Hardwood flooring and your home

There are two types of hardwood, solid and engineered. The solid wood has the same thickness throughout the flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring has a slice of wood, be it oak, hickory, or maple, on the top. Thus, you have knots, whorls, grains, and swirls on the floor. Underneath, however, are layers of genuine wood with a bit of resin placed in a crosswise pattern. These engineered floors can be installed in higher-than-normal moisture rooms, such as basements, where solid wouldn't be advisable. They can be refinished repeatedly, and they add the same value to the property as other woods do.

With solid flooring, you'll have stain coloring in a wide selection. These options lessen for engineered flooring, but the installation is much shorter because the sanding, sealing, staining, and finishing have been done at the manufacturing stage. But don't worry; you can still mix and match the engineered flooring with the rest of your home flooring.

The most enjoyable part of choosing a hardwood floor is the species, color, and style. There are hundreds of wood species to choose from, but the most popular ones are hickory, maple, cherry, oak, and walnut. Each species has a unique grain pattern that shapes the overall look of the floor. Oak and walnut, for example, have a straight grain. In contrast, cherry and maple tend to have burls and curls in the grain. There are exotic woods as well, from Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia. These can include Brazilian Cherry, Tigerwood, Kempis, Sapele Mahogany, Australian Cypress, and Brazilian Walnut. Whatever you choose for a design, be it in stains or wood, our installers can create it.