Hardwood floors are an excellent way to add beauty and character to any home. Although they can be stained and painted, hardwood lumber has a more elegant and natural look. Hardwood floors are made from solid wood harvested from the largest forests around the world. Most hardwood lumber comes from North America with some from Eastern Europe and Asia as well.
There are many species of hardwood lumber available, including:
Bamboo
Bamboo hardwood floors are very nice and have a very nice sheen. It has a medium-to-heavy grain that makes it ideal for high traffic areas. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing trees worldwide, so it can be grown even on a small scale today. There are some strains of bamboo that are used in home flooring products today.
Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood floors are made by combining different types of hardwood floors, along with a layer of durable topcoat urethane, then floating a thin layer of urethane over the top layer of hardwood floors. This results in an extremely hard wood floor with a heavy grain, perfect for high traffic areas. Engineered hardwood floors are also available in a single piece construction. A single piece hardwood floor can be purchased in many different styles and finishes.
Laminate
Laminated hardwood floors are a type of hardwood flooring where the top layer of hardwood is covered with a plastic laminating material. This allows the hardwood floors to be sanded and stained just like a hardwood floor. Because the plastic is durable laminated hardwood floors can also be rewarded many times. A laminated hardwood floor may not have the complex grain patterns of the other hardwood floors. This laminated hardwood flooring has become very popular with many homeowners because it is easy to clean, virtually indestructible, and comes in many attractive colors.
Planks
Planks are the most common form of hardwood flooring. They are also called strips or boards. The planks plank can have different types of grains from high plane, low plane, bonded or floating. There are two types of planks; glueless and bonded. Glueless planks will need to be wiped clean with a damp cloth while bonding planks need to be cleaned with a damp cloth, without the use of water.
Colors
There are a wide variety of colors that can be chosen for hardwood floors. The first step in choosing the color of your hardwood floors is to understand the grain of the wood species you have chosen. Grains can range from light brown to dark brown and the finishes can be light to dark stain. For more intense color choices there are engineered hardwood floors available. Engineered hardwood floors are made from a wide variety of wood species, with each species having unique characteristics that contribute to the type of finish that can be used.
Installation
Installation of hardwood floors can range from an amateur do-it-yourself project, to professional installation. Most hardwood floors are best installed by a professional due to the potential for damage to the floor. Some people choose to install their own hardwood flooring because they like the idea of doing the installation themselves. If you choose this option, make sure that you have the proper tools such as solid hardwood flooring nails, floor screws, floor leveling tools, rubber mallet, power washers, and a drill.
Overall, hardwood floors are beautiful and can add value to your home. However, if you are considering installing hardwood floors in your home, be sure to explore Tropical Forest Products. There are many different species of wood and with the different species comes different installation methods and costs.