Wood Flooring Types
Types
Solid hardwood floors come in three varieties:
- Strip floors (most common),
- Plank floors (random widths give the home a rustic look),
- Parquet (short wood pieces glued to backing on 12-inch square tiles).
Solid hardwood floors can be sanded up to three times in their lifetime. Common hardwoods and softwood used are birch, beech, maple, oak, red oak, pine, fir, and cherry.
Laminated hardwood floors are not the same as solid. A thin layer or veneer is bonded to another less expensive wood, and typically pre-finished with both stain and sealer. The downside is that these types of floors can't be sanded and refinished.
Bamboo floors are becoming increasingly popular. Considered green-building-friendly, they are an easy-to-replenish species. Bamboo floors are more flexible than oak and maple. One downside is that bamboo tends to stain more easily, so make sure to apply an extra two coats of sealer.
Pre-Installation Tip
Prior to installation all wood flooring should be placed in the space where it is to be installed for a couple of days, to acclimate the wood to the heat and humidity level in that space. All wood floors need to be applied or float over concrete or supporting floor joists. Sub-floors are a must for slab concrete installations. Wood floors should be installed perpendicular to floor joists. Squeaks in hardwood floors can be daunting to find and fix; they occur when a board works loose and rubs against another board or against the sub-floor.
Fixing a Squeak
Hire a professional to fix squeaks and you'll get it done right the first time. Wood floors can be easily cleaned using a product such as Murphy's Oil Soap once a week. Be sure you don't wax wood floors that have been sealed with any polyurethane product.
Who Helped Promote Wood Flooring
Design Background
Scandinavia has played a pivotal role in influencing the growing trend towards simplicity and naturalness since before the Second World War. The Scandinavian Modern style (1930s to present), also known as Swedish Modern, emerged at the same time as Modernism in the 1930s. It was interrupted by the Depression and the war, and then surged back in the 1950s. It took the basic concept of Modernism and fused it with traditional materials, resulting in beautifully made furniture in organic shapes, chiefly fashioned from wood, which is in abundance in Scandinavia.
In 1941, the Swedish firm Kahrs patented a new technique in the manufacture of parquet that consisted of three layers of multi-laminated and glued wood with only the top layer made from high quality timber. Highly successful, this technology accounts for approximately twenty-five percent of the current wood floor market. This cost-effective innovation helped to increase the popularity of wood floors through the Second World War and into the post-war boom years. While the years between the mid-1950s and the 1970s were largely dominated by affordable carpet, the popularity of wood floors has steadily increased again in the last thirty years. It was in the 1950s that Scandinavian designers really began to become more mainstream beyond their own country. Designers including Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen, Josef Frank and Alvar Aalto were soon followed by brands such as Bang & Olufsen, Artek, Marimekko and Saab.
It was in the late 1970s, Scandinavian retailers began to move into Europe and the US, and IKEA brought affordable contemporary design to the masses. The main principle behind Scandinavian design is functionalism, allowing the functional element to be considered as much as the design. Other defining characteristics include the defining use of light, earthy muted tones, truth to materials and minimal ornamentation. But the need for responsibly managed forests has redoubled efforts to strike a balance between cultivation and conservation.
In recent years the use of exotic timber from Africa and Central and South America, resources long abused and depleted during the past century, has decreased. Today, a wide variety of timber species and floor styles is still available thanks to more sustainable sources of timber. While oak remains a favourite, many prefer floors made from maple, beech, birch, cherry, walnut, pine, fir or hickory-pecan. Because new growths can be harvested in a mere five years, the use of bamboo has become more prevalent as well.
Wood Flooring now offers the consumer a vast array of timbers and floor finishes and colours to match virtually every situation and location with its practical applications and easy to clean maintenance and long lasting aesthetic appeal wood flooring is now the most likely choice for the consumer and home maker to choose to cover their floors. Your home is without doubt the most valuable investment one will make and to invest in hardwood flooring and timber floors will make a sound investment into your home to retain its value and to improve its looks for years to come.
Remember when it comes to selling your home the first thing the prospective customers will see is your hallway floor so make it an attractive hardwood flooring which will impress your potential purchasers.