Flooring Options for Your Home: Hardwood

Floor Installation in Houston

Solid wood has been one of the most popular types of flooring in the U.S. for decades. Its construction is about as simple as you can get – wooden boards or planks about 0.75 inches thick, which are installed by nailing them to a wooden subfloor.

Types

Solid wood flooring comes in either strips, which range in width from 1.5 to 2.5 inches, or planks 4 to 8 inches wide. It can be made from many kinds of wood, from domestic species such as oak and maple to exotic varieties such as Brazilian cherry or purpleheart.

Wood flooring can be sold either finished or unfinished. If you choose unfinished flooring, you will need to sand and finish it after installing it. According to Consumer Reports, prefinished wood flooring typically costs less and involves less work. Also, the factory-installed finishes are usually more durable than anything you could do yourself.

Wood is a renewable resource, but it isn’t always harvested in sustainable ways. Cutting trees without planting new ones in their place, or cutting them faster than new ones can grow, contributes to global warming. If you want to be sure your wood floors come from sustainably managed forests, look for flooring certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or the SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative). You can also look for reclaimed wood flooring, which has been recovered from old buildings that have been torn down, but it’s much harder to find and can be more expensive.

Advantages

People love solid wood flooring because it looks great in any style of home with any decor. It’s also very long-lasting since it can be refinished up to five times to remove surface scratches. Experts say adding hardwood floors can increase the resale value of your home as well.

Wood floors are fairly easy to clean; just sweep them regularly and mop up all spills promptly. And installing them yourself is a reasonably easy DIY project, allowing you to save money on the job.

Disadvantages

The biggest downside of hardwood floors is that they don’t stand up well to rough handling. They can warp if they’re exposed to moisture for a long time, making them a bad choice for bathrooms or laundry rooms. They can shrink and swell due to changes in temperature, and they’re vulnerable to scratches and dents. As a result, they need to be refinished as often as once every 10 years to maintain their looks, according to Consumer Reports.

Best Uses

Wood flooring is best for spaces that don’t get lots of traffic, such as living rooms, halls, and bedrooms. Consumer Reports recommends it as the overall best choice for living rooms, dining rooms, and family rooms. Some people use it in kitchens, but Consumer Reports advises against this, saying that wood flooring can’t handle the onslaught of dragging chairs, dropped cans, or grit-covered shoes

Cost

According to HGTV, wood flooring typically costs $3 to $8 per square foot. However, choosing exotic wood can raise the price to as much as $14 per square foot. If you have your wood floors professionally installed, it will add $5 to $12 per square foot to the price.

Source: moneycrashers

About Fantastic Floors, Inc. We are a successful company with more than 25 years of experience in the market, we have the infrastructure, high quality equipment, materials and supplies to achieve and exceed the expectations of our customers, allowing us to gain the confidence and loyalty for our services.

We have more than 500 residential, 300 properties and 25 commercial customers totally satisfied with our services.

Floor Installation in Houston.

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