Installing high quality flooring is an investment that yields long term benefits. It not only gives you and your family the comfort and pleasure of living in a beautiful environment, but also reaps handsome returns when you decide to sell your home. Homeowners who believe in investing in quality products, tend to go with hardwood flooring because of its timeless elegance and warmth. Hardwood, however, is susceptible to scratches and may get damaged because of excessive moisture. Similarly, there are a few other factors that you need to consider before going ahead to install hardwood flooring. Therefore, to help you get maximum value for your investment, let’s take a look at the six factors that you must consider.
1. Property Styling
When choosing a wood floor, first consider the interior of your home. Take into account the cabinets, door casings, trim work and other design elements to ensure that the wood you choose does not look out of place with any them. An example could be using natural maples with modern home settings to create a clean aesthetic look. In another context, woods such as hickory that mixes darker and lighter pieces goes well with traditional styling. While, there are some tried and true combinations that most designers would suggest, you may always come up with different ideas for even more interesting results.
2. Subfloor Type
Depending on the type of subfloor of your property, you may decide to opt for solid wood floors or engineered wood floors. Typically, the three most common types of subfloors are plywood, particle board, and concrete slab. Plywood allows you to use both solid and engineered wood. On the other hand, if your subfloor type is particleboard, you need to replace it with plywood before you can add solid or engineered wood. Concrete slab floors require installing plywood before the installation of solid wood floors.
3. Sections that need Hardwood Floor Installation
The hardwood flooring that you choose will depend on the area of the house where you install it. For example, experts recommend engineered wood for below grade floor installation (space beneath the ground level). The reason solid wood is not used below grade is due to moisture that comes up through the ground causing serious problems. The same is true for other floors of your home as well.
4. Staining and Finishing Options
Wood in its natural form is beautiful; however, stain blemishes by changing its color and highlighting the grain pattern of the interior wood. Staining adds color to the choice of your wood and enhances its aesthetic appeal. Similarly, the benefit of finishing is that it prevents the floor from getting dirty and affects maintenance. Typically, all stains or finish can be applied to almost every wood species. It up to you what you choose based on your style preferences.
5. Scope of Natural Daylighting
Another factor you need to consider is utilizing the natural daylight and the colors of the walls. These are important factors that may either enhance or spoil the look of your wood floor. If your home has several windows that allow plenty of natural light, you may use dark floors for better contrast. Similarly, for homes with less than sufficient natural light, light colored floors are the way to go.
6. Your Lifestyle
When choosing a hardwood floor, think about the wear and tear that the floor will undergo. If you have kids and pets or if you host parties often, the wood species you choose should be more durable. In this context, Red Oak is one of the choices that most homeowners prefer, as it’s hard and reasonably priced. To learn more about the hardness of different woods refer to the Janka rating that gives a measure of its strength.
A Few Last Words
In addition to the aesthetic feature and cost-effectiveness, hardwood flooring also offers several environmental benefits. It comprises one of the most renewable flooring materials and is eco-friendly since they require less water and energy, and thus don’t leave carbon footprints. If you have any questions about any of the factors discussed in the post, or wish to learn more about hardwood flooring installation, feel free to connect with our experts for a no obligation free consultation.
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