Have you ever dreamed about having beautiful hardwood flooring but never knew where to begin? We want to facilitate that process by providing you with the basics to creating the floors of your dreams!
Hardwood Basics
Your first decision should be determining where you want to install hardwood floors. Next you will need to know which type of floors you might want to buy.
Moisture is crucial in the buying process because it can cause problems in the floors such as warping and gaping. Since moisture isn’t common knowledge, it's important to consult with manufacturer experts. One way to assure no moisture damage is to add a layer of protection, known as a moisture barrier. There are four main hardwood floors: ¾-inch Solid, 5/16-inch Solid, Engineered, and Locking.
¾-inch Solid: The typical hardwood floor that you envision when you think of hardwood flooring. This would need to be installed over a plywood primary or an above ground level because solid floors expand more when exposed to moisture.
5/16-inch Solid: Thinner than the typical ¾-inch Solid flooring, but is thin enough to be glued to concrete at ground level or install over plywood. Make sure you keep in mind that urethane adhesives are required and moisture barrier are recommended because it’s so thin and more likely to expand due to moisture.
Engineered Hardwood: These floors are meant to be constructed over concrete and the benefit of these floors are that they don’t expand as much as the other options. They are also less expensive and they are more environmentally friendly.
Locking Hardwood: These floors are engineered. They are basically meant for you to do on your own without all the construction supplies such as nails or staples. You basically lay it out and lock the planks into place
Style
You want to be able to to choose the species of your wood based off of your budget and your own personal preference. Some people tend to follow the trends and others pay more attention to price. It’s really up to you and the species of your choice can be found. Generally width plays a huge role because the wider the plank, the fewer seams that can be shown; also, the width shows the natural beauty of the wood. Lastly, the texture is the easiest to choose because it’s based off of your personal preference but there are so many choices!
Hardness
Generally, the scale used for wood species is the Janka Hardness Rating. The higher the number, the harder the wood and if you think the floors that you install are in an area where damage can occur, perhaps looking towards the higher end of the scale.
Hall Flooring is New York, New Jersey and Connecticut’s most trusted wood flooring distributor. Since 1913, we have specialized in wood flooring, finish, and accessories. Are do you need an expert in flooring? With 3 location in Stamford, CT, New Hyde Park, NY and Islandia, NY, we’re right in your backyard! Labels: finished flooring, hardwood flooring fairfield, hardwood flooring queens, hardwood flooring supplies, prefinished flooring, unfinished flooring, wood flooring distributors