Hardwood Floors - 7 Secrets For Selecting Perfect Flooring
By S.A. Smith, Fri Dec 9th

SUMMARY

To create great looking hardwood floors in your home requiresseveral important functional and design considerations to get itright. Whether you are considering natural hardwood floors,bamboo, or even laminate flooing - pay close attention to these7 tips.

DESIGN STYLES

With thousands of colors and styles to select from today it canseem like a daunting task to make the right choice. Tonarrow the field down it is recommended that you select aflooring style that complements your overall interior designstyle. Nothing will look worse that a glaring clash of styles,so make sure your new complements your existing (ofplanned) interior design. Look here for a quick summary ofmatching hardwood floors and their design styles.

SITUATIONAL FACTORS

Almost every install will have physical or functionalrequirements that will further narrow down the scope andselection of an appropriate hardwood or laminate flooringsystem. Here is a brief summary of factors to consider:

FLOOR TRAFFIC EXPECTATIONS

The quantity and type of traffic you expect on your floors willimpact the material you can choose. Laminates offerhigh durability, as well as wood species that have high"hardness rankings" on the Janka scale. Softer woods aregenerally not a good selection for high traffic areas.

SUB FLOORING

The quality of any new hardwood installation can onlybe as good as the subfloor underneath. For the best outcomes,the subfloor should be dry, stable, and level. Concretesubfloors generally are only acceptable for laminateinstallations, but you should be mindful of installing a qualityunderlayment the provides an appropriate moisture barrier aswell as good sound installation. Poor laminate installationswill sound very hollow when walking on it.

HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE

To prevent warping and cupping of floors make sure there isadequate

ventilation and regulated temperatures thought theyear. Laminates work best in areas that experience higherhumidity levels.

INSTALLATION

The time and cost of installation is an often overlooked factorin floor selection decisions. Glueless click-style floatinglaminate floor systems can be a weekend project for experienceddo-it-yourselfers, and can save a lot of installation labor.Other installation methods are generally more complexand will require professional installation in most cases.

WARRANTY

Making a successful claim under a warranty oftenrequires that you can demonstrate the product was installedexactly as per the manufactures recommendations and that thedamage is not a product of wear and tear or poor workmanship.Hiring a professional installer and dealing with a large brandname product that has an established track record is your bestprotection.

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About the author:S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of theLaminate FlooringZone which reports on recent news and developments in theHardwood, Natural and Laminate wood industries.