Hardwood Flooring Adds Beauty To A Home

Posted by Journalist

February 3, 2010

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Hardwood flooring is a great way to add value to your home by lending a modern look to your decor. Hardwood floors are not only beautiful, they are also environmentally-friendly and can last for a lifetime when properly maintained. Cleaning hardwood floors is simple, and unlike carpet it never becomes outdated.

Of the several varieties offered, solid hardwood flooring is one of the simplest to install. It can be nailed or glued to the standard plywood subfloor on which most homes in the U.S. are built. Solid hardwood flooring is usually ¾”-inch thick.

If your house has concrete floors, you’ll want to purchase engineered hardwood flooring, which is also approximately ¾”-inch thick. Engineered hardwood flooring is fixed to a concrete floor with heavy-duty glue. Both engineered and solid hardwood flooring can be purchased unfinished or prefinished.

Hardwood floors can be manufactured from a variety of tree types, including Red Oak, White Maple, American Walnut, Ash, Beech and Hickory. The wood for flooring is actually best when taken from trees during cold seasons when soil is lowest in mineral content. This produces a dense, tight wood grain that contains excellent color quality.

If you are concerned with hardwood flooring's effect on the environment, look for a manufacturer who uses trees cut from sustainable forests. You can also inquire about their recycling procedures; some manufacturers turn unused wood into sawdust or cuts of wood for stove heating.

When you look for hardwood flooring, you may find that some manufacturers offer both prefinished and unfinished flooring. Select unfinished flooring to get the best look in your home. Unfinished flooring is sanded after installation and then a final finish coat is added. Because the finishing procedure is completed in your house, it will be more difficult for food or drinks to find their way into the texture of the boards. Oil-based finishes are best for their beautiful shine.

If you want a more antique look to your floors, purchase hand-scraped hardwood flooring. For this process, artisan hand-scrapers take raw wood materials and create a floor that looks worn and antiqued for a classic look. Light, medium and heavy textures may be selected for your custom flooring. You may also be able to decide the length and width of the flooring materials for this process.

Once your hardwood flooring is installed, you should purchase products for maintaining the appearance and cleanliness of your floors. This may involve sealers and stain as well as a cleaning mixture for mopping the floors. Make sure to sweep your floors periodically to keep dust from penetrating any small cracks in the flooring.

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