A Hardwood Decision

Picking Wood Flooring for Your Home

Interior designers and builders agree that the first element to consider when finishing a room is flooring, as it sets the mood for that space.

Many more professionals these days are bypassing tile and carpeting and going with wood. What kind of wood should you choose? Beyond the basics of solid hardwood, engineered wood, and reclaimed antique wood, there are many options to choose from. Despite all the options, making the right choice for your tastes and circumstances is easier than it appears. Following are some important factors to consider when making your decision, as well as some helpful advice from the experts.

Which Wood-Flooring Type Should You Choose?
Solid Hardwood: Many shy away from solid hardwood because it expands and contracts and sometimes creaks. But its natural beauty adds value to your home. Further, it can be re-sanded and refinished, so it’ll retain that value.

Engineered Wood Floors: These floors are constructed of thin sheets of wood glued together and finished at the factory. The resulting product resists buckling and warping, making it more stable than solid wood. Whereas solid wood can only be nailed to a subfloor, engineered wood floors (although developed to be glued over concrete) can also be nailed or floated.

Reclaimed Antique Wood: This flooring option is custom made one plank at a time according to the customer’s specifications. This flooring type is especially stable, because it can cut from the center section of a beam.

Finished vs. Unfinished
One of the benefits of solid hardwood flooring is that it’s available finished or unfinished. If you’re trying to match an adjacent floor, you’re better off going with an unfinished option and staining it to blend. You will be pleased with the uniform color and finish you can achieve in your floor by finishing it on site. Remember, however, that an unfinished wood floor may take several days to install, stain, and finish.

On the other hand, finished wood (both solid and engineered) is factory sanded, stained, and finished. Thus it’s much easier to install and requires less time, not to mention that there will be no on-site sanding and finishing. Finished wood is durable and is therefore a great option for high-traffic areas. And don’t forget that it’s less expensive than unfinished wood.

Important Things to Consider
If you have radiant heating in your home, where the heat source is under the floor, then engineered wood is likely the better option over solid hardwood because of its durability. The National Wood Flooring Association also recommends using quarter-sawn or rift-sawn wood due to the durability factor. According to the NWFA, since narrow boards fare better than wide ones when there are changes in temperature and humidity, with this type of heating, strip flooring is preferable over plank flooring.

For most seaside homes, engineered wood flooring is strongly recommended, due to its scratch-resistant—and less like to be damaged by tracked-in sand—and requires less maintenance. For any interior that’s not environmentally controlled—such as a cottage or summer home or below-grade installation—engineered hardwood flooring remains the best option.

Some Simple Design Tips
Pay attention to the understated details when personalizing a room. A great look is to use a lighter wood overall and then either add a dark border or drop in a maple medallion that looks like an area run.

Mixing woods from room to room is becoming more common. For a cozy room such as a den or bedroom, a dark wood like walnut or cherry would work well. But a lighter wood, like maple or birch, would brighten up any kitchen.

For formal, traditional, or historic homes, darker wood works best. But if your home is country, casual, or contemporary, a lighter wood might work well. Design your floor to complement fabrics, furnishings, and accessories.

Current Trends in Wood Flooring
The latest options in the flooring market include hand-scraped wood and “exotics” from far-off lands. Woods such as Brazilian cherry, Santos mahogany, and Amendoim have delightful grains and colors. All are available both in solid hardwood or engineered wood.

For owners of historic homes on the Eastern seaboard, woods such as Old Groove Eastern White Pine are prized for their old look and simplicity. Lately, dark woods have significantly increased in popularity, with walnut in the greatest demand.

DIY & Maintaining Your Wood Floor
Installing a wood floor yourself is definitely an option. Almost 30 percent of homeowners do it themselves. If you can operate a nail gun and a saw, then you can do it. Many resources are available to help you with this project, including instruction books and information online.

A great benefit of wood flooring is that it’s extremely low maintenance. Keep a step-off mat at any doorway, and then all you need is a regular schedule of sweeping and vacuuming. One thing to remember is clean up any standing water immediately. It’s not a bad idea to keep an extra box of wood in case you need to replace a strip.

Natural hardwoods stand up to many household mishaps much better than any laminate or synthetic flooring, since the grain and pattern of solid hardwoods go all the way through. Scuffs and burns that would be permanent in a synthetic surface can be repaired with relative ease.

Leon Tuberman is the owner of Barn Furniture Mart (http://www.barnfurnituremart.com).  His company has provided fine wood products for home and office for over 60 years.