Hardwood floors - why choose a hardwood floor ?
Hardwood floors are natural, elegant, beautiful, long lasting, and reflect fine taste and sensibilities of the home owners.
Types of hardwood flooring
Two broad types of hardwood floors are - solid hardwood flooring ,engineered hardwood flooring and acrylic impregnated wood flooring.
Of these, engineered hardwood flooring and solid hardwood flooring are more commonly used in residences. Engineered hardwood floors are easier to maintain and usually costs lesser than solid hardwood floors. But solid hardwood floors, if maintained well, retain their value better than engineered hardwood floors.
Hardwood floors - common problems and care
One of the most common problems with solid hardwood flooring is shrinkage - hardwoods absorb moisture from the air and expand. But some areas of the floor may release moisture and contract, or absorb lesser amounts of moisture and expand less than other areas.
This causes uneven expansion or contraction of different areas of the floor, causing the flooring strips to either move apart or come closer together.
Engineered hardwood floors do not exhibit this behaviour as often as solid hardwood floors. If the problem with shrinkage is to be avoided, then a constant levels of humidity will have to be maintained in the home.
Another way to avoid the problem of shrinkage is to install the floor using the free-float installation method. The free-float installation is easier, faster, and avoids some of the problems of the other installation methods.
Hardwood floor care
Hardwood floors that are maintained well retain their value better, and stay in great shape for several years. For a few tips on how to care for your hardwood floor, see < link to hardwood floor care >