Solid Hardwood
From Floor Coverings
Contents |
What is solid hardwood flooring?
What are the three types of hardwood flooring?
Before all the technology we have today, a piece of solid wood was cut and shaped then produced into Solid Hardwood Flooring. In the few years solid hardwood has been experimented with and therefore produced three different type of solid hardwood flooring… Strip, Plank and Parquet.
Prefinished and unfinished.
Although there is only subtle differences between these three, the difference is an important factor in picking the right floor. All three of these floors are available in pre-finished and unfinished. Pre-finished flooring is sanded and finished at the manufacturer’s factory, so therefore it can be installed and moved on right away. Unfinished is delivered and must be sanded on site before installing then finished after it has been installed.
Strip Hardwood Flooring is determined by the thickness and width of the wood planks. The width of these planks continues to stay the same but the thickness varies from approximately 5/16 to 3/4 of an inch. And the Available widths come in 1-1/2, 2, and 2-1/4 inches.
Plank Flooring is quite the opposite with having two constant thicknesses (1/2 and 3/4 inches) and various widths that are from 3 inches to 8 inches.
Parquet Hardwood Flooring is different from both of the above because instead of having constant measurements it is made up of geometrical patterns that are composed of small wood slates then held in place by adhesive.
Installing your hardwood flooring.
Now when installing your hardwood floor you can only use cleat nails or staples and to make it a lot easier you can rent or purchase a wood floor nailer, this will make the process less time consuming. With the thickness of strip hardwood it can be installed on any wood sub floor but you can also install it over vinyl as long as the sub floor is wood. Another perk of solid hardwood is that it can be refinished several times and it will add to the life and quality of the wood.
Just like everything else you purchase there are different brands and quality. Before purchasing your solid hardwood flooring, make sure you do some research into the company to make sure your money is being put into a wise investment. This will ensure you that your new Solid Hardwood Flooring will be around for many generations.
