Hardwood or Engineered
Wood
Stone & Tile
CARPET & CUSTOM RUG
VINYL
Laminate
Choosing the Right Flooring for Every Room in Your Home
Are you having trouble deciding on the perfect flooring for your home? With so many options available, it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. In this article, we’ll break down the two most popular hard flooring types to help you find the best match for your home.
Hardwood Flooring
- Hardwood flooring is a traditional favorite, known for its durability and natural beauty.
- Oak is the most popular choice, but other woods like maple, cherry, black walnut, and imported exotic woods like Brazilian cherry are also available on the market.
- Hardwood floors come in a variety of styles, including plain, parquet, and pre-finished boards that can be installed yourself. Standard planks can range from 2-4 inches wide, but for larger spaces, consider specifying a larger plank for a more proportionate look.
- New technology has produced coatings for pre-finished hardwood with additives that create incredibly tough, durable surfaces.
- Pros:
- Wide variety of hardwood options to fit different styles of interior design
- Can be refinished many times over its lifetime
- Works well in open concept floor plans for visual continuity and to make the space appear larger
- Cons:
- Solid hardwood is typically nailed or glued to the subfloor, making it difficult to change out later
- It is susceptible to temperature and climate changes, and can warp in high humidity environments
- Expensive – material costs are higher than engineered wood, and exotic varieties can cost significantly more per square foot.
Engineered Wood
- Engineered wood features a top veneer of real wood, backed by layers of cheaper plywood. This construction makes the flooring more stable and less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity.
- Some newer varieties have substrates made from recycled wood fiber mixed with stone dust for extreme dimensional stability.
- Engineered wood is a good choice for kitchens and basements, as well as for installation over in-floor heating systems.
- It can be nailed, glued, or installed as a floating floor over a cushion pad. Many manufacturers now produce self-locking or clickable engineered wood flooring that installs without glue or nails.
- Pros:
- Durable and stable
- Can be used in kitchens, basements, and over in-floor heating systems
- Clickable options make for easy DIY installation
- Cons:
- May not be as visually appealing as solid wood
- Can’t be refinished as many times as solid wood
- May not increase the value of your home as much as solid wood.
