When it comes to choosing a flooring material, hardwood is one of the most popular choices. Versatile, durable and environmentally friendly, hardwood has many advantages beyond its good looks. But once you've determined upon timber, there are a number of different factors which need to be taken into account. In this guide we will go over the a variety of hardwood floors shapes, finishes & grades to allow you to educate yourself more about this flooring material that is popular.
Shapes
How the hardwood is cut has as much to do with durability and price as it does with how the final floor will look. Strip hardwood flooring identifies bits which are generally less than three inches in width. Many times, strips of timber are cheaper because they can be made from smaller trees and leftover pieces. Strip floors, though, can look very interesting with varying colors and patterns. Hardwood boards are broader than strips, generally three inches or more in diameter. They provide more consistency in a space with the smaller amount of seams making a space appear larger. Alternately, parquet floors is composed of short strips of timber laid out in patterns. Aside from the appealing aesthetic, the design of parquet flooring make them more stable.
Finishes
The most frequent hardwood floors finishes are watertight, oil, wax, acid and aluminum oxide. Polyurethane finish is most likely the most common due to many manufacturers prefinishing the wood in the factory. Oil finishes are often chosen by DIYers due to their ease of application. Waxes are also very DIY friendly, but the need for consistent reapplication have made them less popular of late. Acid and aluminum oxide finishes are some of the most durable available, but there are environmental concerns that come along with this particular durability.
Grades
Hardwood flooring grade has more to do with surface features than quality. Clear grade identifies planks with consistent colors and lack of knots and other flaws. Select grade is also famous for the lack of knots and wormholes, but the colouring may vary. Low pick grade identifies planks composed of a blend of clear and choose grade pieces. They have few surface markings, but a wide variation in color and wood types. Natural grade may have some surface markings caused by knots and wormholes as well as colour variations, but maybe not as many as pastoral grade bits.
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