| The American love affair with hardwood flooring has | | | | white oak wood floor is seen in many classic |
| never been stronger -- after hundreds of years, this | | | | American homes. The select grade gives a more |
| traditional flooring choice for American homes is more | | | | traditional look, while country grade white oak, more |
| popular than ever. Traditional wood flooring -- | | | | knotty in appearance, can be used to create a more |
| exemplified by styles like wide plank flooring, rustic or | | | | rustic looking wood floor. |
| antique flooring, deliberately distressed floors, even | | | | - Heart Pine. One of the best-loved of all American |
| reclaimed wood floors -- is appearing in homes across | | | | woods. A heart pine wood floor is another |
| the country. As 'green' construction becomes more | | | | time-tested American look. It is a very hard wood, |
| significant, wood floors are one of the most | | | | with a dramatic, flame-like grain, and an orange |
| renewable, environmentally-conscious choices for | | | | pumpkin color. It works beautifully in a country or a |
| builders and homeowners. | | | | traditional setting. |
| So, let's say you've decided to install an | | | | Wood Floors for Modern or Contemporary Homes |
| antique-looking, wide plank floor, in your living room. | | | | - Hard Maple. This durable wood has a tight, close |
| Perhaps you are remodeling, perhaps you just bought | | | | grain, and is one of the hardest woods available. Hard |
| your house and need to get rid of a stained, ugly, | | | | maple flooring has a clear, light look, and is perfect |
| yellow shag carpet that looks like it was installed | | | | for light, contemporary rooms with plenty of |
| around the time that John Travolta was making | | | | windows. You will see hard maple used in settings |
| Saturday Night Fever. But what kind of wood floor | | | | that require an extremely hard-wearing surface, such |
| should you get? The choices, with so many wood | | | | as a gymnasium. |
| species on the market, may seem overwhelming. | | | | - Birch. Another hard-wearing, dense wood, birch has |
| Here are some guidelines to help you pick the right | | | | a tight grain, and a subtle, sometimes swirling pattern. |
| kind of wood for your project. | | | | Birch is the perfect wood for a modern, light floor. |
| First, there are no set rules. It%u2019s your floor, in | | | | - Hickory. A very hard, tight grain, usually with some |
| your house or condo, and the most important thing is | | | | knots, and sometimes the grain can be dramatic. A |
| that you be happy with your choice. With that in | | | | hickory floor can work just as well in a country |
| mind, consider the common ways that different | | | | setting as in a modern one. |
| woods have been used in the past. Over time, it has | | | | - Walnut. A popular choice, walnut is medium-hard, |
| become traditional to use certain types of wood | | | | with marbleized coloring, and well-suited to natural |
| flooring in certain architectural styles. For example, | | | | finishes. Walnut flooring is a very versatile wood, |
| wide plank white pine is very closely associated with | | | | suitable for many architectural styles. |
| a %u201Ccountry%u201D look. It was the wood | | | | Wood Floors for Country Style Homes |
| most widely available to our ancestors. Most of the | | | | - Heart Pine. The classic heart pine wood floor looks |
| homes of that era, by necessity, were rustic, and | | | | as good in a country setting as it does in a traditional |
| the style has remained. In contrast, classic white oak, | | | | one. For a country, or rustic wood floor, wide plank |
| another perfect choice for wide plank flooring, is | | | | heart pine is a perfect choice, with its flame-like grain |
| often associated with elegant, or more formal wood | | | | and color like a pumpkin. |
| floors. | | | | - Eastern White Pine. The smooth-grained, knotty, |
| The use of different hardwood species in different | | | | eastern white pine creates a wood floor that will look |
| settings is perhaps easiest viewed by home type. But | | | | right at home in a country style house. It has been |
| remember, these are just guidelines. Wood is a very | | | | the wood of choice in American country homes for |
| versatile material, and the same wood can often | | | | generations. |
| work in a variety of settings. Most of the woods | | | | - Character Grade White Oak. For a more rustic |
| listed below can be ordered in one of several grades, | | | | looking wood floor, the flecked pattern of character |
| adding to its flexibility. Select grade is the smoothest, | | | | grade white oak, very suitable for quarter-sawn |
| often resulting in an elegant look. Country, and rustic | | | | flooring, is an excellent choice. |
| grades, are more rough, sometimes more distressed | | | | - Red Oak. Coarse-grained, quarter-sawn, wide plank |
| looking grades, giving an antique or country look to | | | | red oak flooring creates a timeless country look that |
| the floor. | | | | will enhance any country style home. |
| Wood Floors for Traditional Style Homes | | | | Wood Floors for Every Style of Home |
| Warm, elegant floors are often found in traditional | | | | Home styles and architecture are not limited to a |
| American homes, such as Colonial and Georgian style | | | | few classic looks. There is an infinite variety of |
| houses. Suggested woods for a traditional | | | | decors, and wood floors complement them all. From |
| architecture include: | | | | a heart pine wood floor in a French country |
| - Eastern White Pine. It is a fine, smooth-grained, | | | | farmhouse, to eastern white pine flooring in a log |
| knotty wood, with a very soft texture. It is very | | | | home, to a rich, red, Santos mahogany floor in a |
| authentic for older homes, creating a warm, classic | | | | classic, 19th century style library, the choices are |
| tone. | | | | almost limitless. Do some research on the internet, |
| - Cherry. A subtle, tight grain, medium hardness, and | | | | perhaps look at some image galleries of hardwood |
| a deep red color are the hallmarks of cherry flooring. | | | | flooring, and let your imagination take wing. Then go |
| The red color of cherry continues to deepen over | | | | out to some showrooms and see, and most |
| the years, resulting in a warmth of tone that is | | | | importantly, touch, the wood. Genuine hardwood is a |
| almost unmatched. A cherry wood floor works well in | | | | material you're almost bound to fall in love with. And |
| formal or country settings. | | | | when you find the right wood for your project, you |
| - White Oak. A tight-grained, dense, hard wood. A | | | | will simply know it. |