5 Steps to Choosing a Hardwood Floor

5 Steps to Choosing a Hardwood Floor
There are many aspects that go into choosing the appropriate hardwood floor for your home. The climate you live in, whether or not you have kids or pets and your budget are all important things to consider when deciding which hardwood floors are a good fit for you. But there are many other factors that could affect your decision, such as color, species, or even hardness. Choosing a hardwood floor may be one of the most important decisions you will make when decorating your home, so you should first consider the essentials. Here are the basics of choosing a hardwood floor:

Budget
Hardwood floors can sound intimidating and expensive, but in reality they are very affordable and easy to maintain. When considering installing hardwood floors in your home, first set a budget for the project that you are comfortable with and stick to it! Research the different types of woods and necessary expenses beforehand, so that you don't find yourself half-way through the project and with no more money to spare.

Color & Species
Putting a hardwood floor in your home can easily transform a dull space into a masterpiece. But what you really want to say with your new floor is best said by the color. Darker colors are more modern and exotic while lighter colors can seem more traditional or even antique. Once you've decided on a color, it's time to choose the right species. Certain species fare better than others with heat, moisture and traffic.

Location
Some rooms of your house receive more traffic than others, and therefore may require a denser wood. Certain woods are naturally more susceptible to wear and these woods should be avoided in your busiest rooms. Of course, this is where lifestyle comes into play. For example, if you have kids and pets who frequent a particularly area, you will want the wood in that room to be very durable. And in rooms where a lot of moisture is present, like kitchens or bathrooms, you will need to choose a hardwood floor that can withstand the constant presence of water.

Solid Hardwood or Engineered
Solid hardwood floors are cut from a solid piece of wood and are offered both unfinished or with a prefinished surface. Because the plank is made from 100% wood, it will react to changes in humidity, so it should be placed in rooms with low moisture levels. One of the benefits of solid hardwood flooring is that it can be refinished several times over the course of its lifetime. Engineered hardwood floors are a combination of solid hardwood flooring on top and unfinished plywood underneath. The benefits of engineered hardwood flooring are its increased strength, range of styles and finishes, and because engineered floors come prefinished there is no wait time for sanding and sealing. When installed by a professional, engineered wood can be re-finished three to four times in its lifetime. This is better for the environment and uses four times less of each log than solid hardwood floors.

Unfinished or Prefinished
No matter if you choose solid or engineered hardwood floors, unfinished wood must be finished on the job site. This can be a very dusty experience unless a dust containment system is used. Job site sanding and finishing can take several days to over a week according to square footage, stains, and number of coats of top finish. Prefinished wood can be produced in engineered or solids. These are very popular because of the ease of installation and the elimination of dusty sanding procedures.