Hardwood floors are easy to personalize, with specific options at various points in your flooring project. This means you can easily tailor your floors to your specific need, whether household-wide or on a room-by-room basis. There are plenty of benefits as well, no matter what you prefer, including excellent stability and durability, a classic, gorgeous appearance that’s easy to maintain, and a lifespan that is nearly unrivaled in the market. There’s no doubt this could be the next floor covering you choose.
There are a variety of ways to achieve the perfect look for your floors. For instance, the finish you choose, whether high gloss, vintage, distressed, or wire-brushed, to name a few, can set the stage for the look you want. High-gloss offers that picture-perfect shine, but it’s easy to scratch and mar. Vintage, on the other hand, hides a great deal of wear and tear, but it can be harder to keep as clean as the gloss version.
If durability is your primary concern, you’ll want to pay special attention to the variety of species you’ll have to choose from in hardwood flooring. Busy spaces require very hard species such as oak or cherry, while spaces with less traffic, such as pantries and closets, only need a softwood. Species can also dictate how well your flooring accepts stain, what kind of finish will be needed, and how long you can expect to put off refinishing.
It’s very important to know that hardwood floors must be acclimated prior to installation. The time-period for this step can vary greatly, and depends on the humidity levels in your home, especially on installation day. Your flooring professional can give you more information based on the specifics for your own project.
This material can also never be installed in below-grade spaces such as basements either. For these, you’ll need to choose a good wood-look alternative and we can help you choose the perfect one.