Choosing hardwood flooring for your home’s design or renovation is always a good idea. You’ll get a floor that is affordable, beautiful, and strong. And you won’t need to stress so much about maintenance.

The major problem is picking the right hardwood floors for your house. Hardwood floors come in different types, designs, and features, each with its unique advantage.

You may need clarification, as there are many options to choose from with their benefits.

This article highlights some critical factors to consider when choosing a hardwood floor.

Keep reading if you want the best hardwood floors for your home.

How to Choose the Right Hardwood Floor?

Here are some of the considerations for hardwood flooring;

Your Target Design

Before considering the hardwood floor options, you must know what you want. The end product of your home should influence the hardwood choices you make.

• Do you want the floor to look vintage or modern?
• What color do you like your home designed in?
• Are you going to change the floors again in a few years?

You need to answer these questions differently, which will help your decisions.

The Type

You have two options when picking hardwood floors: solid or engineered hardwood floors. Both floors look similar after installation; however, they have their respective features and advantages.

Solid hardwood flooring is usually long and thick, made from original wood planks. The main benefits of this hardwood type are its long lifespan and refinishing feature. A solid hardwood floor will last for decades if installed correctly.

Engineered hardwood has a solid appearance, but it’s only on the surface. This flooring option is a mixture of plywood joined with a hardwood layer at the top. The plywood beneath this wood is also solid so it can carry weight excellently.

Both floor options can make the right hardwood floor for your house. However, here are some things that should influence your decision;

• Solid wood is better for a large family with pets and toddlers. Over time, hardwood floors will have dents and other scratches. If it’s solid wood, you can sand, refinish the wood and have it look new.
• If you’re on a tight budget, engineered wood may be better because they’re cheaper than solid wood.
• Engineered wood is the better choice if you live in a swampy area. Solid hardwoods connect directly to the subfloor and can warp when damp. On the other hand, engineered wood has excellent moisture resistance.

Related Article: What are the Benefits of Installing a New Wood Floor?

Wood Source

Trees are the source of all hardwood floors, and you have options since there are over three trillion trees globally. Because of their strength, some wood types make the best hardwood floors for homes with considerable traffic.

For instance, an ideal durable hardwood flooring option is ipe wood, which is rare and costs more than average. However, it takes more than foot traffic and dragging furniture to put a dent in it.

Maple and oak hardwood flooring are common because they combine beauty and hardness.

If you want to save money on hardwood floors, pick a beautiful wood source like red oak. That way, there’ll be less need for finishing touches, reducing installation costs.

Color and Appearance

As much as you want your hardwood floor to be strong, sturdy, and last over time, its beauty is critical.

After the wall paint and design, the floor is the next element contributing to aesthetics in your home. Luckily, there’s always a wood floor with a pattern that suits your plan.

Here are some steps to choose the right hardwood floor with the best design;

• First, consider the existing design of the home. The wall design and the floor should be inverse. For instance, make the floor plan smooth if you have stripe wallpaper on the walls.
• Consider the color of the wood. Wood floors come in shades ranging from white, brown, black, and others. It’s possible to paint and color the wood floor after installing it, but maintaining its natural color is better. Moreso, you’ll be saving money.
• Consider the wood grain. The grain refers to the natural pattern of the hardwood plank, and it depends on the cutting process. If you want a specific design, you can request particular grain patterns.
• Size of the wood. Engineered and solid hardwood have a uniform thickness range, respectively. However, you need to specify the width you want the floors to take.

Finishing Options

You have two finishing options as part of the decision to install hardwood flooring in your home. You can either install a finished hardwood floor or an unfinished one.

If you install a finished hardwood floor, you already know what it looks like. These floors already have the coating and colors from your supplier. However, there’s little to no correction you can make after installation.

You’ll apply the finishes if you choose an unfinished hardwood floor for your home. This will allow you to pick the most appropriate color for the existing design. However, it will increase labor costs.

Budget

Your pocket is the most influential factor in determining how to choose hardwood floors. Wood floors are affordable when compared to other options. The factors that affect the cost of hardwood floors include;

• The wood form
• The type of wood
• Labor costs
• Existing subfloor

It’s always better to speak to a professional while making your choices. Be careful not to pick sub-par flooring in a bid to save money.

Related Article: 5 Tips on Choosing the Best Wood for Chevron Flooring

Best Hardwood Floor for Your Home

Picking the right hardwood floor for your house is easy until you start to do it. However, you can make the process seamless if you follow the considerations in this guide.

Or you can talk to us. At Three Trees Flooring, we aren’t specialists in hardwood floor installation by chance; we have the experience.

We will walk you through the process of getting new hardwood floors — from the inception to the installation. Check out our collection of hardwood flooring designs for your home.