Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are a beautiful addition to any house. According to many real estate agents, the cost of installing hardwood floors is usually recovered when the house is sold, due to the high demand for quality flooring. Hardwoods also make a very low maintenance floor covering that is resistant to wear.

Choosing a Specific Hardwood:

Species & Grains:
Some of the most popular species are oak, maple, ash, and pine. Depending on the desired color, you can choose from a light pine, maple, or ash, or if you like a deeper tone, you can choose a walnut, cherry, or beech. Depending on the chosen wood, grains can be tight and small, or open and long.

Stains:
Different color stains can be applied to wood, while keeping the chosen wood's grain pattern visible. Popular opinion is that darker colors look more formal, while lighter colors create casual settings.

Hardwood Composition:
Solid Strip: The most common type of hardwood floor, constructed using 3/4" by 2 1/4" boards. A correctly installed solid strip floor should last the life of the home.

Engineered Wood Floors:
Because Engineered floors do not require subfloors, they can be glued directly to concrete. These are generally a lower-cost alternative to solid wood floors, however, due to their thin wear layer, they cannot be refinished as many times as solid strip.

Grading:
Hardwood floors, like other wood products, are available in a variety of quality levels or grades. In general, higher grades cost more than lower-quality grades. "Clear" is the highest-quality gradge, followed by "Select", "#1 Common," and "#2 Common."

Installation:

Before hardwood floors can be installed, all furniture must be removed from the home. Sub-floors may also need to be leveled to prevent waves and squeaks in the new hardwood floor.

Solid strip flooring is factory pre-cut with tongues and grooves so that when it is installed, each strip interlocks with its immediate neighbors. This design hides all surface nails, except for the ones in the first lines of strips in the run. Wood floors should be securely nailed in place to prevent annoying squeaks.

Sanding is an important step because it smooths the surface of the wood, which creates an even floor with no bumps. Before sanding, plastic is taped around doorways, ceiling fans, and heating vents.

After installation and sanding, traditional hardwood floors are finished in the home. Dust is thoroughly cleaned from the home to prevent sticking to the finish. The two types of finishes are surface finishes and penetrating seals. Surface finishes, such as polyurethane coatings, are highly water and wear resistant. Penetrating seals are not water resistant, and an additional wax coating is used to increase the wear resistance of these wood floors.

Prefinished floors are boards that are sanded and finished at the factory. The installation is similar to traditional hardwood flooring, minus the hassle of on-site sanding and finishing. These floors are sometimes not as smooth as those sanded and finished in the home.