Friday, November 21, 2014

Basic Facts About Hardwood Floors Utah Customers Should Be Aware Of

By Ida Dorsey


Wood flooring continues to be a popular choice with many homeowners who desire a elegant look that is easy to maintain and will stand the test of time. It is available in a wide selection of colors, textures, and styles to suit any room. When it comes to purchasing hardwood floors Utah customers in Salt Lake City will find this guide particularly helpful.

There are two categories of hardwood flooring, solid and engineered. They differ in the way in which they are manufactured. Solid wood floors are milled directly from cut lumber, whereas engineered wood combines a hardwood top layer with several underlying layers of plywood. Both can be sanded and refinished if desired and are built to last, but moisture-resistant engineered wood is a better choice for rooms where dampness may be present such as basements or washrooms.

Both types of flooring can be made using the wood from many different species of trees. The lighter-hued maple and birch are characterized by darker grain lines and a smooth texture, they brighten and add space to a room and give it a clean, modern look. The sturdy hardness of bamboo permits it to be sold as a wood floor, even though it is in fact a grass, and it is found in both reddish and light brown shades.

Country-style cottages and informal rooms are nicely accented with the "softwood" types of flooring cut from evergreen trees such as pine, fir, and hemlock. Rooms that receive heavy foot-traffic are best served with the hearty ash wood flooring, somewhat lighter than oak in color but superior in durability.

The traditional look of oak has long been a staple in fine homes and it continues to be chosen for the versatile class it imparts. Oak wood is brownish with either white or red undertones in it. Cherry wood is a reddish-brown variety which takes on a deeper hue as it ages, and walnut wood is a deep brown that tends to become lighter over time.

An alternative to traditional plank floors, are parquet or cork tiles, which are both hardwood products. A parquet floor tile is made up of small strips of wood which are glued together to form a pattern, the most common being squares with alternating line patterns. Cork tiles are a type of engineered flooring that consists of a layer of cork oak wood on top with other layers underneath, it is moisture-resistant and very comfortable to walk on.

The width of the planks influences the overall look of the floor. Natural texture may be manipulated to create a unique appearance, such as distressed or wire-brushed. If it has a defect rate greater than 50 percent, it will necessitate purchasing more wood than that with fewer defects. Grade is determined by the look of the wood, plenty of knots and other character marks is deemed cabin or millwood grade, while that with few irregularities is considered to be clear or select.

Wood flooring is typically sold pre-finished with a protective polyurethane finish. These finishes are usually either semi-gloss or satin, which provide high and medium shine respectively or matte, which is less shiny and a more practical choice for areas that are heavily walked across.




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