Buying Tips for Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring has enjoyed resurgence in popularity due to its natural beauty, durability, long life and replenish able resources. Several species are popular in today’s wood flooring. While oak flooring continues to be the most popular, pine flooring, maple flooring, and severable species in exotic hardwood flooring are great selections as well.
New Styles & Innovations
Strip flooring continues to be the most popular, particularly in new home construction. It provides ease of decorating and is often the best value. However, wide plank flooring and handscraped flooring have grown in popularity. These products fit well with a more relaxed lifestyle found in homes today.
Factory Finish vs. Custom Sand & Finish on Site
You should feel comfortable with either choice. However, factory finishing offers many nice advantages. Factory finished flooring is inspected for defects at the mill so you receive first choice every time. On-site finishing depends on the quality of the workmanship that day.
Factory finished flooring usually installs more quickly and without the dust and odors that are involved with on-site finishing. However, even though factory finished flooring comes in a variety of colors, on-site finishing allows for closer color match with existing woodwork or cabinets.
Both factory finishes and on-site finishes are available in either high gloss or matte. Both types have exciting new finishes developed with space age technology. These finishes are not like grandma’s old wood floors because they require no waxing.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Solid wood flooring is subject to change in conditions that will cause it to expand and contract. This characteristic prohibited the use of hardwood with subfloors in direct contact with the ground or below the ground level. Engineered floors are manufactured similar to plywood with different layers of wood glued in opposite directions. This process reduces the amount of expansion and contraction. As a result engineered hardwood floors can go places solid wood flooring can’t. They can be installed using staples, glue or new to the market, click together systems. If you are wondering about the thinner top layer wearing through, don’t. The finishes will protect it and you will get many years of service.
Serving Bellbrook, Beavercreek, Centerville, Kettering and Springboro Areas.