Understanding The 5 General Facts About Wood Flooring

Some facts about the different wood flooring options you should consider are that solid hardwood flooring is made entirely of wood, solid hardwood flooring is available as unfinished or prefinished, hardwood floors cannot be installed directly over an existing floor or in damp areas, engineered wood flooring is a cheaper alternative to solid hardwood, and engineered wood flooring has more installation options.

A lot of homeowners prefer having wood flooring for their houses. Wood floors give a warm and cozy atmosphere to a room because of the ageless classiness it has. There are many options for wood flooring. That is why; choosing Birmingham hardwood floors or any other wood flooring you would prefer for your home needs an understanding of the essential facts about it.

Wood is used entirely to make solid hardwood flooring

Hardwood floor is the most common reference to solid hardwood. The composition of hardwood floor makes it more expensive than other floor types. With no additional materials, it is sawn directly from the log just like stick lumbers. If given the proper care and maintenance, solid hardwood floors could practically last a lifetime. It's not hard to sand away any indentations or scrapes from the flooring too. Bamboo has already been widely considered as a material for hardwood flooring due to its safe and friendly approach to the environment.

You may purchase solid hardwood flooring as prefinished or unfinished

Hardwood floors are available in either unfinished or prefinished. After installation, unfinished hardwood floor needs to be sand, sealed and maybe stained, whereas prefinished hardwood can be walked on immediately after installation. This additional work makes unfinished hardwood cheaper than prefinished ones. Unfinished hardwood also has its advantage over prefinished ones because you can stain your floor just the way you want them to be.

It is prohibited to install hardwood floors directly over an existing floor or in soggy places

When installing hardwood flooring, it must be nailed over a wooden sub-floor. Hardwood flooring is unlike other wood flooring options that could be installed over concrete or other floor surfaces. Also, hardwood floors cannot be installed in damp areas like bathrooms or basements. Hardwood floors have a meticulous installation procedure; thus, it is strongly advisable to employ professionals to do the work.

You can save more with engineered wood flooring compared to solid hardwood

Finished wood and plywood are the basic components of engineered wood flooring. The surface that you walk on is made up of the finished wood while a greater part of the lower portion is made up of plywood. Its composition is not entirely solid wood thus makes it cheaper than others. However, it is the plywood composition that makes engineered wood flooring suitable even in areas that have light moisture. The drawback however is that you cannot sand the surface because the top layer is quite thin. Moreover, scratches and hollows cannot be removed by sanding out so it is advisable not to cause any of those to the surface.

Engineered wood flooring has more installation options

You can choose from various options in installing engineered wood flooring. Because sub-floors are no longer necessary, it is more convenient to install rather than that of hardwood. As long as your existing floor is level and stable, you may nail the flooring material directly over it.

It will be of great help for you if you understand the basic properties and characteristics of wood flooring so that it would be more convenient when deciding which one is perfect for your home.

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