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Hardwood flooring | hardwood floor design - natural beauty and color in a hardwood floor design

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Hardwood flooring is a great addition to any home or apartment condo. It brings natural beauty into your home.

Adding a harwood floor or refinishing the one you have will greatly add value to your home as they are very popular selling features. Hardwood flooring is timeless and will add warmth to any home. If maintained correctly the flooring should last forever. To keep them looking new, your hardwood cleaning should consist of sweeping or vacuuming using a soft broom, applying the recommended cleaner suggested by the manufacturer and using a dry mop with a terry cloth cover will keep the luster and beauty of your solid hardwood flooring. Along with adding beauty to your homes décor, this style of flooring will trap less allergen (dust, dust mites, pollen, etc) and leave you with a healthier environment to live in.

Selecting Your Hardwood floor - what wood should you pick?

Hardwood floors will bring a lifetime of beauty and warmth to your home. But there are many things that need to be considered before you step onto a flooring showroom. There are more than 50 species of wood with various surface treatments that give each their own distinctive look, this is on top of the many shapes and lengths and sizes these boards can come in.

TIP: Ask vendor if you could borrow some sample boards of your top choices to take home and see how they coordinate with your furnishings and walls.

Your flooring supplier will ask you first what particular species of wood you are considering for your home. Some of the most popular choices of hardwood flooring usually come from deciduous trees like Oak, Cherry, Maple, Hickory and Walnut. THe wood produced from these trees is very hard since they these trees are the ones that usually lose their leaves in the winter months, this lets the tree trunk harden.

The appearance of our hardwood floor depends greatly on the material, and here is a little chart looking at some pros and cons of some of the wood you can choose from.

  WOOD SPECIES
Hardwood Flooring

COLOR & GRAIN PATTERN
PROS CONS

OAK
This is the most popular flooring in N. America
RED OAK: has pinkish hues
WHITE OAK: more ashen in color
This wood works well with any almost any finish. Is easy to install.
Will stand up to heavy foot traffic.
Oak floorboards will turn black if exposed to moisture.
Not recommended for kitchens or bathrooms.

CHERRY – Brazilian Cherry The reddish hue instills a very formal feeling and wonderfully complements fine furnishings. The color of Cherry wood will deepen over time – thus improving the floors appearance Is moisture resistant
And extremely hard wearing.
Similar to other very hard woods is prone to splitting and very hard to nail into – can be challenge to install.

Mahogany –

Santos Mahogany
The deep undertones in its color are flecked with red and gold.
This wood has undulating grain patterns.
It can be finished beautifully. Very durable.
Moisture resistant – can be used in a bathroom.

Very rare species.

Thus – very expensive.

WALNUT – America Walnut
( also known as Black Walnut)
Commonly used for centuries for floors and furniture.
Distinguished by its deep, purplish color.
The grain pattern is even.
Stains beautifully. Must softer then other walnut varieties (i.e. Brazilian walnut)/
Not ideal for high traffic areas.

  PINE Coloring can go from brown to yellow.
Grain patterns can come in straight or wavy.
Tremendous variety. This is a fairly soft wood.
Will retain water – so not recommended for damp or high traffic areas.

BAMBOO
Is a woody grass.
Blond in color.
Has little grain pattern.
Resistant to moisture. Can be very durable.
Excellent for contemporary settings.
Usually prefinished – so might not match current home design.
Choose carefully since Bamboo is dependent on growing cycle (sun and rain received) and age it was harvested – this will affect its durability.

CYPRESS – Australian Cypress Coloring is creamy white to light brown.
Wavy grain pattern with black rings
Holds up to humid areas. Good in Bathrooms or Kitchens. Installation challenges with the knots in wood which can cause splitting.
Fairly difficult to stain.

RECLAIMED LUMBER Salvaged wood from old structures (barns, wine barrels) Varies – since each piece would have the distinctive markings on it from its original use. No two floors alike.
Expensive.
May have challenge depending on existing surface condition.

Choosing a hardwood floor design

There are a lot of things to consider when installing hardwood to your décor, the species and colors of the wood are vast so you can create and design your own custom floor. Major design elements make the difference when planning. Using a dark floor and light walls will usually anchor the room. Where as using a light floor in combination with a light wall will give the appearance of the room being bright, spacious and modern looking. There is more than choosing a color. Wood flooring is also a background for matching a colorful rug or inlay. Parquet provides the warmth of wood, but the color of tile. Having borders in the design will help you to define a specific space. But in the end when a floor just needs to be no more than a floor, hardwood flooring is easy on the eyes and your feet.

Finding the best hardwood floor

We at Wood Floor Resource have compiled the best resources and reviews to help you in your research on your designs and ideas, and to help you with your specific needs. Please take the time to review our entire wood floor resources and learn more about this topic. Below we have gathered the best merchants for your online shopping resources.

Here are some articles on some freqently asked questions and more information on refinishing hardwood floors

Discount hardwood flooring Finding discount hardwood flooring is not only a “good” suggestion; it’s almost mandatory. If you’re planning on redecorating your home.

Bruce hardwood flooring Bruce hardwood flooring is one of the most well known brands of hardwood flooring. Founded over 120 years ago, it still keeps up its reputation among the highest quality solid oak.

Wholesale hardwood flooring If you’re planning on a new floor for your home we have all the resources to help you online.