Building A New Home And Want Hardwood Flooring? Tips To Help You Choose The Best Type

Wood flooring is beautiful, and if this is something you are considering for your new home, you may not know which type to choose. Because this can be an expensive purchase, it is important that you get it right the first time. To help you out, below are some tips so you can make the best informed decision for your home.

Types of Wood Flooring

Some types of wood flooring you can choose from include:

• Wood planks: These have few seams and come in distressed wood to give you the rustic look. Some types of wood you can choose include white oak, birch, cherry, and hickory.
• Reclaimed pine: If you like to be Eco-friendly, reclaimed pine is a good choice. It makes your home look luxurious, and gives it an antique look.
• Red oak: Red oak has a reddish tone and is resistant to wear. Because of this, it works great in areas of your home that have high traffic.
• Ebonized hardwood: Looks great in a contemporary home, and has a dark look. Hardwoods often used are oak, walnut, and cherry.
• Douglas fir: This type of wood gives your home an inviting and comfortable feel. There is detail in the grain, which shows through even more when the wood is stained.

If you visit a wood flooring store, they can give you sample pieces to take home to lay down on your flooring. These pieces may be the actual wood, or it could be wood flooring stickers. Make sure you choose all the styles and shades you are interested in. Look at the sample flooring during the day, as well as at night when the lights are turned on.

Types of Finish

Once you choose the type of wood, you will need to choose the type of finish. You can choose prefinished wood flooring, which is easier on you. You can also have the wood flooring come unfinished so you can choose the type of finish.

When you start shopping for finishes, you will find oil or polyurethane. An oil finish penetrates the flooring, and gives the flooring a natural, matte feel. Oil finish does not offer as much protection, and is pervious to damage and stains. For this reason, this is not a good choice if your home often has high traffic.

The polyurethane finish creates a hard topcoat on the wood surface that stands up much better to wear and tear. It is also resistant to stains. This is a good choice if you have children, where there is a lot of foot traffic and food and drinks are likely often dropped on the floor.

Contact a hardwood flooring contractor like Road's End Contracting Ltd, who can answer any other questions you may have.