When it comes to hardwood flooring, several questions may come to mind.
Here you will find answers for the most commonly asked questions about hardwood flooring.
What is hardwood flooring?
Hardwood flooring is a natural wood flooring. In general, natural wood is divided into softwood and hardwood.
Softwood is not suitable for flooring, while hardwood is widely used for flooring due to its high performance.
Is hardwood flooring real wood?
Yes, it is a natural wood floor, and it includes two main categories: solid and engineered wood flooring.
What is the difference between solid and engineered flooring?
Solid Flooring:
Solid flooring is produced from one piece of hardwood from top to bottom.
Engineered Flooring:
Engineered flooring is produced from one thin layer of solid wood at the top, and one or more layers at the bottom from wood veneers or slats that glued together at opposing directions.
Which Is Better? Engineered or Solid?
Engineered and solid wood flooring are sharing some common characteristics. However, the choice between them usually depends on your preferences.
Cost: [Engineered < Solid] The winner is Engineered Flooring.
Life Expectancy: [Engineered < Solid] The winner is Solid Flooring.
Durability: [Engineered > Solid] The winner is Engineered Flooring.
Moisture Resistance: [Engineered > Solid] The winner is Engineered Flooring.
Environmentally Friendly: [Engineered > Solid] The winner is Engineered Flooring.
What type of hardwood flooring is best?
The best type depends on the wood species. Oak, Maple, and Cherry are the best. Walnut, Mahogany, and Ash are also good options.
What is the difference between unfinished and prefinished?
Unfinished (site-finish) is when the floor is installed in your home and then the finish is applied.
Prefinished (factory-finish) is when the floors are stained and finished at the factory, and then installed at your home.
Is hardwood flooring worth the money?
Sure, it is an investment as it improves your property resale value.
How many years do they last?
On average, solid and engineered flooring can last 50-100 years or more. Solid flooring can be sanded up to 6-8 times, while engineered flooring can be sanded up to 4 times. The average time between each sanding is 10-15 years.
What are the pros of hardwood flooring?
- Natural beauty with warm appeal to enhance your home style.
- Long term investment as it increased your property resale value.
- Can be re-sanded and repaint many times to look like new one.
- Available in variety of colors and designs to match any decor.
- Easy for cleaning and maintenance.
- Good for kids as it is harmless and non-toxic.
- Has good acoustic characteristics as it prevents hollow sounds.
What are the cons of hardwood flooring?
- More expensive than laminate flooring and regular carpets or tiles.
- Prone to termite attack. Therefore, it is important to choose the right type of wood to avoid this problem.
- Prone to dents and scratches. It is preferable to follow the care and maintenance tips.
- Not suitable for wet areas such as kitchen, laundry, and bathroom.
- Rarely, due to moisture or water spills, cupping may occur where the wood planks appear to be higher on the edges than the center.
- Not often, during high humidity, crowning may occur where the wood planks become higher on the center than edges. Crowning is the opposite of cupping.
Where can I use hardwood flooring?
You can use hardwood flooring in most of the rooms in your home such as living, dining, and bedrooms. However, avoid using solid wood flooring in basements, where high humidity prevails. An engineered wood floor is a better option here because it’s more stable.
In wet areas such as the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, water can warp wood and making it a poor choice.
