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Ten Things You May Not
Know About Selecting Hardwood Flooring
by: Doug Bolton
1) Red Oak is not the
only choice
If you want your home
to look like everyone else’s, this is a great choice. If you
want your home to be unique try hickory, cherry, walnut, white oak,
maple or many others. Go to flooring retailers or search the Internet
and see what is available. If you really want red oak try using wider
widths or character grade for variety and uniqueness.
2) 2 1/4 inch is not the
only size available
If all you ask your builder
for is a hardwood floor – you are going to get a 2 1/4 inch red
oak floor. Why? It is the most common, most produced, most stocked,
cheapest option available. You can buy sizes in 3” through 12”.
You can put down a single width for a uniform look or multiple widths
for a more random look. Typical random flooring patterns are 3”-4”-5”,
3”-5”, 4”-5”-6”. Have fun! Make your
home unique! The wider the floor the more seasonal separations between
the flooring planks can occur.
3) Import Species don’t
support jobs in the United States
While there are vast amounts
of imported species available, there are fantastic, interesting species
of flooring available right here in the United States. Not all countries
have managed forests and renewable resources. This is an important
time to support our own economy.
4) All flooring is not
select (clear) grade
The most common floors
are select grade. These floors contain none of woods naturally occurring
character marks. Look around your flooring showroom, almost every display
is showing clear flooring. There are warm and inviting options. Look
at a character grade or other grades. Make sure to see a photo of what
the floor looks like, not just one piece.
5) Prefinished flooring
is convenient
Have you ever been forced
to leave your home for three days while the flooring contractor sands,
stains and recoats your floor? If not ask a friend who has had it done.
A professional flooring contractor will leave your home spotless, others
can leave dust on all your furniture. Today’s factory finished
flooring can be installed today and entertained on tonight with very
little mess. With prefinished flooring each plank is allowed to move
independently with humidity changes in your home. This makes those
seasonal separations (cracks) in your floor less noticeable.
6) Colors can be cool – but
mother nature is hard to beat
Some species of flooring
are so beautiful in their natural color, they do not require any added
color. Look up hickory, cherry or walnut flooring on the Internet and
you will see what I mean.
7) Prefinish warranties
are a gimmick
50 year warranty – WOW!
Lifetime warranty – fantastic! Oh really? These are wear-through
warranties only. Your floor will loose its “sheen” or luster
and require refinishing long before you ever wear through the finish.
The best way to make a floor last is to vacuum it often to keep away
abrasive material that might scratch your floor. Remember a lower sheen
floor shows less wear.
8) Not all flooring is
smooth – texture is popular
Hardwood flooring does
not have to be smooth. Many companies are offering hand scraped, distressed
and reclaimed flooring. These floors have a classic look and add great
value to upscale homes. They do not show much wear or scratches since
they have a great deal of character interest to draw attention to different
parts of the floor. These floors will be a guaranteed conversation
piece with your friends and neighbors and are often the focal point
at luxury home tours.
9) In a basement use engineered
flooring
Most people use engineered
flooring to glue down to concrete or in higher moisture areas. This
flooring has a thin layer of hardwood with a cross banded plywood base.
This makes the flooring more stable and does not require nailing like
a solid hardwood floor.
10) Laminate flooring
is not Hardwood flooring
A great steak does not
taste the same as a picture of a great steak. If you want the beauty
and warmth of hardwood flooring in your home – buy the real thing,
not a cheap imitation.
About The Author Doug
Bolton is the owner of Homerwood Hardwood Flooring, located in the
heart of the Pennsylvania hardwood region - Titusville PA. You can
learn more by visiting their website at http://www.homerwood.com. dbolton@homerwood.com
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