There are literally hundreds of choices of flooring available on today including carpet, laminate, ceramic tile and concrete. Hardwood flooring is one of the top three choices for consumers and according to consumer reporting; 900 million square foot of wood flooring is laid each year in American homes! Hardwood continues to remain a popular choice because consumers agree that there is no substitute for the natural beauty, warmth and depth of real wood.
Hardwood Floor Styles & Finishes
Hardwood flooring is available in many sizes, styles and finishes. When shopping for wood flooring you can expect to find two basic types: solid wood and engineered wood. Traditionally, solid wood flooring is made from a single piece of solid wood; engineered wood on the other hand is a wood plank that is made from smaller pieces of wood. Both solid-wood and engineered wood are available in many colors and types of wood. Some of the things that you will need to consider before making your selection are; price, size, wood species, type of subflooring and the size of the room.
Solid Wood Flooring; Narrow Strips, Wide Planks & Parquet
Solid wood flooring can be purchased in varying sizes including narrow strips, wide planks and parquet. The most popular and traditional form of flooring is available in strips. Planks range in size from 3 to 7 inches wide and are typically installed in open spaces and larger rooms. Parquet flooring is available in either preassembled tiles or it can be customer-made from individual pieces of wood. Parquet flooring can be used to create patterns including herringbone and geometric designs. Solid wood flooring is available either prefinished or unfinished and ranges in thickness between 5/16 of an inch to ¾ inch. Many home owners select unfinished hardwood-strip flooring because it is affordable and can be left natural or stained according to their preferences.
Latest Current Trends in Wood Flooring
Natural grades: No two boards of wood are the same and natural variations allow the character of the wood to shine though. Natural grades and knots in your flooring that should never be considered a defect and will actually enhance the natural beauty of the room.
Gray tone wood floors: Grey tones are considered neutral and complimentary to many different decorating styles. Grey stain on white oak for example creates a weathered look that is synonymous to the ocean.
Dark hardwood floors: Dark tones have always been popular especially walnut flooring that is stained a dark chocolate color. Dark tones are especially popular in dining rooms.
Vintage Hardwood Floor Styles
Reclaimed wood is one of the most popular flooring choices but it can also be expensive. Fortunately, there are other ways to achieve a vintage looking hardwood floor!
• Hand Scrape – Each board is scraped individually to resemble the look of a worn floor. Unlike a machine scrape, no two boards are the same.
• Sculpted Edges – this look uses a random notched edge approach to give each individual board an aged appearance
• Wire Brush – removes the softer wood layer leaving the hardest part of the plank to create the look of wood used in a reclaimed barn
• Circle sawn – creates a board that will look just as though it came from the saw mill before being nailed down to your floor
Hardwood Floor Refinishing & Repair in Charles Town & Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley & Jefferson Counties in WV | Winchester & Frederick County | Round Hill & Loudoun County | Fairfax County VA.
For more information regarding installation, refinishing and custom hardwood flooring, contact the experienced professionals at Mike’s Custom Flooring today.
