Choosing Wood Flooring for Your HomeAuthor: Jim Knight

The floor is often a neglected part of a house, but worth paying attention to considering its ability to influence its entire look. If you are planning to refurbish your home, you should consider new flooring.

Some might prefer the natural look more than carpeting, so there are actually different choices these days. The benefit that a wooden floor offers is that it comes with many choices in material and shades. It makes any room look good. Before deciding on which sort of wooden floor is to be used, certain pros and cons should be considered first. By adopting this method you might be able to know that your selections are perfect for you and your needs.

There is a wide variety in choices of wood flooring. It really depends upon the taste and preference of the home owner or the kind of décor appropriate for the job. Wood flooring can make any room look marvelous except for a few rooms like the kitchen or bathroom. This is due to the vast amount of moisture which gets accumulated in these rooms.

Hardwood is one of the most popular choices for wood flooring. It is a kind of wood that comes from certain trees which are denser than others. The different type of trees includes bellawood, walnut, maple, cherry, hickory and oak. The hardwood can be stained to look like any other color out there or it can also be kept in its original form. For example, in case of hardwoods like cherry and walnut, no stain is required because the normal wood has a very rich texture.

After the selection process is over, you have to decide how you want the finishing touches to look like. Pre finished wood can be an excellent purchasing option if they are already pre-stained and covered with a coating of polyurethane. This may not be the best way to go considering the higher expenses compared to unfinished wood, but it saves a lot of time.

Another alternative to this process is that you can install the wood yourself and do the finishing. Although, in this case you also have to do the sanding, staining and finish coating such as urethane. This whole procedure of drying and sanding the wood between the coats can take several days. The process can become even lengthier if you decide to put on extra layers of polyurethane. But in the end of the whole process you will have more protection on the wood.

There are some people out there who like the option of reclaimed flooring, which is also known as distressed floor. This particular type of flooring has its own unique feature. Due to its rough finish it does not even show the smallest of scratches and nicks, which is almost as good as a smooth surface.

Outside of using traditional wood flooring, laminate flooring is also a good option. Laminate flooring resembles hardwood and with the best laminates, you will have a hard time finding any difference between the laminate and a real hardwood floor. A very good example of a company which makes quality laminate flooring would be Armstrong. Few other choices in wood flooring are cork floors or bamboo.

For more information, please visit: http://www.columbusflooringandmore.com