Wood Floors that Keep your Home Healthy

If you are considering hardwood floors, you will soon discover that choice is plentiful. In this blog post, we will sum up your options by explaining and illustrating the various types. Let’s get to it shall we…

Hardwood Flooring Types – Solid Vs. Engineered

Solid wood – Often refereed to as ‘real wood flooring’, solid woods are made from complete wood. Their solid construction makes the floor extremely strong and very popular.

Engineered wood – Contrary to solid wood, this time the flooring planks are made from MDF, Plywood and hardwood veneer. Their varied construction allows the floor to cope in areas that contain damp or moisture.

Hardwood Flooring Grade – Prime Vs. Select Vs. Rustic

Hardwood flooring grade will determine the decorative side of the wood. The higher the grade is, the less colour variations there are between the flooring planks and limited number of infrequent knots.

Prime grade – There will be minimal colour variation and minimal small knots. Prime is the highest grade of wood flooring and also the more expensive option.

Select grade – Here each plank will display the odd infrequent knots, some colour variations and mineral streaking. Select is the most widely common grade.

Rustic grade – This time each plank will display heavy grain markings and figuring, frequent colour variations and frequent knots of varying sizes. Rustic is considered full of character and has a rural look to it.

Hardwood Flooring Finish – Decor Vs. Practicality

The last consideration is the finish of the floor. In the past its function was to protect the wood from minor damage and to provide practicality, for example a UV lacquered finish is used if the floor is subjected to direct sunlight. In recent years, the finish has been used to colour the wood and to match it against an interior decor theme. Here are a few examples of a few unusual colours for wood flooring.

If you have any questions, please leave your comment below.

Article written by Wood and Beyond. Online retailer of wooden flooring, decking and oak worktops. Wood and Beyond is FSC accredited.

Comments are closed.