| The old-world charisma of solid hardwood flooring is | | | | perimeter for the wood to expand. Even the best |
| very popular in the United States and Europe. In the | | | | quality solid wood floors react to moisture. Slight gaps |
| past few decades, the US flooring industry has | | | | between planks will leave space for the wood to |
| manufactured around $2.6 billion worth of wood | | | | expand in the humid summer months. However, too |
| flooring materials for commercial and domestic usage. | | | | much moisture may cause the planks to crumple. |
| For long now, hardwood flooring have added warmth | | | | Therefore, it is recommended that homeowners who |
| and charm to several mansions and villas. Different | | | | have installed hardwood floors must keep the relative |
| kinds of flooring materials have gone in and out of | | | | humidity of the rooms between 40 - 55%. This |
| fashion but hardwood floors have retained position as | | | | would minimize any alteration in the wood size and |
| a real value-add to home interiors. | | | | quality. The wood also has to be acclimatized. For this |
| Solid Hardwood Flooring: Facts | | | | reason, a professional contractor would leave the |
| The term 'solid hardwood flooring' generally brings to | | | | planks at the venue for a few days prior to |
| mind a standard red oak flooring strip, 3/4" thick and | | | | installation. |
| 2 1/4" wide. It is available a variety of colors and | | | | Solid Hardwood Flooring: Unfinished and Pre-finished |
| sizes, with widths varying from 3 to 6 or even more. | | | | Solid hardwood flooring is of two types, namely, |
| Custom-milled sizes can be less than three inches too. | | | | unfinished and pre-finished. The former refers to |
| All sizes of wood would be equally durable if finishing | | | | flooring material that has not gone through the last |
| is done well and it has been installed properly. Many | | | | finishing steps such as, sanding, staining, buffing and |
| believe that thinner hardwood planks make for more | | | | coating. Therefore, the homeowner would have to |
| durability. However, the width of the plank affects | | | | complete these procedures to enhance the wood |
| the appearance of the room, rather than durability. | | | | quality. For this reason, pre-finished hardwood flooring |
| Narrow planks give a formal look while planks wider | | | | are more popular. This kind of flooring is less |
| than 4 inches lend a country house feel to the room. | | | | time-consuming to install, since all the required work |
| While installing solid hardwood flooring, it s crucial to | | | | and the finishing has been completed by the |
| remember that some gap has to be left around the | | | | manufacturer. |