You must understand first the terminology used for describing wood flooring and the way the different specifications affect the efficiency of the flooring. Not all floors are made equal, and not all have the same intended use. Before buying any type of wood flooring, be sure to understand what you are getting. Making the right decision will guarantee your hardwood floor provides a long-lasting beauty to your home.
Types of Flooring
There are three basic kinds of hardwood flooring. Compared to veneers or laminates that consist of a thin layer of wood and synthetic materials, hardwood floors are naturally made from wood all the way through. The three main types of flooring are the following:
Solid Wood Floor. Any floor that is solid from top to bottom is considered a solid wood floor. One major issue with a solid wood floor is that humidity and temperature adjustments can cause the wood to expand and contract. Based on the size of the room, the expansion may cause buckling and contraction can cause gaps.
Engineered Wood Floor. An engineered flooring material is just like plywood, where numerous layers of wood are glued together with the grains operating in opposite directions. This produces a floor surface that is a lot more stable in humid environments such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Acrylic Impregnated Wood Floor. This type of hardwood flooring is usually used in commercial applications. It is made by injecting an acrylic compound into the wood. This creates an extremely hard and durable surface.
Wood Cuts
How the wood is cut through the manufacturing process will have an effect on the stability and appearance of the wood.
Plain Sawn. This is the most popular method of chopping real wood flooring. Each cut of the lumber is made parallel with the last cut. This is the least expensive method since it generates the least waste. This also produces wood which has more variations than the other cutting method.
Quarter Sawn. With this method, lumber is first cut into quarters before being cut into strips. This makes wood flooring with a vertical grain that will expand and contract vertically instead of horizontally through humidity adjustments. Cutting this way will produce a very tight-grained appearance.
Finally you understand the basics of hardwood flooring; therefore you should have enough knowledge to choose a flooring option that will suit your unique preference. You can also get many finishing options and species of wood to choose from. Each of these options will give you different appearances and different levels of durability.
Making the right choice of hardwood flooring is very important. You really want something that will fit the look of your home; however it must also perform well under the conditions in which it will be used. Thorough selection will ensure that your money is well-invested and you will enjoy the beauty of hardwood floor in your home for many years to come.
Related Posts:
No comments:
Post a Comment