Types of Wood Flooring
There are two primary types of wood that you'll see - solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Solid wood flooring is made from solid wood logs that are joined together with tongue and groove. Solid wood can be purchased in pre-finished or un-finished planks and they will range in thickness. Engineered wood flooring consists of multiple layers of plywood and composite materials and then topped with hardwood. While both types of floors are wonderful, they are ideal for different parts of the home. Hardwood floors will expand and contract with weather changes, so the best place to use them is on the ground floor or above grade. Whereas engineered wood flooring is more stable because of the layers, and can be installed on many levels of the home such as your bathrooms and basements.Wood Species for Your Home
With many different types of wood on the market, you'll need to know the differences. The harder the wood the more durable it will be. When putting wood in a high traffic area, you will want to be sure that you are selecting a harder wood. Red and White Oak set the benchmark for hardness in the U.S. and are very popular for domestic wood floors. There are many other popular choices of hard wood such as Hickory and Maple. Though Walnut is a softer wood, it is also just as popular. Many other exotic woods are top sellers as well; you will find Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Koa and Cumaru are some of the hardest species available. The harder the wood, the better it will be for the those high-traffic areas in your home.Grain, Color and Style
Finishing Touch
The finish is the determining factor in the look of your wood floors. The same wood species will look entirely different with a clear gloss versus a wire scraped, distressed or hand scraped finish. There are also many different gloss finishes that can change the look of your wood. Some wood comes with one to three coats of sealant, while others have up to eight. The number of coats will determine how glossy it looks. With pre-finished hardwood, the urethane finish is applied under factory controlled conditions using multiple thin coats. The urethane is instantly cured, first with UV lighting and then a ceramic based material. It is mixed into the urethane which in turn makes the water-based urethane much more rugged and abrasion resistant. The result is a floor that will hold it’s original beauty longer than a job-sanded-on-site application.Installation
Hardwood flooring is such a wonderful investment for you and your home. Upgrading the flooring in your home can offer the biggest return for your home value. When looking for the best flooring dealer in Madison, we are the place to come! We have a wide variety of flooring, not just hardwood, and can help you find the best flooring for your home. We would love for you to stop by and check out the great selection we have. Let us help you create the home of your dreams with just one change!
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