What type of wood should you choose in your flooring design?

What type of wood should you choose in your flooring design?

There’s nothing quite like a wood floor to make a room feel cozy and inviting. Wood is a great choice because it’s durable enough to hold up to heavy foot traffic, yet classically stylish enough to complement any décor. There are many different types of wood on the market today, but which is the best choice for you?

  • Solid hardwoods or engineered? Solid hardwoods are beautiful and durable, all wood and ⅝ to ¾ inches thick. They’re long-lasting because they can be sanded and refinished many times. You can also get them finished or unfinished, which makes it easy to match existing flooring. However, they’re not great with changes in humidity, so that’s a drawback. Engineered floors have several layers of wood glued together, with hardwood being the top layer, so they’re less expensive than solid hardwoods, which means you can afford more exotic woods if that’s your preference. They’re also very stable and good for any part of the house. However, they can only be sanded and refinished once or twice.
  • Which species is best for you? Deciding on a species is a personal choice, and there are many options available. Oak, maple, and cherry are all good choices: readily available and hard. You may also want to consider bamboo, walnut, ash or mahogany. For a higher price, you can pick a more exotic species like teak, mesquite, or jarrah, but it’s a good idea to do a little bit of research and make sure the flooring you choose is sustainably harvested. Visit a showroom and do some browsing to get an idea of your preferences before locking in your decision.
  • What to consider when deciding on color. This is the fun part! You can choose from a wide range of colors and finishes, and you don’t even have to stick to the same color throughout the whole house. In your kitchen, for instance, you might decide to go with a trendy grey hardwood, while in the living room you might go with a more traditional, warm wood-like Beech, Brazilian cherry, or redwood. These warm tones work especially well in large rooms, while a small room might benefit from light wood, like hickory, maple or cypress, with a highly polished finish to help the room look bigger and brighter. You can also choose your woods based on the amount of light in the room. Dark woods work well in south-facing rooms, while rooms with less light benefit from lighter woods. Just make sure that when you choose different woods for adjoining rooms, they’re different enough to make the transition seem intentional, and not like you just didn’t quite match the woods.
  • Have you thought about patterns? Hardwood flooring allows you the option of creating fun patterns like herringbone, or strategically placing elegant inlays. Hardwood floors are easy to maintain, as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and they grow more beautiful as they age, gaining character and a lovely patina.

When you’re ready to find the perfect hardwoods for your home, Father and Sons is here to help. Family-owned and operated for more than three decades, we offer a wide selection of high-performance flooring products, paired with a commitment to unmatched customer service. Visit our beautiful showroom in Vero Beach to see what we have to offer, or call 772-675-3232 today.