Tuesday 23 February 2016

A Buyers Guide to Hardwood Flooring | Art of Clean

Solid wood flooring is certainly not one of the cheapest flooring options, so it is best to take your time when considering your options to become familiar with some of the common hardwood flooring problems that could crop up both before and after purchase.

Hardwood floors add bags of character to a room

To the novice builder or interior decorator, it is a surprising fact that planks of wood do come in different width sizes.  This is important to remember not only for visual effect but also because wooden floors contract and expand with the changing seasons.  So if you like the wider plank, then just be aware that gaps between planks is a common characteristic of this type of flooring.

When we're buying wooden floors, what we're really after is the same look we've seen in the catalogue or showroom but sometime the reality is very different.  So if having a few dents and dinks in the wood is going to upset you, maybe you'll need to up your budget and look at engineered hardwood floors or laminate floors, but that is also one of the joys of having wooden floors as they introduce a feature with bags of character to any room in the house.

So you've chosen the floor type, now you have to consider what sort of finish you would like.  Would you be the type of person, who would like a high gloss finish?  If you are, then consider with this type of finish it does require constant care and attention to keep them smudge free.

With every type of floor, a regular maintenance plan will keep the floors looking newer for longer and wooden are by means an exception.  Wet mopping a wooden floor is just asking for trouble.  See our How do I look after my solid oak floor? For more information.

As with any hardwood floor, in the first year the floor will go through a period of oxidation and the more the floor is exposed to the sun, over time the floor will become darker.  If you want to avoid the darkening of your wood, look to protect your floors from direct sunlight as far as possible.




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