Cruises Discount - Hardwood Floors - The Basic Types - Should You Hire A Hardwood Floor Contractor?

Even a lifetime as many people with these homes have attested to, with the right care and proper treatment they can last a long time. Today they come in many colors and there are more species than in the past. Most everyone appreciates the warmth of a natural hardwood floor.

They can greatly add to the appeal and value of your home. Hardwood floors are natural and non-allergenic.

Longstrip and engineered, the three basic types of hardwood floors are solid.

Any solid wood needs the proper room along vertical walls for expansion however. It can nail down to a sub-type floor that is made of wood. It's recommended for any above the grade installations. They will react to even subtle changes in the humidity. Both prefinished and unfinished are cut from a tree as a solid piece, solid wood floors, firstly.

Stapled or nailed down on any grade level, floated, they can be glued. The planks are about 8 inches wide by 8 feet long. It usually consists of three plies of wood that are laminated to each other. Longstrip is a pre-finished engineered wood floor. The second type of wood is longstrip.

Then this would be a good type of floor for you to install, rather than hire a hardwood floor contractor, if you plan to do-it-yourself. On concrete slabs or floated over various types of floors, they can be installed on wood subfloors. Some companies make glueless type planks with no nails or glue needed.

What is called a top finish veneer may be either domestic or an exotic wood species. A prefinished floor consists of several wood plies laminated together. They can be either prefinished or unfinished. The third type of floor is an engineered wood floor.

It can be used either over wood subfloors or dry concrete slabs. Changes in humidity do not affect this wood so it is good for high humidity homes or areas of the country. They are dimensionally stable and most can be fitted to any vertical walls. Stapled or nailed down on all levels of the grade, floated, the planks can be glued. The plank widths can vary from 2 1/4" to approximately 7".

Hardwood floors come either unfinished or prefinished.

It will take several days from start to finish. This can be a difficult process and quite messy too. It usually takes at least two to three coats of stains that need to be added to the finish. It comes in custom stained colors too which makes it more versatile than other flooring. When the first type - unfinished hardwood floors or job-site finished - is used you can finish the floor smooth.

Be aware that the prefinished trims may not be an exact match to the floor though. They are much easier to care for than the old waxed finishes. Some of the pre-finished wood manufacturers add aluminum oxide to the final process for additional durability. The finishes from the factory are very wear- resistant. There can be 6-11 coats of finish applied by the manufacturer. You're limited to the manufacturer's colors however. It doesn't make as much of a mess on the site as the unfinished. It generally installs in less than 8-10 hours. Which are also called factory finished, the second type is pre-finished hardwood floors.

The above basics may help you make a decision on which type of floor would be best for you and your home and whether or not you should do-it-yourself or hire a hardwood floor contractor.