Choosing Wood Flooring for Your Home
When choosing wood flooring, the most important and primary decision you will have to make is which type of wood you want to use. Each wood species boasts different textures, colors, grain patterns, and wood hardness levels. In addition, different types of wood communicate a different aesthetic value in a room. Whether you’re looking for a dark, elegant finish or a more rustic tone, there’s a wood species available to fit your design dreams.
Oak Flooring
Oak wood is one of the most common types of wood used in hardwood flooring. Prized for its durability and hardness, oak comes in a variety of colors, including red oak and white oak. Red oak ranges in color from reddish pink to various shades of brown. White oak has more of an olive undertone and is slightly harder than red oak.
This type of wood is resistant to scratches and stains, and has a unique grain pattern that adds personality to a room. However, oak floors may not age as well as other wood species, looking worn and old over time. Refinishing oak floors can reverse these effects.
Walnut Hardwood Flooring
Characterized by its dark color and fine, straight grain texture, walnut is a popular choice among homeowners looking for a more elegant aesthetic. Walnut is typically a rich warm brown, adding light to a room as well as the classy, stylish look that darker hardwood floors provide.
Walnut flooring can come in the darker American and lighter European varieties.
Choosing Pine for Wood Flooring
Unlike oak and hickory, pine wood is quite soft and not actually characterized as hardwood flooring at all. Pine wood adds a rustic, cabin-like feel to a room in ways that darker, harder woods cannot.
Homeowners typically opt for pine due to its appearance and its soft touch underneath the feet. However, pine wood is not nearly as durable as hickory and oak wood. If you opt for solid pine wood flooring, you might notice gaps between the boards during humidity fluctuations.
Mahogany for Hardwood Floors
One of the more expensive and elegant wood species, mahogany is associated with rich, deep colors and sophisticated settings. Mahogany is an investment that every style-conscious homeowner should consider. Mahogany is extremely sturdy and strong, as well as water-resistant.
This type of wood comes in a variety of different colors, ranging from medium to dark brown. Homeowners tend to opt for mahogany due to its elegant, timeless finish and wavy, open grain texture.
