount of wood for a thin veneer, while the core is made of plywoods or fiber boards.
For a more ecological choice, use salvaged or repurposed hardwood flooring made from discarded wood. But due to limited supply, you have to pay a higher price for it.
The Lifestyle You Maintain
You need to reflect on your lifestyle before choosing the right flooring for your sweet home. Rustic hardwood flooring is kid and pet-friendly and more slip-resistant than tiles.
Does your lifestyle require you to move furniture back and forth constantly? Yes, then hardwood flooring is for you. Slip-resistant, robust, and natural hardwood is ideal for a living room or den.
The Climate of Your Area
You need to consider your local climate in advance and decide on hardwood floor installation. It is the nature of wood to react to the change in the atmosphere. The wood tends to shrink whenever humidity plunges and expands once humidity rises.
Engineered flooring is stable, durable, and adjusts to temperature and humidity changes. Using related tools, you may regulate the variances of solid hardwood.
To prevent changes in a solid hardwood floor, employ air-conditioning and a humidifier. However, with tiles or carpets, you don’t worry about any of these.
The Maintenance Requirements
Unlike carpets, wood floors don’t stick much dirt on the surface. To keep floors shining and beautiful, dry mop them daily since water mopping may ruin them. You must use unique cleaning products to prolong the floor’s lifespan.
What Are the Wood Species Options?
You must explore different wood species before settling on the perfect one for your home.
- If you focus more on longevity and resistance to dings and dangs, you need to choose exotic hardwoods such as mahogany which is an expensive option.
- For more affordable hardwood, you can always count on domestic oats such as oak-pine, maple, etc.
Final Words
You may make your home appear exotic and luxurious with fewer furnishings. Solid woods outperform their alternatives in beauty, upkeep, and longevity. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a beautiful and sturdy option for floors that will last for years.
Now with do-it-yourself flooring installation has become more accessible and quicker than ever. Hardwood flooring demands additional effort to maintain its quality, so bear that when choosing it. All of the points we’ve discussed above are worth considering before you finally settle on your hardwood floors.
