Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Orange County Hardwood Flooring: Wood Flooring Buying Guide

There are a lot of different types of wood flooring available for purchase. Knowing which one is best for your home and for your budget isn't always easy even with the help of an Orange County flooring contractor. There are a number of other things to consider as well before you purchase any wood flooring and this article will help shed some light on those things.

Wood Flooring Construction
The first thing individuals will need to know is that wood flooring comes in two basic types. These types are solid and engineered construction. Solid wood flooring feature strips or wide planks that are composed of just one type of wood. Traditional parquet flooring tiles are an example of just one type of solid wood flooring.

In contrast to solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring strips and planks have a surface covering multiple layers of plywood and sometimes dashboard or particle board. While solid wood flooring can be sanded down and refinished multiple times, engineered wood flooring is far less susceptible to temperature changes as well as the effects of moisture which makes for a much easier installation.

As your Orange County flooring contractor will likely tell you, is a type of subfloor that you have that will play a part in dictating whether or not you should buy solid wood or engineered wood flooring. The plywood subfloor allows for multiple installation methods. These methods include nail down, staple down, glue down, and floating. Concrete subflooring is on the other hand requires that engineered wood products be applied via glue down or floating installation methods only. When you're dealing with a concrete subfloor and these two installation methods you definitely want to consult and work with a Orange County flooring contractor.

Wood Species & Grade
When it comes to wood species and quality it's important to remember that there are differences not just in appearance, like the human grain of a wood, but it's stability, hardness, and ruggedness. You also need to be aware of how the wood you are interested in will respond to things like standing, kneeling, and even finishing, again not all species of wood are the same and some are more workable and durable than others.

Another thing individuals need to remember when looking at wood flooring is the actual grade of the wood they're looking at. Generally speaking would grade refers to the amount of manufactured and natural marks in the wood. In order to get a grasp on this you can speak with an Orange County flooring contractor who can show you a wood grade rating scale.

The majority of wood flooring these days, be it solid or engineered, comes with some type of protective finish that reduces wear and tear. Though unfinished wood flooring is still a viable option these days, prefinished wood flooring saves individuals a great deal of time and effort as they will not need to sand, stain or finish the wood themselves. Unfinished wood flooring however carries a certain charm and workability that prefinished wood flooring does not.

Perhaps best of all, at least as far as individuals are concerned, wood flooring is available in myriad of varied designs. Individuals however should strive not to get too carried away and pick only that wood flooring which helps bring out the natural feeling of their home. There are some types of flooring that bring an old world feel to a home while others have a stained look to them or sport vibrant colors. Again, if you're having difficulty in choosing one that does your home justice, be sure to consult with an Orange County flooring contractor.

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