| There are types of hardwood floors that look good | | | | It is very hard to install and to remove. You can find |
| in virtually every type of room. Before choosing a | | | | the lumber for solid wood floors in the form of either |
| type of hardwood floor to install in a room, you need | | | | parquet, plank, or strip. Strip is the easiest to install |
| to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of | | | | by far, but those looking for ease would do better |
| the various types. There are currently five popular | | | | with one of the other types of hardwood floors. |
| hardwood flooring types. When you know the | | | | - Types of Hardwood Floors: Engineered Wood |
| hardwood flooring types that are popular today, you | | | | Engineered wood is made out of multiple layers of |
| will be able to make a choice you will be happy with | | | | veneer. These layers of wood are glued together |
| for years to come. | | | | with high quality glue. This design makes them very |
| - Types of Hardwood floors: Prefinished | | | | sturdy, as they benefit from the grains and features |
| Prefinished hardwood floors have quickly become the | | | | of each layer of veneer. Also, this allows you to use |
| most popular type of hardwood flooring. They are | | | | one wood at the surface to match your house, and |
| easy to buy and completely ready for installation. | | | | higher quality woods make up the lower veneer |
| Purchasing is just a matter of finding a wood grain | | | | layers. |
| and finish that matches your home. In most cases, | | | | For example, if you want a house full of birch |
| for installation, all you have to do is lay the floor | | | | furniture, you can have the surface layer of the floor |
| panels down and make a few cuts to fit them as | | | | made of birch, with sturdy oak layers supporting the |
| you reach the wall with each row of paneling. This is | | | | floor. This combination would give you the durability |
| by far the easiest among the types of hardwood | | | | of oak with the beauty of birch. |
| floors to install. | | | | Engineered wood flooring can also handle a wider |
| - Types of Hardwood Floors: Unfinished | | | | variety of climates. They are much more immune |
| When you put your floor together with unfinished | | | | than the previously mentioned hardwood floor types |
| hardwood, it is left to you to manually handle the | | | | to humidity, spills, and temperature extremes. This is |
| finishing process. This means you will need to sand, | | | | why engineered wood floors are often |
| buffer, stain, and coat the hardwood floor after you | | | | recommended for basements where water is often |
| install it. This is a big time and labor disadvantage | | | | prevalent. |
| from the prefinished floor. | | | | - Types of Hardwood Floors: Acrylic Impregnated |
| But there are reasons why you may prefer an | | | | Wood |
| unfinished hardwood floor installation. One of the best | | | | Acrylic impregnated wood floors are similar to |
| reasons for installing this type of floor is if you are | | | | prefinished floors, except that they are built with a |
| planning on selling the building soon. You can then | | | | special new process. The coloring and acrylic are put |
| have the new tenants choose the color that | | | | into the wood planks' pores under high pressure. The |
| matches their needs or desires before finishing the | | | | floor planks that result are very durable. These floors |
| wood. If you install prefinished wood in such a | | | | do not get as easily scratched as the other |
| scenario, you would face a choice of losing a | | | | hardwood floors. They do really well in busy places |
| customer or reinstalling the wood floor. | | | | and with frequent furniture moves. They are also |
| - Types of Hardwood Floors: Solid Wood | | | | much more resistant to climate extremes than the |
| This was a popular hardwood floor type until recently. | | | | other types of hardwood floors. |