Wood flooring continues to be a popular choice with many homeowners who desire a elegant look that is easy to maintain and will stand the test of time. It is available in a wide selection of colors, textures, and styles to suit any room. When it comes to purchasing hardwood floors Utah customers in Salt Lake City will find this guide particularly helpful.
Two basic types of hardwood flooring are available, solid and engineered. Solid wood is cut into planks directly from the lumber, while engineered wood is assembled "sandwich" style, with a hardwood top layer attached to several plywood layers beneath it. Both types offer durability and the possibility of sanding and refinishing them if desired, but the engineered variety is also resistant to dampness, making it very suitable for basements or washrooms.
Many species of trees are used to produce top quality solid and engineered flooring. Birch and maple flooring are light in color with darker grain lines, they have a smooth texture and are a good choice to add a contemporary look to a room or make it appear larger. Bamboo flooring is sold as wood although it is actually a grass, because of its superior hardness and durability, it can be light brown or reddish in tone.
Country-style cottages and informal rooms are nicely accented with the "softwood" types of flooring cut from evergreen trees such as pine, fir, and hemlock. Rooms that receive heavy foot-traffic are best served with the hearty ash wood flooring, somewhat lighter than oak in color but superior in durability.
Oak is a commonly selected choice of flooring for many homes and it has a traditional elegance to it that can set off any room it's used in. A brownish wood, oak can have either white or red undertones to it. Walnut wood is a rich brown, that often lightens with age, and cherry wood has a reddish-brown color that gets deeper over the years.
Standard wood flooring planks are laid end to end, however there are some designs which break from this tradition yet still provide the same beauty and grace associated with a hardwood floor. Parquet flooring consists of tiles made from strips of wood placed in such a pattern to form squares with alternating line designs. Another option is the engineered cork tile, which features a thin layer of cork oak wood attached to several other layers to form a moisture-resistant cushiony surface.
The width of the planks influences the overall look of the floor. Natural texture may be manipulated to create a unique appearance, such as distressed or wire-brushed. If it has a defect rate greater than 50 percent, it will necessitate purchasing more wood than that with fewer defects. Grade is determined by the look of the wood, plenty of knots and other character marks is deemed cabin or millwood grade, while that with few irregularities is considered to be clear or select.
Most wood flooring comes treated with a protective polyurethane finish. Those which are semi-gloss or satin typically have a higher sheen to them, whereas a matte finish is more subtle and usually a better choice for areas that will be walked over many times a day since it is less likely to show marks.
Two basic types of hardwood flooring are available, solid and engineered. Solid wood is cut into planks directly from the lumber, while engineered wood is assembled "sandwich" style, with a hardwood top layer attached to several plywood layers beneath it. Both types offer durability and the possibility of sanding and refinishing them if desired, but the engineered variety is also resistant to dampness, making it very suitable for basements or washrooms.
Many species of trees are used to produce top quality solid and engineered flooring. Birch and maple flooring are light in color with darker grain lines, they have a smooth texture and are a good choice to add a contemporary look to a room or make it appear larger. Bamboo flooring is sold as wood although it is actually a grass, because of its superior hardness and durability, it can be light brown or reddish in tone.
Country-style cottages and informal rooms are nicely accented with the "softwood" types of flooring cut from evergreen trees such as pine, fir, and hemlock. Rooms that receive heavy foot-traffic are best served with the hearty ash wood flooring, somewhat lighter than oak in color but superior in durability.
Oak is a commonly selected choice of flooring for many homes and it has a traditional elegance to it that can set off any room it's used in. A brownish wood, oak can have either white or red undertones to it. Walnut wood is a rich brown, that often lightens with age, and cherry wood has a reddish-brown color that gets deeper over the years.
Standard wood flooring planks are laid end to end, however there are some designs which break from this tradition yet still provide the same beauty and grace associated with a hardwood floor. Parquet flooring consists of tiles made from strips of wood placed in such a pattern to form squares with alternating line designs. Another option is the engineered cork tile, which features a thin layer of cork oak wood attached to several other layers to form a moisture-resistant cushiony surface.
The width of the planks influences the overall look of the floor. Natural texture may be manipulated to create a unique appearance, such as distressed or wire-brushed. If it has a defect rate greater than 50 percent, it will necessitate purchasing more wood than that with fewer defects. Grade is determined by the look of the wood, plenty of knots and other character marks is deemed cabin or millwood grade, while that with few irregularities is considered to be clear or select.
Most wood flooring comes treated with a protective polyurethane finish. Those which are semi-gloss or satin typically have a higher sheen to them, whereas a matte finish is more subtle and usually a better choice for areas that will be walked over many times a day since it is less likely to show marks.
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