Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring has an elegant look which can add warmth and charm to any room
in the home and the natural characteristics of wood add depth and a rich appearance.
As the demand for hardwood flooring has grown so has the manufacturer's ability
to produce better quality finishes and superior construction techniques. With
these advancements wood floors can now be installed throughout the home and over
a wide variety of subfloors. Hardwood floors are offered in a variety of wood
species. Besides the popular and well known North American hardwoods, many companies
now offer a wide variety of exotic hardwood floors as well from Australia, Brasil,
Africa and the Far East. Today, homeowners looking to use wood floors have the
option of purchasing three different types of wood flooring. Although the end
results may look the same there are distinct advantages for using each type under
different situations.
Once installed it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between a solid
wood floor and the other wood floors. Both the engineered and the longstrip
have thin layers of wood that are glued together. By gluing the plies together
you get better dimensional stability within the plank itself, which allows these
floors to be used on floors that have a higher percentage of moisture content
than normal. This includes basements and over concrete slabs where solid strip
wood floors are considered off limits. Another choice you have today is whether
to go with a pre-finished wood floor, or an unfinished wood floor that is finished
in your home. The pre-finished floors offer a wider variety of wood species
and saves hours of labour. The unfinished wood floors allow you to have a site
finish and a completely smooth, uniform surface. You also get an extended factory
finish warranty with pre-finished floors, but not with site finishes.