5 Types Of Wood Floors That Are Perfect For Your Modern Home
Wood has a classic and timeless appeal that many homeowners love. By installing wood floors in your home, you get to enjoy the added warmth, comfort and value of your property. Whether you choose wood heated floors or simply solid plank wood floors, you need to know the options available in order to find what’s ideal for your property.
Let’s go over different types of solid wood species that you can use on your floor.
RED OAK
One of the main reasons why people prefer to use red oak wood floors is its ability to withstand wear and heavy use. Read oak is a very hard material that doesn’t easily dent. Red oak is most ideal in a home that doesn’t have lots of area rugs. You’ll have lots of colors to choose from so it’s easy to blend the warm floors with other elements in your property. You have the option to choose between factory finished oak beams or have the plank floors finished on site during installation to give you a more unique look. Its high resistance to dents and scratches makes it perfect for areas with heavy foot traffic such as living areas, kitchens and hallways.
MAPLE
If you are not interested in staining your floors darker colors, consider maple. This wood species is non-porous so it doesn’t hold dark stains really well. When you apply a dark stain on maple, it appears blotchy and unattractive. Furthermore, maple turns yellow as it continues to age. The price of maple will depend on the grade. Higher grades don’t have blemishes such as the mineral streaks and pin knots and hence they are quite costly. However, maple that’s not very clear is usually way cheaper even when installed with floor heating. The cost of maple floors can vary between $7 to $16 per square foot. Maple is also a hard and dent resistant flooring material.
PINE
Unlike ash and oak, which are both hardwoods, pine is a softwood. You can find harder pine depending on the species but it’s generally not hard at all. The reason for popularity of pine is its unique holes and knots that add character to the flooring system. The major drawback of pine is that it can easily dent especially in areas with heavy furniture.
ASH
Ash is a preferred wood species for floor heating systems due to its resilience. Ash is harder than oak and doesn’t have very pronounced grain patterns. It also holds stain colors really nicely. However, ash hardwood floors tend to cost much more than oak. Since it’s extremely hard, it is also recommended for living areas, hallways, baths and kitchens.
BAMBOO
Bamboo floors are also quite popular today. Bamboo can be stained in order to make it as hard as other wood species like oak. This wood species fits perfectly in homes with a contemporary vibe. Bamboo is such a versatile material because it can be stained different colors and hand scraped to give it a unique color and texture.
