Hardwood Flooring Guide
Hardwood flooring adds warmth, beauty, and cleanliness to your homes while at the same time, increasing your home’s value. You can learn about hardwood flooring to figure out which type of flooring is the best – and then see how a Rochester NY company can help you to get the hardwood flooring of your dreams.
This hardwood flooring guide can help you to make the best decisions.
Hardwood Flooring Guide 1: Construction
Hardwood floors can be installed on any level of your home, but there are certain types of hardwood flooring that may be better in certain areas of your Rochester NY home. Still, the make of hardwood flooring enables flexibility and control over things like costs, the amount of time installation takes, and maintenance. You have to take moisture, wear and tear, and even sunlight into consideration when picking your flooring.
Hardwood flooring subfloors, either basement or concrete below the ground level, concrete at ground level, or a plywood subfloor above ground level can help with preventing moisture from creeping into your home.
There are four different constructions of hardwood flooring that you can get. They include:
- 3/4-inch Solid Hardwood
- 5/16-inch Solid Hardwood
- Engineered Hardwood
- Locking Hardwood
Hardwood Flooring Guide 2: Styling
The style of hardwood that you choose will largely depend on your Rochester NY home. When you work with a hardwood flooring company in Rochester NY, you will have a few different options that will help you to make the best choice for your home. Some things to take into consideration include:
Species: Finding the best kind of wood species is a personal matter, but it will largely depend on your personal taste and budget. There are plenty of options, including domestic and common species like oak, maple, and cherry as well as exotic species like bamboo, Brazilian cherry, and cork. Each species will look and feel different – you may want to consider the patterns. Many people in Rochester NY prefer more exotic woods because they are so distinct.
Color: The color of the wood is important as well. You can get wood for the grain and then stain it, but many homeowners in Rochester NY prefer natural hardwood flooring and just get a sealant to protect the floor.
Hardness: How much wear and tear can you put a floor through? Wood hardness varies from the extremely hardwoods (Pine, Cedar, Black Cherry, Walnut, Birch, Oak, Beech, and Ash) to the softer woods like Brazilian Walnut, Teak, Tigerwood, Hickory, Pecan, and Acacia. As a general rule, dents to woods aren’t always covered by manufacturer warranties unless stated, so you might want to consider a harder wood if you have children, pets, or tend to have a lot of visitors.
Hardwood Defects: If you are purchasing natural hardwood, then it is likely that there will be defects. If the rate of defects is over 50%, you will need to buy twice as much as a wood that is 95% defect free. You want to weigh the costs because you may find out that you are about even. Note that hardwood flooring installation is difficult and defective wood can make it even harder.
Hardwood Grade: The grade of hardwood is determined by the appearance of the wood. All grades can be defect free, but the grade is the measurement of a specific look. Clear or select grades have minimal knots or variations within the color. Millwood and cabin grade hardwood flooring will have more rustic, “natural” looks, which means variations in the color, knots that appear frequently, and streaks.
Hardwood Flooring Company in Rochester NY
Interested in hardwood flooring in Rochester NY? Contact us today at (585) 735-0350, and we can help you to determine the best hardwood flooring company that can answer these questions and help you to make the best choices.