How to shop for hardwood flooring
While it's relatively basic, flooring is a significant decision in any remodeling project. Not only is it a considerable investment in your home, but it's also an expression of personal style. Hardwood adds a rich, warm elegance to your home, but not all wood floors are the same. Please read further to learn about other factors that will affect both appearance and performance.
Decide on which wood floor version
Engineered hardwood flooring, appeals to those who want both beauty and practicality. While it looks similar to solid, can be refinished, and adds value to a property, it has a different construction that makes it stable and better handle water. At the top is a slab of wood with all the undertones we've come to expect. Underneath are three or more layers of genuine wood combined with a bit of resin and then placed in a crosswise position.
As a result, it needs no acclimation and can be placed in some higher-than-normal moisture areas where solid hardwood can't be installed. Engineered also offers an additional installation technique, the fast and easy floating floor, click, mat and hover.
As a result, it needs no acclimation and can be placed in some higher-than-normal moisture areas where solid hardwood can't be installed. Engineered also offers an additional installation technique, the fast and easy floating floor, click, mat and hover.
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Choose a hardwood species
Both domestics, harvested from North America, and exotics, are harvested from Brazil, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Domestics tend to be warmer and more traditional, while exotics are dark, dramatic, and always very hard. The most popular species are oak, walnut, hickory, maple, ash, and cherry. The selection comes down to your personal preference for color, hardness, and grain pattern.
Decide how to finish
The finish, not to be confused with stain, is the clear protective coating at the top. Many prefer on-site finishing because there are more colors, which allow for greater customization possibilities. These floors also have a smoother surface since sanding is done between coats. Others like factories finished because they see what they are getting and can start coordinating even before the floor arrives. There's also no mess or odors, and these floors tend to be stronger because a commercial-grade finish that can be used in factories but not in the home is used.
Whether it's the more complicated tongue and groove of solid hardwood or a less complicated floating floor, Norris Material & Supply Flooring Center will assure you of a quality, craftsman-like installation. To learn more about hardwood flooring, come into our Fort Smith, AR showroom, especially if you live or work around Fort Smith, AR, Van Buren, AR, Barling, AR, Arkoma, OK, Wright Town, AR and West Fort Smith, OK. Be sure to ask about your free hardwood flooring quote.
Whether it's the more complicated tongue and groove of solid hardwood or a less complicated floating floor, Norris Material & Supply Flooring Center will assure you of a quality, craftsman-like installation. To learn more about hardwood flooring, come into our Fort Smith, AR showroom, especially if you live or work around Fort Smith, AR, Van Buren, AR, Barling, AR, Arkoma, OK, Wright Town, AR and West Fort Smith, OK. Be sure to ask about your free hardwood flooring quote.
