Many more professionals these days are bypassing tile and carpeting, and going with wood. But what kind of wood should you go with? Solid hardwood? Engineered wood? Reclaimed antique wood? But making the right choice for your tastes and circumstances is not as hard as it appears. Following are some important factors to consider, as well as advice from the experts.

Which Wood-Flooring Type Should You Choose?
Solid Hardwood: This wood expands and contracts and sometimes creaks, but its natural beauty add value to your home. Even better, it can be re-sanded and refinished, so it retains its value.

Engineered Wood Floors: They construct these floors at the factory, gluing together thin sheets of wood and refinishing them. This results in a more stable product than solid wood, because it resists buckling and warping. Engineered wood floors were developed to be glued over concrete, but they can also be nailed or floated, whereas solid wood can only be nailed to a subfloor.

Reclaimed Antique Wood: For customers with a unique vision, this is the best flooring option. Reclaimed antique wood is custom made one plank at a time according to customer specifications. It can cut from the center section of a beam, which makes this flooring option very stable.

Finished vs. Unfinished
One of the benefits of solid hardwood flooring is that it’s available finished or unfinished. This is really helpful if you’re trying to match an adjacent floor. Then you can go with an unfinished option and stain it to blend. By finishing the floor on site, you will insure a more uniform color and finish. Remember, however, that an unfinished wood floor may take several days to install, stain, and finish.

On the other hand, finished wood (both solid and engineered) is factory sanded, stained, and finished. Thus it’s much easier to install and requires less time, not to mention that there will be no on-site sanding and finishing. Finished wood is durable and is therefore a great option for high-traffic areas. And don’t forget that it’s less expensive than unfinished wood.

Important Things to Consider
More and more people are installing radiant heating in their homes, where the heat source is under the floor. If this is your heating system, then engineered wood would be a better choice than solid hardwood because of its durability. The National Wood Flooring Association backs up this claim, recommending quarter-sawn or rift-sawn wood in this circumstance, again because of durability. The NWFA claims that strip flooring is preferable over plank flooring, because when there are changes in temperature and humidity, narrow boards expand and contract less than wide ones.

If you live near the beach, Stoddard recommends an engineered wood. Not only is it scratch-resistant and less likely to be damaged by sand tracked in from the beach, it requires less maintenance. For cottages, summer homes, below-grade installations, and any other interior that’s not environmentally controlled, engineered hardwood flooring is a clear choice.

Some Simple Design Tips
Pay attention to the understated details when personalizing a room. One nice option is to use a lighter wood overall and then add a dark border. Another great idea is to drop in a maple medallion that looks like an area rug.

It’s become more and more popular to mix woods from room to room. Dark woods, like walnut and cherry, work well in cozy rooms such as a den or bedroom, but it’s best to choose a lighter, brighter wood, such as maple or birch, for the kitchen.

Darker wood is a better fit for homes that are formal, traditional, or historic, whereas country, casual, and contemporary homes are better suited to lighter woods. Be sure to choose flooring that will complement all your fabrics, furnishings, and accessories.

Current Trends in Wood Flooring

If you’re looking for the latest trend in flooring, consider hand-scraped wood or an “exotic” wood from a far-off land. For delightful grains and colors, look at options such as Brazilian cherry, Santos mahogany, and Amendoim. Conveniently, all are available in solid hardwood or engineered wood.

The old look and simplicity of woods such as Old Groove Eastern White Pine is becoming increasingly popular among owners of historic homes on the Eastern seaboards. For owners of historic homes on the Eastern seaboard, woods such as Old Groove Eastern White Pine are prized for their old look and simplicity. Walnut has fast grown in popularity as dark woods become more and more “in.”

DIY & Maintaining Your Wood Floor
Installing a wood floor yourself is definitely an option. Almost 30 percent of homeowners do it themselves. If you can operate a nail gun and a saw, then you can do it. There are also many resources to help you available online and at your local bookstore.

Once your floor is installed, you’ll be pleased to discover that wood flooring is extremely low maintenance. If you keep a step-off mat at any doorway to collect incoming dirt, then a regular schedule of sweeping and vacuuming is all you really need. One thing to remember is clean up any standing water immediately. It’s not a bad idea to keep an extra box of wood in case you need to replace a strip.

Natural hardwoods will survive a household accident much better than laminates and synthetics, since their grain and pattern go all the way through. Even those scuffs and burns that would become permanent in a synthetic floor can be repaired with relative ease.

When refinishing any wood floor it is best if you
hire someone that is in the business to do it. I know
this because I have done them myself and found it to
be very stressful. Finding a rental center that has
both the rough sander and the finishing edge sander, then picking it up and returning it on time is bad enough without even mentioning using them without destroying the floors!

Now I’ll tell you, I am very fussy when it comes to the finished product so I take extra care not to make any “bumps” in the floor as the sander direction is changed from forward
to reverse. This occurs if you pause too long before
moving the sander in a new direction or you are
pulling up or pushing down too hard on the handle to
steer the sander. I still get the bumps so I’m never
really satisfied with the outcome when the job is
done.

Using the edger is yet another challenge! The thing
about the edger is it doesn’t get to the very edge of
the wall so you have to use a sharp chisel or putty
knife to finish. I tried taking the baseboard trim off
but you still have to finish by hand because the trim
will be sitting higher if you don’t remove the “edge”
that is the height of the floor before sanding. Also,
if you have baseboard heat, you will have to finish by
hand along them as well.

Okay, you’ve sanded the floors yourself because a: you
thought you could save money and b: you started but
realized that the job was too much for you, then
discovered that no contractor wanted to come and
complete your job! or c: your wife said you wold never
be able to do it! Now comes the part where you decide
what finish to apply on your “new” floors. Should you
stain them or just put a coat of clear finish on them?
This is a matter of personal preference but I like a
light or natural look to the floors because I think
this brings out the beauty in the wood. The hard part
about the finish coat is keeping the dust off as it
dries and also being able to sleep in the house with
all the fumes in the air as it dries!

Choosing the right contractor to do the job could
prove to be difficult but here are a few simple rules
to follow. Always ask to see a floor that they have
done or at least some references. Check to make sure
they have insurance in case something goes wrong and
how long have they been in business. Sometimes
checking with a local lumber yard or paint store will
yield a name of someone reliable or you can do what
most people do: Find a name from the classifieds or
on-line and make some calls and go with your “gut”
feeling! I would be hesitant if the ad said something
like “Jack of all trades” instead of “Floor
re-finishing” Good Luck!

Lee Dobbins writes about decorating and remodeling. Visit her at A Kitchen Decorating Idea for tips on kitchen floors and more.