There are many homeowners who would prefer hardwood flooring over other options, especially carpets. But hardwood also offers many advantages over stone. It has a classic and rustic appeal to it. It is highly durable, although stone is even more durable. But wooden floorings are meant to last a lifetime. Wood is relatively warmer and softer compared to stone, and you will not have to worry about feeling cold in the winters.
Acrylic Impregnated Hardwood
There’s no denying about the advantages of hardwood flooring, but it is recommended to know about the available options before you choose this flooring option.
Acrylic impregnated hardwood is highly durable flooring. The wood becomes harder because of injection of acrylics into wood. Such hardwood floors is more suitable for commercial settings and for areas that receive high volume traffic.
Solid Hardwood Flooring
This type of flooring is made up of a single piece of wood in a room. It is a single piece without concern how long and wide the room is. You could choose a custom floor for each room.
You can choose between a variety of wood species, and have your own choice of stain and finish. Some of the notable customizations include painted floors, accents, and borders. Solid hardwood flooring is perfectly suited for homes and can be installed in one or more rooms. A good thing about them is that they could be refinished 4 to 5 times through their lifetime.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Engineered hardwood comprises of multiple layers of wood which are glued onto each other. They receive their stability through the grains running in different directions.
They are available in terms of their ply thickness, which can range from 3 to 5 ply. 5 ply is the most commonly used configuration. The good thing about these hardwood floorings is that they can be installed in places where you cannot install solid hardwood. Engineered hardwood floors are perfectly suited for areas where you are concerned about humidity. Examples include bathrooms and basements.
Hardwood Flooring & Installation
You should also consider the method of installing your flooring when choosing it. There are three common methods – floating, glue down and nail down.
Nailing – When it comes to nailing the hardwood floor, it is important that the subfloor be made of something that can be nailed for a long time.
Gluing – When gluing the wooden floor, it is important to remove the carpet, vinyl, plywood or ceramic. The wood should be glued to the even and flat subfloor underneath.
It is recommended to not to use particleboard subflooring because the nails will gradually fall loose. Because of this versatility of engineered hardwood, it can be installed on different types of subfloors.
When choosing the right type of hardwood floor, it is also important to consider where you will be installing them – in the ground floor, above it, or the basement. This is going to affect the kind of installation method you will be using.
If you have concrete subfloor, it is recommended to choose engineered hardwood. You may also consider solid hardwood, it is more likely to suffer from continuous expansion and contraction because of changing moisture in concrete.
Hardwood floor has a timeless appeal to it and offers many other advantages. But not all the available options are same. Consider all the above-mentioned factors before you make the right choice. Because it is a costly investment, it becomes even more important that you get the right type of wooden floor. Besides, keep in mind that hardwood needs regular maintenance and refinishing once in a while.
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