subject: An Overview of Hardwood Floors [print this page] An Overview of Hardwood Floors An Overview of Hardwood Floors
In today's world, being perceived as elegant is something that most people would like to be. Because of this, many of them take extra time to ensure that everything that they have is in order and cleanly kept. When it comes to the house, one of the ways by which a person can show his or her elegance is by having an exquisite flooring system which can be done by having hardwood flooring installed.
Aside from being elegant, a number of people prefer hardwood floors over other types of flooring mainly because they are natural and non-allergenic which is suited especially for those who have children. There are mainly two types of hardwood floor construction the solid hardwood floor and the engineered hardwood floor. The former is basically cut from the tree as a solid wood and usually measures 2-1/4" to about 12" in width. Unfortunately, because of the way it was processed, it can react significantly to varying humidity. The latter, on the other hand, are made of three to nine wood plies glued together to form one plank. They are usually 3/8" to about 9/16" in thickness.
Hardwood floors can also be categorized as either unfinished or pre-finished. The former, also called a job-site finished, can be fairly messy and would usually take days before they can be installed. On the other hand, the latter, can be installed within the day and is generally not as messy. The downside however is that, as opposed to an unfinished hardwood floor, the colors of pre-finished hardwood flooring are limited to what the manufacturers have.
Los Angeles hardwood flooring systems are commonly used in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, places where there are lesser chances of it getting wet. Keep in mind that water is a wood's natural enemy and, if water puddles are left standing, it can start a number of problems such as mold, mildew and weakening of the structure. This is aside from the fact that water can dull the color of your floor. In case your wooden floor gets wet, make sure that you mop it dry immediately.
In case your Los Angeles hardwood floors are in direct contact with the sunlight, make sure that you wax and buff it more often. Sunlight can cause the colors of your floor to fade. On the other hand, although scratches on the top layer of your floor can be easy to repair, it is still best to keep your shoes with pointed heels away from your wooden floor. Pointed heels have the capacity to dent your floor.
Having Los Angeles hardwood floors can bring you a notch higher in the scale of elegance but it does not mean that you should leave it on its own. Keep in mind that your floor is only as good as the amount of time you give it to keep it clean and shiny.
