Which type of hardwood floor is the best?

Chicago floating floor

Types of hardwood floor

Unlike some of its competitors, there are a plethora of hardwood flooring types to choose from, ranging from pine and oak to maple and cherry. Needless to say, each wood flooring type offers a unique set of characteristics that separates itself from other hardwoods. The most popular types are oak, mahogany, lyptus and hickory. Oak is the most common wood floor used in North America. Oak flooring is an option that is highly resistant to dents and deep scratches. This makes oak a very popular choice for those homeowners who like to avoid area rugs.

When it comes to mahogany, it is prized for its beauty and color. Mahogany is a highly durable, water-resistant hardwood when installed as flooring. Lyptus is significantly harder than oak and is easy to mill and finish. Lyptus is available all over the world and is increasing its market share every year. And hickory is more common in rustic or log homes as it has one of the hardest exteriors discussed in this post. Therefore, it is ideal for homeowners who expect a lot of foot traffic over the years.

Solid or Engineered?

One of the most important first steps in choosing a hardwood floor for your home is to determine whether you need to use solid hardwood floor or engineered hardwood floor. Solid flooring which has traditionally been the most popular over the years is used in installations over wood subfloors and in regions with atmospheric moisture content which is relatively stable. Solid hardwood flooring is typically 3/4” thick and recommended to be stapled or nailed down.

On the other hand, engineered hardwood was designed to be more versatile. It can be installed in virtually any room of the home and is an especially convenient option when homeowners want to put real hardwood flooring over concrete subfloors or over subfloors with radiant heating systems. The cross layer construction of engineered flooring minimizes expansion and contraction and therefore can put up with moisture atmospheric changes a bit better than solid hardwood can. Of course, these are just general guidelines for standard solid and engineered flooring. You need to choose the best one for you.

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