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Whether you install the hardwood floor yourself or have someone do it for you is not the most critical issue for consumers.  Selecting perfect flooring can be a challenge for many people. The most important is to make the right choices in selecting floor coverings in the first place regardless of whether it is hardwood flooring or something else. We happen to think that hardwood and tile are by far the best things to use for your floors, but then we are bit biased.

Selecting Perfect Flooring

Here are a few of the issues we thing are important that you should take  into account when you are trying to decide on the hardwood floor you will purchase.

• Overview
• Design Styles
• Situational Factors
• Floor Traffic Expectations
• Sub flooring
• Humidity and Temperature
• Installation
• Warranty

Overview

Creating great looking hardwood floors in your home requires several important functional and design considerations to get it right. Whether you are considering natural hardwood floors,bamboo, or even laminate flooring – paying close attention to these7 tips will help you make sure that your home is just the way  you want it.

Design Styles

There are thousands of colors and styles to select from today. As a result  it can seem like a daunting task to make the right flooring choice. Narrowing the field down  is recommended to you select a flooring style that complements your home and your overall interior design style. Nothing will look worse that a glaring clash of styles,so make sure your new flooring complements your existing (or planned) interior design. Formulate a complete design style for your home and then select styles that will fit into this design.

Situational Factors

Almost every installation will have physical or functional requirements that may further narrow down the scope and selection of an appropriate hardwood or laminate flooring systems.

Floor Traffic Expectations

The quantity and type of traffic you expect on your floors will impact the flooring material you can choose. Laminates offer high durability, as well as wood species that have high”hardness rankings” on the Janka scale. Softer woods are generally not a good selection for high traffic areas. Take into account were you plan to place throw rugs as well to help with the traffic issues and look and feel of your home.

Sub Flooring

The quality of any new hardwood flooring installation can only be as good as the sub floor underneath. For the best outcomes,the sub floor should be dry, stable, and level.You may need to add a layer of plywood to provide extra support. At the minimum, screw nail any areas that may move or cause squeaks before installing your hardwood floor.

Concrete sub floors generally are only acceptable for laminate installations, but you should be mindful of installing a quality underlay that provides an appropriate moisture barrier as well as good sound installation.

Humidity and Temperature

To prevent warping and cupping of floors make sure there is adequate ventilation and regulated temperatures thought the year. Avoid any possibility of water on the floor or under the floor from leaks or from high humidity. Laminates work best in areas that experience higher humidity levels.

Installation

The time and cost of installation is an often overlooked factor in floor selection decisions. Obtain a separate quote for installation. This will help you decide if you will do the installation your self or hire a professional.

Glue less click-style floating laminate floor systems can be a weekend project for experienced do-it-yourselfers, and can save a lot of installation labor. Other flooring installation methods are generally more complex. They may  require professional installation in most cases.

Warranty

Making a successful claim under a flooring warranty often requires that you can demonstrate the product was installed exactly as per the manufactures recommendations. And that the damage is not a product of wear and tear or poor workmanship. Hiring a professional installer. Deal with a large brand name product that has an established track record is your best protection.

For more information about hardwood floor selection, click here.

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More and more people are choosing hardwood flooring over carpet and other finishes. Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home. Hardwood flooring delivers another benefit as well that allergy sufferers appreciate. Lint and dust cannot build up on your hardwood floor the way it can on rugs. Install a central vac with the exhaust outside and you have the best situation for allergy sufferers. Choosing Hardwood Flooring can be very personal.

No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection of colors, stains, board widths and styles available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, there are a number of tips to keep in mind. These are basic tips, but may save you a lot of money as well as ensure that you will be satisfied with the final installation.

Choosing Hardwood Flooring – Budget

Always set a budget for yourself. Having a wide variety of flooring to choose from is great, but the downside is that it is easy spend more and to get overwhelmed quickly. This can mean that you end up overspending past your budget if you are not careful. Remember to balance style with quality with your budget when you make your final choice. Select something that enhances the sales value of your home as well. If you are unsure about what is or is not the right choice from this perspective, enlist the help of a real estate agent.

Match the Room with Your Choice of Flooring

You will be wise to match the room with your choice of flooring, whether hardwood or otherwise. For example, do not try to put hardwood flooring in a bathroom or a kitchen, due to the high levels of moisture a bathroom receives or food being dropped on the floor in a kitchen.

Match the Type of Wood to the Room

Different areas of the house demand different types of wood. For example, wood floors that have very light or very dark finishes typically do not fare well in the kitchen. You really should not mix and match different colors of flooring, unless the rooms that are being covered with hardwood flooring are physically separated. Rooms that run into each other, should really have the same flooring.

Select Hardwoods with a Strong Finish for High Traffic Areas

Choose a hardwood flooring that has an appropriate finish to match your lifestyle and the traffic in that room. A sitting room that is seldom used will let you get away with a lighter finish. However a hallway or living room will get continual traffic and requires a choice that offers a tougher finish that can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. Alternatively placing area rugs along high traffic areas will preserve your floors and offer contrast as well.

Choosing Hardwood Flooring – DIY  – Do It Your Self?

Consider installation – doing it yourself to save money or having a professional installer do a high quality job  for you? Many people successfully install their own flooring, but only after they have done their homework. It is often easier to hire a professional, however the cost will more than double in many cases.  Do your due diligence when selecting a hardwood flooring installer, talk to friends, ask for references and even visit homes were the installer has performed the work. You will want to be absolutely sure that it will be installed correctly.

Avoid Fad Styles That become Unpopular

Choosing the color and style of the floor can be the fun part for you and spouse. Choose a hardwood that matches your personal taste and your lifestyle without breaking the bank. The comparatively high cost of the flooring and installation demands choosing a wood that will not go out of style quickly. After all you do not want to replace the floor in a few years.

Comments are welcome about these tips and others. For more information about hardwood floor selection, click here.

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Adding hardwood flooring to your home can be a great investment, since most new homeowners are looking for the upgraded look and feel of hardwood floors. If you are planning to sell an existing home, hardwood floors will enhance the sales potential of your home. In most cases your home will sell much faster than a home that does not have hardwood flooring. Buyers appear to have a preference for hardwood flooring everywhere.

Not only does it look great but it is long lasting and can withstand many years of use however hardwood flooring can be expensive. As an alternative to true hardwood, an engineered hardwood floor can be a great option. Especially for those who want the advantages of a hardwood floor while spending less. Here is some information for those interested in engineered hardwood floor. Carpeting on the other hand begins to look tired even after a few years, Especially if there is a lot of foot traffic on some areas. Stick to hardwood if you are buying a new home or upgrading and replacing your existing flooring.

Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered hardwood floors are made with an inner core of hardwood, high density fiberboard (HDF), or plywood and on top of this a layer of wood veneer is glued. The outer wood veneer layer can be found in almost every kind of hardwood species. This means you can have the same great look of all the varieties of hardwood flooring available. The outer veneer layer can come in varying thickness as well so you can find flooring that  will be long lasting and will stand up to wear.

A great advantage of engineered hardwood floor is that the inner core material is designed to allow greater stability. True hardwood floors are very sensitive to heat and moisture and can expand, contract and warp. This could lead to gaps forming or cupping of the boards among other things. So in essence you have the best of both worlds. The outer veneer layer is the same wood you would see in solid hardwood but the inner engineered core of engineered hardwood floor makes the flooring less sensitive to the effects of heat and water damage.

A Big Disadvantage

One big disadvantage of an engineered hardwood floor is the number of times that the floor can be refinished. Basically when you refinish a floor, you are removing the top layer of varnish. Aslo some of the wood as well to get down to  untreated hardwood. Since an engineered hardwood floor has a veneer it is limited in the number of times that you can refinish it. You should take good care of your floor. Don’t allow shoes to be warn on the floor and clean regularly. Your floor will last for many years without the need to be sanded. Consumers have been know to get as many as 20 years out of a floor before refinishing.

Impacts on Your Homes Resale Price

If you are planing to sell their home take into account the age and how well it has been looked after. Also whether the floor needs to be refinished or not. This could be a potential negative for a buyer. If you plan to stay in your home for many years chances are that you will need to refinish the floor at some point. You will want to take this issue into account. Especially before you make the decision to go with the engineered hardwood floor variety.

An engineered hardwood floor is a great way to have the beauty and charm of hardwood flooring with less worry over the floor stability. Take the time to look further into the many advantages of this type of flooring. Talk to the experts and compare the advantages and disadvantages for your new hardwood flooring design.

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Brazilian Cherry Hardwood flooring not only will set the tone for the style of your home but it will also add many years of value and enjoyment. Buyers are looking for hardwood floors that are in excellent condition. No one wants carpeting any longer when they purchase a home. This is a trend that has been going on for some time and if you are going to spend money on your home, spend it on hardwood floors. Today the trend is to have hardwood floors installed in new homes and to replace wall to wall rugs with hardwood flooring. There are lots of choices for the consumer and many do it yourself stores as well as venders that specialize in hardwood flooring can help you with selecting flooring that meets your lifestyle and needs.

Upgrading to Hardwood Floors from Carpeting

Many consumers are also moving to hardwood floors for another reason. Carpets inherently collect dust and over the years become quite dirty even with frequent vacuuming and cleaning. Hardwood floors on the other hand can be kept much cleaners since there is really no where for the dust to collect. Hardwood floors add value to your home and will ensure that you are able to obtain full price for your home whenever you plan to sell it. If you are dealing with allergies, a hardwood floor is much preferred with a central vacuum that exhausts outside of your home to reduce the dust and pollen that enters your home every day.

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood

No hardwood floor material is as stunning and rich as a Brazilian cherry hardwood floor. This material has such a great look it is often used for other applications such as exposed beams. Also door frames, furniture and anywhere else that its beauty will be enjoyed. If you are interested in installing new hardwood flooring here is some information about Brazilian cherry hardwood floor that will open your eyes to this great wood.

Brazilian cherry hardwood floor is the most widely imported hardwood flooring from Brazil to the US. This popularity is no coincidence. This species of wood is well known not only for its unique and dark color. But for its hardness and ability to withstand use. This exotic species is over 2 times as strong as red oak. The color of the wood will begin as a tan or lighter brown color. But darkens with age to become very deep reddish brown.

If you are considering hardwood flooring, and are uncertain about what to purchase there are tools available to assist you with your decision. Readers can develop a chart that lists the variables that are important to them in their decision choice.

Variety of Grades

You will find variations in grade within this species of wood. However overall this is an exceptional wood to use for flooring. As a guide, clear grade will have less character than other grades and consists mainly of heartwood. Select grades of Brazilian cherry hardwood floor have more character such as color variation as well as knots. There are also common grades 1 and 2. Common 2 will show more character than 1.

If you are looking for flooring that will stand out and also be very functional then Brazilian cherry hardwood floor is right for you. This species of wood is durable, colorful and has its own unique style. When you look at installing a new hardwood floor, be sure to take a good look at Brazilian cherry. Be different and use a hardwood that many consumers avoid just because it is different.

Floor Installation

Consumers can have hardwood flooring installed in their homes by professionals. They can complete the job in less than a week depending on the size of the home and how many rooms are being completed. This is a job that most consumers would rather leave to the professionals. The job is done correctly and completed within a short period of time.

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Are interested in installing hardwood flooring in your home? It is a good idea that you  search many different suppliers, comparing quality and pricing. You can find everything you need with one hardwood floor provider. However you are taking a chance on paying too much. Some of the larger stores will have the largest inventories of hardwood flooring with great prices and quality. They have many different types of flooring available. They are often backed with a satisfaction guarantee. If you are not in a huge hurry, sometimes you can pick up sales. Sales can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on quality and the size of the floor you are covering.

Buying Hardwood Flooring – Varieties of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors come in many different forms and varieties, each with their own benefits. Wood flooring may be unfinished or pre-finished. Most people settle for pre-finished flooring these days. The width of the floor boards can vary with strip, plank or parquet flooring. Also, there are a large number of wood species that can be used. Each kind of wood comes with its own characteristics and grades. We chose our flooring based on what we liked in terms of color, texture and the overall look that the floor would contribute to our home. To some extent we matched it to our existing decor as well. We did not want have to change many things in their home.

The variation in flooring doesn’t end there as there are various cuts, finishes and recycled or reclaimed woods. There is a lot to consider when finding ideal flooring. However if you shop around you can usually find something that meets your requirements and will not break the bank.

Alternatives to Hardwood Flooring

As an alternative to hardwood flooring, laminate flooring should be looked at. Laminate flooring is not true hardwood but is made from a dense fiberboard covered in a patterned paper layer under high pressure. You can tell the difference between laminate flooring and true hardwood flooring. The knots and grain patterns of the wood will be repetitive and this surface does not age in the same way as real wood. The advantages of laminate are essentially in cost and durability. Laminate is resistant to denting and stands up to high traffic areas.

It is important to note that you generally cannot refinish laminate flooring in the same manner that you would refinish hardwood flooring.

New Style Hardwood Floors

A relatively new style of floor you can find with many suppliers of  hardwood floors is bamboo flooring. Bamboo is extremely strong, durable, dimensionally stable and environmentally friendly. It can be re-grown quickly with little fertilizer. You will find low prices on all of these flooring types at Lumber Liquidators hardwood floor.

Many flooring companies will provide samples that you can take home and visualize what your new floor will look like. Sometimes even with a sample it is still really difficult to get a good idea of what the floor will look like once it is installed. In some cases the hardwood flooring store may be able to arrange for you to see another customers home with the same flooring. Many customers are more than happy to show off their homes when they have just acquired a new hardwood floor. If you are fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of an offer like this, always be very complimentary. Thank the owners for their time and allowing you to take a look inside their home. They are going out of their way to let you view the final results so it is the time to show your appreciation.

One of the important things to do as well is to talk to your friends and colleagues who may be able to give you tips on buying hardwood flooring, pricing and installation. Readers are welcome to leave their comments about their experience with hardwood flooring to help our readers.

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