Hardwood flooring has always been very popular due to its natural beauty. Oak and pine are popular choices for their quality. The best thing is that you can select lighter or darker shades to suit your tastes.
So, if you are thinking about remodeling your floors to hardwood, you’ve come to the right place!
Now, if you have an extravagant budget for your project, well, I would suggest that you look into solid hardwood flooring. It’s a lot more expensive per square foot, but it is a lot easier to maintain.
Even if you sand down your floors every few years, you will have a lot of thickness to work with. Not to mention, it is more durable and adds a lot of style to a dreary living room.
The one thing you have to watch out for is that it doesn’t get dinged by any heavy objects that fall onto it, or that it gets moisture or termite damage. Remember, it costs less to take care of your hardwood floors than it is to replace or repair.
If you are on a tight budget, then consider using plank hardwood to use in your living room. Once they are installed and finished to your liking, they are very easy to maintain as long as you protect it from moisture and extreme wear and tear. Otherwise, it gets terribly expensive to replace them if you don’t take extra care to protect them.
There are different types of oak hardwood so be sure to test out your stains or finish before you commit to the design. Not to confuse plank wood flooring with engineered wood (usually parquet tiles and similar products), the former is cut in larger and wider pieces, but not as thick as a solid hardwood floor.
Another factor to consider would be whether to choose pre-finished or unfinished hardwood. Aside from financial costs, the time element can also be a factor as well as availability.
Certain pre-finished products are a breeze to install, but if they are suddenly unavailable, you could wind up with a hole in the floor a lot longer than you intended. Furthermore, they are not easy to cover up nor are they safe to keep un-patched, especially if you have children or pets around the house.
Make sure each piece is treated and sanded down to specification before it is finished or stained. Although you can get traditional staining products that can bring out the character and grains in your floor, there are also one-step products that already have the stain and polyurethane mixed in together for easy application.
Be careful when you are applying this stuff in colder temperatures. Sometimes the consistency of the stain changes depending on the season, and also affects the drying time. The smell can be overpowering, so give yourself some space in between applications and plenty of ventilation.
Whichever type of hardwood materials you use; it is bound to generate admiration from an appreciative audience…even if it is an audience of one!