Hardwood Floors

A surefire way to improve the look, durability and value of a home or apartment is with hardwood floors. Besides being beautiful and hard-wearing, hardwood floors are environmentally friendly as well. Wood is a natural resource that is both renewable and recyclable. Most hardwood floors almost never need to be replaced and can add thousands of dollars to the value of a home. Hardwood floors offer an incredible array of aesthetic options, too. From the kind of wood to the finish to the design of the floor pattern, hardwood floors will suit almost any taste and circumstance. This type of flooring is increasingly popular as you can tell if you watch any of the television shows such as "Trading Places"!

Types of Hardwood Floors

  • Solid Wood Flooring comes in three main types. Each type is available in both an unfinished and a pre-finished version. Unfinished flooring must be job-site sanded and finished after installation. Pre-finished flooring is sanded and finished at the factory -- so it only needs installation. The three main types of solid wood flooring are:
  • Strip flooring is denoted by the thickness and width of the wood planks. Strip flooring has a set width, but the thickness can vary. Strip flooring ranges in thickness from 5/16 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch wide. It is available only in widths of 1 1/2 inches, 2 inches and 2 1/4.inches.
  • Plank flooring only comes in two thicknesses, but unlike strip flooring, the widths can vary. It is available only in thicknesses of 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch and a range of widths from 3 inches to 8 inches.
  • Parquet floors have a very different look from typical hardwoods. They are made up of geometrical patterns composed of individual wood slats held in place by mechanical fastening or an adhesive.
  • Engineered wood flooring should not be confused with laminate wood flooring. Engineered flooring is produced by adhering layers of plastic laminate veneer with real wood. The main difference between this type of wood and laminate flooring is that laminate flooring contains no actual wood. Look for more on laminate wood flooring later in this article.
  • Acrylic-impregnated wood flooring is infused with sealant and color throughout the thickness of the wood. So, what is normally a surface "finish" is actually consistent throughout the wood. This type of flooring is most commonly used in commercial, not residential, projects. This type of floor is very hard and it is highly resistant to moisture and scratches.

According to the World Floor Covering Association, once installed, it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between a solid wood floor and the other wood floors. Solid hardwood strip floors are the most common flooring option. Engineered flooring has become very popular due to its low cost.

Solid hardwoods require more upkeep than engineered wood flooring, but they can always be refinished. If maintained, solid wood floors will retain their value better than engineered woods.

The Most Common Wood Varieties

  • Red oak is this country's most popular flooring option. Reddish in color, with a coarse grain, it's a stiff and dense wood that resists wear, but not as well as white oak.
  • White oak is brown in color, but can have a grayish cast. The grain is similar to red oak with more burls and swirls. It is harder and more durable than red oak.
  • Birch can range in color from light yellow to dark brownish red. It's softer than red oak, but is still a strong wood.
  • Beech has a reddish brown color and a very consistent grain. It is quite durable and has excellent shock resistance.
  • Pine is a yellowish brown color and contains a lot of swirls and knots. It has a natural resistance to insects and is about as hard as red oak.
  • Cherry wood is a light brown color. Because it's a soft wood, cherry isn't often used for a whole floor. Instead, it makes an excellent decorative or accent wood.
  • Douglas fir is a yellowish tan color. This wood is about half as soft as red oak and can dent easily. It is only appropriate in certain flooring situations.

Wood Finishes

  • Oil-Based Urethane - The most common surface finish, oil-based urethane is applied in two or three coats and is available in gloss, semi-gloss and satin sheens. The downside to this type of finish is the drying time -- up to 8 hours for each coat. Oil-based urethane finishes require good ventilation and yellow (amber) with age.
  • Water-Based Urethane - This finish dries quickly and cleans up easily with soap and water. Water-based urethane has less odor than oil-based urethane and doesn't yellow over time.
  • Moisture-Cured Urethane - Slightly more durable than others, this finish is most often used on commercial projects and is very difficult to work with.
  • Conversion Varnish - Strong odor and fumes.

Satin and Glossy finishes - though high gloss finishes look professional, they show scratches more easily. Low gloss or satin finishes are typically used in residential hardwood floor installations.

Installation Methods

  • Nail Down - Nails are used to fasten the wood to the subfloor. This method is often used with thin wood flooring.
  • Staple Down - Staples are used instead of nails to attach the floor to the subfloor. This method is simpler than the nail down method.
  • Glue Down - Engineered wood floors and parquets can be glued down. The wood is adhered to the subfloor with a strong adhesive.
  • Floating - This is the fastest and easiest method of installation. Floating floors are not attached to any subfloor, they simply float above it. Either adhesive is applied to the boards to keep them together, or the boards are made to simply snap together. Usually a pad is placed between the wood floor and the subfloor to protect against moisture and reduce noise. Floating floors can be installed over almost any surface.

Refinishing Wood Floors

The great thing about wood floors is that they can last forever with proper care. No matter how careful you are with your hardwoods, though, you will still have to refinish them at some point. If your floors take a beating, from pets for example, you may have to refinish more often. Some floors only need to be refinished every three years, some high traffic floors may need more frequent refinishing.od.

If you're wondering how you can tell that whether a wood floor needs to be refinished, there is a test you can take. First, find a high-traffic area where the finish is likely to be most worn and pour a tablespoon of water onto the floor. If the water beads up and you can wipe it without a trace, the finish is still working and you don't need to refinish. If the water slowly soaks into the wood floor creating a moderately darkish spot, the floor is partially worn and will need to be refinished soon. If the water immediately disappears into the wood leaving an obvious dark spot, it's time to refinish the floor ASAP!

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