Whether building a new home or tackling a remodeling project, you can be confident that genuine hardwood flooring will add significantly to the beauty, quality and value of your home. Here’s what you need to know about flooring basics:
What do I ask for if I want genuine hardwood flooring?
There are two types of hardwood floors: solid and engineered. Solid is one piece of a 100 percent solid wood species, easily sanded and refinished. Also a 100 percent wood product, “engineered” is a higher-performance product made by bonding several wood layers with the feature species showing. Many, but not all, engineered wood floors can be refinished.
How do I know where to start?
Think like a designer. Think color. Yes, wood has color, too. Each species (whether or not it is stained) has a color ranging from cools (yellows), warms (reds) and neutrals (umbers or naturals). Some woods change color over time; grain provides texture and interest. Make your choice under the type of light you’ll have in your home.
What about gloss?
You can have low gloss, satin gloss or high gloss. It is part of the look, as are the rustic, hand-scraped or smooth, tailored contemporary styles. How you show off your floor depends on lighting.
Where can I use hardwood flooring?
Pretty much throughout the house. Solid is recommended at or above ground level due to sensitivity to moisture. Engineered can be used virtually anywhere, even over concrete.
