Hardwood Floors

Hardwood Floors Explained

If you're considering a new look for your floors, you've got several options. Carpeting, tile, linoleum and wood are four common choices, each useful in certain applications and pretty much according to your taste. Hardwood floors are one attractive choice that's hard to beat for looks and durability.

A hundred years ago, hardwood floors were quite popular and those same floors of solid wood planking are still going strong in many older homes today. However, when you go shopping for hardwood flooring today, you'll find many types available. There are laminates, solid planking, floating and engineered hardwood floor materials. This can be confusing unless you understand the differences and characteristics of each. Let's sort out some of the confusion so you can make an educated choice that works for you.

Most hardwoodfloors today are laminated, with a base of plywood, covered with a soft wood, with the top layer a hardwood. These laminated products fall in the category of “engineered” floors. You'll find there are differences in quality and naturally, price. Some have only a thin veneer of hardwood, which will be reflected in a lower price. For a long-lasting floor, you'll want to pay the initial extra price. You'll save money in the long run.

Hardwood Floors - Engineered or Genuine?

Engineered hardwood floors are pre-finished and installed without nails or glue, thus the name “floating” is applied. The idea is that, by leaving a narrow margin of space between the walls and flooring, variances in dry winter heat and humid summer conditions allow for expansion and contraction, much like joints in a bridge. Engineered   floors are either tongue in groove or with “snap-together” edges.

Genuine solid hardwood floors must be glued and nailed. They cannot be installed as floating floors. New solid planks come milled as tongue in groove, which makes installation easier than the old style of solid straight edged planks. Most solid wood flooring is unfinished, allowing you to choose the stain, oil, varnish or waxing of your choice. If you finish your hardwood floors yourself, be aware that more maintenance is required than with pre-finished solid hardwoodfloors. You'll need to periodically refinish your hardwood floor if you opt for the unfinished solid planking. Installation of solid hardwood floors will be more expensive as more time and expertise is required.

There is some controversy among hardwood floor experts as to which is the most durable choice – engineered or solid wood flooring. Some say engineered hardwood floors are just as durable as solid planking, while others maintain the solid hardwood floor will outlast engineered flooring many times over.

You have another option which may be a good compromise. You can buy solid ¾ inch hardwood and, using purchased ¾ inch plywood, engineer your own flooring. It's more work, but then again, you get what you pay for, and engineering your own will give you the best of both worlds, with hardwood floors that will withstand generations of use.