Four basic criteria for choosing hardwood flooring
Sources: 本站 | Date of issue: 2020-06-28 10:33:01 | Browse volume: 510
Abstract:
Hardwood is an excellent flooring product with a warm, stable and high quality feel. However, the days of choosing only oak or maple sticks are gone. Walking into any home furnishing center, you will soon be surrounded by a variety of hardwood styles,…
Hardwood is an excellent flooring product with a warm, stable and high quality feel. However, the days of choosing only oak or maple sticks are gone. Walking into any home furnishing center, you will soon be surrounded by a variety of hardwood styles, tree species, colors, grades and types. Manufacturers have introduced new flooring technologies and composites that offer homeowners a variety of options to meet their needs and budgets. Narrowing the selection to one option can be a daunting task. To choose the right hardwood for your home, consider four basic buying criteria: budget, usage, design, and location.
budget
The first step in choosing a new floor is to evaluate the budget. Flooring manufacturers offer a wide range of brand and model choices for each budget, so estimate your financial resources first to narrow the selection. The two main categories of hardwood flooring are solid wood and engineered wood. Most exotic hardwood flooring, such as tiger print, African sabiri and Brazilian cherry, look beautiful, but can easily exceed budget. Engineering flooring is more expensive than solid wood flooring, but this cost can be offset because it is easier, faster and therefore cheaper to install. Solid wood materials are cheaper than engineering materials, but installation costs are higher because they must also be dyed and polished. If you are planning to hire professionals to install the new flooring, consider the cost of installation as well as the cost of materials. All hardwood flooring is installed in planks or strips, but sold per square foot for comparison purposes.
Intended use
When choosing a new floor, consider the intended use and the flow of people. Kitchens or entrance halls require products that are more durable than guest rooms or formal restaurants. Solid wood floor is very durable, can withstand a century of traffic and many repairs, but the hardwood floor installation is very laborious, grinding and repairing the floor is a hard work. The engineering floor is a kind of plywood, which is made of veneer. Engineering hardwood flooring is easy to install, and the surface is pre coated. Some styles can be installed in basement or concrete slab. However, most engineered flooring is only allowed to be repaired once or twice, and the price of these flooring is usually higher than that of solid wood flooring.
Existing residential design
When choosing a hardwood style, consider the existing design and decoration of your house and other floor types currently installed. If your other rooms currently have cheap vinyl flooring or outdated coarse wool carpets, the smooth new wood flooring will be clumsy and out of proportion to the existing design. In addition, carefully weigh the impact of new flooring on house value.
Floor position
Hardwood flooring is a very durable product but warps in wet conditions. Therefore, it is not suitable for underground installations, such as basements or concrete slabs, in which moisture is easily sucked out of the ground. New engineered products are resistant to moisture and can tolerate moderate moisture or water, such as in the kitchen or laundry. Solid wood flooring is generally not suitable for use in bathrooms and some engineered wood manufacturers do not provide warranty for bathroom installed flooring. In addition, the hardwood floor must be firmly nailed to the wood floor, and some engineering products adopt "floating floor" installation, that is, the boards can only be connected to each other through glue or mechanical connectors. In general, solid oak, maple, ash, and Brazilian cherries are good choices for formal areas of your home that pay attention to durability and longevity. For homeowners who pay more attention to budget and convenience, engineering flooring is an ideal choice for homeowners who need excellent durability and low maintenance costs.
budget
The first step in choosing a new floor is to evaluate the budget. Flooring manufacturers offer a wide range of brand and model choices for each budget, so estimate your financial resources first to narrow the selection. The two main categories of hardwood flooring are solid wood and engineered wood. Most exotic hardwood flooring, such as tiger print, African sabiri and Brazilian cherry, look beautiful, but can easily exceed budget. Engineering flooring is more expensive than solid wood flooring, but this cost can be offset because it is easier, faster and therefore cheaper to install. Solid wood materials are cheaper than engineering materials, but installation costs are higher because they must also be dyed and polished. If you are planning to hire professionals to install the new flooring, consider the cost of installation as well as the cost of materials. All hardwood flooring is installed in planks or strips, but sold per square foot for comparison purposes.
Intended use
When choosing a new floor, consider the intended use and the flow of people. Kitchens or entrance halls require products that are more durable than guest rooms or formal restaurants. Solid wood floor is very durable, can withstand a century of traffic and many repairs, but the hardwood floor installation is very laborious, grinding and repairing the floor is a hard work. The engineering floor is a kind of plywood, which is made of veneer. Engineering hardwood flooring is easy to install, and the surface is pre coated. Some styles can be installed in basement or concrete slab. However, most engineered flooring is only allowed to be repaired once or twice, and the price of these flooring is usually higher than that of solid wood flooring.
Existing residential design
When choosing a hardwood style, consider the existing design and decoration of your house and other floor types currently installed. If your other rooms currently have cheap vinyl flooring or outdated coarse wool carpets, the smooth new wood flooring will be clumsy and out of proportion to the existing design. In addition, carefully weigh the impact of new flooring on house value.
Floor position
Hardwood flooring is a very durable product but warps in wet conditions. Therefore, it is not suitable for underground installations, such as basements or concrete slabs, in which moisture is easily sucked out of the ground. New engineered products are resistant to moisture and can tolerate moderate moisture or water, such as in the kitchen or laundry. Solid wood flooring is generally not suitable for use in bathrooms and some engineered wood manufacturers do not provide warranty for bathroom installed flooring. In addition, the hardwood floor must be firmly nailed to the wood floor, and some engineering products adopt "floating floor" installation, that is, the boards can only be connected to each other through glue or mechanical connectors. In general, solid oak, maple, ash, and Brazilian cherries are good choices for formal areas of your home that pay attention to durability and longevity. For homeowners who pay more attention to budget and convenience, engineering flooring is an ideal choice for homeowners who need excellent durability and low maintenance costs.
