Important Things You Should Know About Solid Hardwood Flooring

Frequently used varieties of wood for floors

There are many species of solid hardwood flooring. The most commonly used species or varieties for solid hardwood flooring are white oak, red oak and maple. Maple is the hardest of the three, followed by white oak and red oak.

The grain of the white oak used in solid hardwood flooring is long and more or less straight and it is often highlighted with a silver glow. The color of the wood becomes brownish with age so that the wood sometimes has a faintly gold glow. It can, if properly cared for, last for a thousand years or so.

Red oak solid hardwood flooring, on the other hand is less durable but it too can last for hundreds of years. Its name derives from the fact that the interior hard part of the wood has a pink color at the center, changing gradually to a reddish brown.

The color of maple solid hardwood flooring is cream with occasional spots of brown. It has a wavy grain which is not as pronounced as that of the oak. The wood is very durable and turns into a light brown color with age.

A solid hardwood flooring has its advantages

If you are planning to install solid hardwood flooring, it is best to stick to a species with a hardness of at least 1,000. This will ensure that the wood does not easily splinter or dent. Sometimes, cherry is used for floors but the species used is the wood taken from Africa. The species that is found in America is too soft for use as flooring.

A good grade of wood has a better look

Not all lumber used in solid hardwood flooring that is stamped with their grade. For this reason, you should have an idea of what wood grade means and how it is derived. In brief, the higher the grade of the wood, the less markings and discolorations you well see on it. This is the reason why wood without patterns and which are only one shade throughout are considered of the highest grade. If you do see labels indicating the grade of the solid hardwood flooring you are buying be sure you read the words ?clear? and ?select? on them.

The different cuts of solid hardwood flooring

A piece of solid lumber used in solid hardwood flooring is usually ? of an inch thick and its width can range from 2-1/4 inch to 6 inches. Some sets of lumber are cut in varying lengths. There is maximum and minimum length specified and all the pieces will vary within those dimensions. Random-length sets are usually arranged in checkerboard style.

Solid hardwood flooring can?t be used for the basement

You cannot and should not use solid hardwood flooring for the base flooring of your basement. The uneven ground will cause the wood to deform and eventually break. You should have a primary flat layer of concrete and an under lament first. Even then, the wood will rot very fast because of the humid conditions in the basement. Use engineered lumber for the basement instead. These are not as expensive as solid wood and moisture can evaporate through the loose layers of plywood underneath.

by: Michael Flum.

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