When you go shopping for hardwood floors for your home, there are many different things for the homeowner to consider when selecting the wood floor that is right for them and their home. Most often, the two most important factors to clients are the color of the wood and the cost of the hardwood floors.

There are two types of construction for wood floors, Solid hardwood and engineered hardwood flooring. 

Solid Hardwood is 100% hardwood, a solid plank. It typically needs to be nailed to a sub-floor  like 3/4" plywood and can not be installed below grade. Because of its structure, it is more likely to incur expansion or contraction due to humidity or moisture.

Engineered Hardwood is hardwood constructed in a cross ply pattern. This allows for a product that is less susceptible to expansion or contraction and it can be installed in below or above grade. Installation can be via nail, glue down or floating like you would a laminate floor.

Another important factor should be the species of the wood. If you have a home full of kids and pets, if you want to install hardwood instead of laminate, you will want to go with a harder species of wood like Maple or Hickory.

Another important factor is the finish of the hardwood floors. 100% of what we sell and install here at The Floor Barn is pre-finished hardwood. They come with a urethane finish that help protect the wood. The typical finish includes 7-11 coats of UV Aluminum Oxide. The quality of finish along with the species of wood typically play a large factor in the warranty of the wood flooring which often ranges between 20 to 50 years.

Other things to consider are the planks structure such as plank width and edging. 

As previously mentioned, it is often easy to get caught up in the cost and color of your new floors, but in order to make an informed decision on what is right for your home and lifestyle, consider all aspects and you will be much happier with your decision over the lifetime of your floors.

Brian Heltzel
The Floor Barn
817-426-3900

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