Consider This Before Buying Hardwood Flooring

There are few things within a home as striking as a hardwood floor. Because of the natural beauty, more homeowners than ever before are installing the flooring in nearly every room in their homes. If you love the finish, shine and color of hardwood and want to install the flooring in your house, you should become familiar with some of its quirks, characteristics and traits before you make a purchase.

Quirks

Some hardwood floors are considered to be finished in place. That means once the floor is installed, the wood will be finished with sanding, buffing, staining and polyurethane. A flooring technician should apply the finish because brush marks and bubbles can quickly appear while finishing the wood flooring. Other hardwood floor types are considered pre-finished flooring and the finish is completed at the factory before the boards are laid.

Characteristics

Color in the wood is determined by the age of the tree the plank is cut from. The densest is the heartwood from the center of the tree, and it is the darkest part of the wood. Sapwood is close to the tree’s bark and is the lightest of cuts. Because of the intense difference in color and durability between sapwood and heartwood, planks from the same tree will be marketed under different names. The cost will also vary greatly.

Traits

Each type of hardwood has a specific grain that is determined by the tree’s species and how the technician cut that wood. Within each species that are also variations in the colors, which can often be found within a single plank. The beauty of your floor will also change over time, depending on how much sunlight reaches the boards. Colors will darken with exposure to UV light that hits the wood.

If you love the look of a hardwood floor, contact your floor supply distributor. Quotes are free, and the installation is high quality. Choosing which wood you want will be the hardest part!