The benefits of solid wood flooring

Solid wood flooring is a very durable material and can be very attractive. But what sort of solid wood? You can have pine, which because it is a softwood, will show every dent. Of course pine is much cheaper than hardwoods but it is not a good idea because it is soft. It is best to buy hardwood flooring, made of oak or walnut panels. These woods can be used in any home.

You are not limited to one finish with solid wood floors. The most usual ones are brushed and oiled, lacquered and hand scraped. You will find that some are more suitable for home use than others. In fact, wood floors are often used in restaurants, where they get very hard usage, so you can be sure they will good enough for the home. Although hand scraped and oiled and brushed surfaces have advantages, lacquered finishes are often used in the home.

Quality is important with solid wood flooring, whether it is oak parquet flooring or oiled walnut. It is not a good idea to buy cheap C or D grades of wood, as these are not so likely to last. There can be problems with them when they dry out fully.

You also need to distinguish between solid wood flooring planks and planks made from recycled wood chippings, and coated with a thin layer of wood veneer. These engineered wood floors are actually stable, but do not have the feel of real solid wood. Further down the range of flooring materials are laminates which have an artificial covering which resembles wood. Laminates look all right to the superficial glance, but the fact that they are not real wood is easily seen. Also, these laminates are easily damaged, and one the surface is broken, it is difficult to repair then neatly.