Hardwood Floor
Hardwood flooring is harvested from trees that grow much slower; it ends up being far denser, and more durable than softwood counterparts. This means that they last longer and require less maintenance.
Hardwood Product
The original wood flooring option, solid wood is exactly what it sounds like. “Solid wood is, as the name implies, a solid piece of wood from top to bottom, through its entire thickness.
Species is one way to categorize solid wood. Softwood comes from coniferous trees like pine, while hardwood comes from deciduous trees like oak. Species can be domestic, like oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and cherry; or imported, like jatoba, cumaru, ipe, and acacia.
Unfinished or Finished?
Unfinished hardwood flooring is a good option if you want a custom stain applied before the final finish, or if you want to match the color of existing flooring.
Prefinished hardwood flooring comes from the factory already sanded and sealed, meaning the whole installation job goes quickly. There are no odors and VOCs from finishing on-site, and the floor is ready to walk on immediately.
What Species Is Best?
The best hardwood floors are made with wood species that are readily available and — you guessed it — very hard. Oak flooring, maple flooring and cherry flooring are all good choices. Other species include bamboo (which is actually a grass), walnut, ash and mahogany. You’ll pay a premium price for more exotic species, such as teak, jarrah and mesquite. Check to make sure the hardwood flooring you choose comes from sustainably harvested forests.
HARDWOOD
Pros and Cons of Solid Timber Flooring
Pros:
- Premium look and feel
- Very smooth surface with no joining edges
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Less susceptible to termites
- Ages gracefully
- Solid and can be a more stable board
- Very warm feel for your home
- Can be sanded and polished multiple times
Cons:
- Coating isn’t as tough as pre-finished
- Less sustainable to the log resource
- Takes up to 6 weeks to install
- Very dusty and messy installation process
- Have to move out of your home when sanding
- Shorter and random sized boards
- Restricted to narrower boards due to stability issues
- Very difficult to match timber moisture to the household EMC
- Typically nailed to the ground
- Not suitable for pre-finished
- Repair and replacement requires a full sand and polish
- More expensive
How to Install a Hardwood Floor
| Materials and Tools: | |
| Hardwood | vapor barrier paper |
| modular porch system kit | pneumatic flooring package |
| wood putty | nail set |
| staple gun | chop saw |
| drill bits | table saw |
| hammer | ear protection |
| tape measure | safety goggles |
| pry bar | chalk line |
|
variable speed drill |
|
FAQ
WHAT IS SOFTWOOD?
Softwood flooring includes materials harvested from a variety of trees, most commonly pine, fir, and cedar. These species tend to mature very quickly and are readily abundant. However, their rapid growth leads to the wood itself being less dense and therefore less durable. This can make it susceptible to dents and scratches.
Is hardwood flooring waterproof?
Hardwood can survive water as well as other damaging incidents.
How long do hardwood floors last?
From 20 years to 100 years
Are hardwood floors worth it?
There’s a lot to like about hardwood flooring. It brings a bit of nature’s beauty into your home and it goes with just about any decor, wood floors are almost always worth it.