If you're getting ready to have new flooring installed in your home, you may be thinking about opting for hardwood flooring instead of tile, laminate, or carpet. Hardwood flooring creates an elegant, homey feel in any house, making it a great choice for your remodeling project. However, there are some factors you need to consider when you decide to install hardwood flooring in your home. Here's a look at some of the things you need to think about.
What Type Of Hardwood Do You Want?
There are two primary choices for hardwood flooring types. You can opt for either solid hardwood or engineered hardwood floors. While you might think that it doesn't matter which you choose, this choice is actually important.
Engineered hardwood floors are composite panels made from plywood with a hardwood plank layer on top. This flooring is usually more affordable than solid hardwood floors and is ideal in areas where moisture might be an issue. The plywood layer handles moisture exposure better than solid hardwood.
As the name suggests, solid hardwood flooring is crafted entirely from wood planks. It is typically heavier and sturdier than engineered wood flooring. Additionally, solid hardwood floors can easily be refinished multiple times, extending the lifespan of your floors as compared to engineered wood flooring.
Do You Want Prefinished Flooring?
When hardwood flooring is manufactured, whether it's solid or engineered, the surface finish is raw. You'll need to have the flooring finished in order to protect it from surface damage and wear. During the process of ordering your flooring, your interior flooring contractor will give you the choice between prefinished flooring and unfinished flooring.
If you choose unfinished flooring, you'll have to include finishing in the installation plan. This will extend the installation time. Prefinished flooring is ready to go from the time that it's put into place.
How Much Traffic Will The Floors See?
Another important factor when you're installing hardwood floors is the level of traffic in your home. If you have a busy household, you'll probably want to invest in thicker hardwood planks so that you have more wood available for refinishing. This allows you to refinish the floors a couple more times than if you choose thinner planks.
Additionally, if you have pets in your house, you'll want to talk with your flooring installation contractor about a protective coating on the flooring to help shield the wood from scratches and damage caused by your pet's claws.
These are a few of the things you need to think about if you want to install hardwood flooring in your home. Reach out to a hardwood flooring contractor near you today for more information about interior flooring.