Hardwood Flooring Guide 

A luxury intended for everyday life, natural hardwood flooring offers up some of the most coveted visuals of the flooring world. Made by Mother Nature to truly stand the test of time, hardwood flooring, if properly pampered, can dramatically improve your home’s interiors. Your hardwood floors have the ability to serve multiple generations, offering an ongoing foundation of value.

No question about it, there are a lot of things to love about hardwood flooring. It adds serious dimension to your room by creating a convincing illusion of added space. A fair warning, however: since hardwood flooring can represent a significant investment, you’d be wise to conduct plenty of research before making your final decision. You’ll certainly be glad you did. If properly situated and installed, your gorgeous new hardwood floor can grace your home for many, many years to come.

Solid Hardwood vs. Engineered Hardwood

Today, there are two major types of hardwood flooring for consumers to choose from. In addition to the tried and true traditional solid hardwood, there is also the more recently introduced engineered hardwood. Although the differences between the two often cannot be detected upon first glance, there are some distinct characteristics that definitely set this pair apart.

Solid hardwood is crafted in planks, with each plank comprised of one solid piece of wood. This is the original hardwood flooring and true to tradition, it has great staying power if properly cared for. Solid hardwood can be refinished as many times as you like, but it does have its limits. This flooring won’t fare well in spaces below grade, as it doesn’t tolerate excessive moisture.

Engineered hardwood is also crafted in planks, but these planks are put together in multiple layers for a floor that’s extra dense and durable. This type of flooring works well in spaces where hardwood traditionally wasn’t in option: namely, finished basements, moisture-prone environments, and floors that are set below the grade. It tends to be a bit less pricey than solid hardwood.

Hardwood Species

With hardwood flooring, there almost as many species varieties as there are different trees in the forest. That leaves consumers with an ample array of options, indeed, and truly, there are hardwood flooring species for many different styles and settings. For those who like their décor to be earth-friendly and sustainable, there are renewable cork and bamboo floors; and for the tried and true traditionalist, there are wide-plank pines and rustic oaks – and just about everything in between.

Our Hardwood Flooring Selection

At Martin’s Carpet One Floor & Home we enjoy helping our clients find hardwood flooring they can feel great about. We carry hundreds and hundreds of varieties, both engineered and solid hardwood, in both our Denver and Wyomissing, PA showrooms. Visit us today and learn about all that hardwood has to offer.