 Hardwood Floors
With a little basic understanding about the different types of wood floors you can be better prepared and more confident in your selection. Wood floors are produced in both solid and engineered planks and strips and come in a wide variety of wood species. To help determine which type of floor will work best for your situation depends upon the location within your home and the type of subfloor.
Solid Wood Floors
Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood and are generally 3/4" thick. Solid hardwood floors are produced from the finest American and Canadian hardwoods including red & white oak, ash, American cherry, hickory and maple, and are available in several widths. Because solid hardwood floors are more susceptible to moisture than engineered wood floors they should only be installed above grade over approved wooden subfloors and must be nailed-down. Solid wood floors can generally be recoated and refinished several times.
Engineered Wood Floors
These floors are produced by laminating several hardwood plies together to form the planks. Most engineered floors can be glued-down, stapled-down or floated over a variety of subfloors including wood, dry concrete slabs and some types of existing flooring.
Engineered hardwood floors have cross-ply construction which reduces the expansion/contraction of planks caused by variations in humidity and allows these floors to be installed anywhere in the home.
Prefinished versus Unfinished
Unfinished floors require several days to install, stain and finish the flooring. Prefinished floors are less messy and can be installed and completed the same day.
Where is the room?
Knowing where the floor will be installed is essential. Before choosing a floor determine if the room is above, on or below ground level. Solid wood floors are recommended for above ground-level installations and must be nailed-down to a wood subfloor. These floors perform better in humidity-controlled environments.
Is your sub floor concrete or a type of wood substrate? Engineered floors are ideal for concrete slabs.
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