You Need To Read This Before Deciding On Your Solid Hardwood Flooring
The more popular varieties of solid hardwood flooring
Many types of solid hardwood flooring exist. Among the popular species used for this purpose are the maple, white oak and the red oak. Of the three, the maple is the most durable. The white oak is next in hardness and the red oak is the softest.
The white oak solid hardwood flooring grain is characteristically straight and long and is highlighted with a faint whitish glow. As it ages, the color mellows to a light brown or gold that has a distinct handsomeness of its own. Oak wood can last over a thousand years and Antique white oak furniture can command a high price.
The name of the red oak is a result of the color of its hard central core, the portion which is made into lumber. At the very center of the red oak solid hardwood flooring, the wood is pinkish and it gradually becomes a reddish brown towards the outside.
Cream is the predominant shade of the maple used in solid hardwood flooring. The wood has occasional spots of red brown. As opposed to the oak, the maple has a wavy grain. The cream turns to a light brown or gold when the maple ages.
Why you should get solid hardwood flooring
If you want your solid hardwood flooring to be resistant to scratching and dents, select a wood variety that has a minimum value for hardness of 1,000. Some people like cherry wood for their floor. If you are one of those people, get the ones that they harvest from Africa as these are real hardwood cherry lumber. The local varieties are really softwood.
A good grade of wood has a better look
The grade of the solid hardwood flooring is sometimes, but not always, stamped on one of its ends. Manufacturers often omit grading the wood because of the many variations of appearance and color that are possible with one set. Grade usually refers to the appearance of the wood, although it has something to do with the durability of the wood also. High grade lumber has patterns and colors identical with its companions and the highest grade is given to wood that has no markings and whose color is uniform. If you really want the best grade of solid wood flooring, look for the words ?clear? and ?select? on its grade stamp, if it has one.
Solid hardwood flooring may have many differing cuts
The width of a piece of solid lumber used in solid hardwood flooring can be between 2-1/4 to 6 inches inclusive. You will find batches of lumber consisting of wood pieces having different lengths. The minimum and maximum length is usually specified and the length of everything in that batch falls within that range.
Solid hardwood flooring can?t be used for the basement
You cannot and should not use solid hardwood flooring for the base flooring of your basement. The uneven ground will cause the wood to deform and eventually break. You should have a primary flat layer of concrete and an under lament first. Even then, the wood will rot very fast because of the humid conditions in the basement. Use engineered lumber for the basement instead. These are not as expensive as solid wood and moisture can evaporate through the loose layers of plywood underneath.
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