How to decide what type of hardwood best fits your needs.

Remember, real hardwood will dent & scratch. However, a few dents and scratches are expected on any hardwood floor that has been lived on and just adds to the character. Hardwood is also not recommended in high moisture areas like next to bathtubs or below grade.

Three main factors go into selecting a your hardwood floor.

• Style
  
  
  • Are you looking for an exotic, traditional, rustic, modern, or conventional?
    
  • Do you want dark or walnut color or do you like natural or white washed
    
    
• Function
  
  
  • Do you have pets and kids or do you live a casual lifestyle? Than handscrapped or wire brushed wood might be for you so you don’t have to worry about dents or scratches
    
    
• Cost
  
  
  • Price is always an issue. Solid is usually more expensive than Engineered. Handscraped is more expensive than non. If you like the look of Handscrapped but cannot afford Solid Handscrapped than an Engineered Handscrapped might be the way to go. Swedish finish is a medium price rang

Types of Wood

Swedish Finish or “Finish on Site” is where raw solid planks are nailed down in the home and sanded & coated in place.

Engineered is generally less than solid hardwood because only the top 1/8” of the flooring is the real wood attached to a plywood substrate. This also makes it more resistant to cupping or crowning in unstable environments like below grade or high moisture areas.

Species- What species you choose determines the feel you create. Like an exotic Tigerwood creates strong slant to south of the equator. A hand scraped walnut will create an Old World feel. Quite often the species you pick is dictated by the color you are going for. Remember some species of wood are softer than others and will dent and scratch easier. To check how hard the wood you like is refer to the Jenka Scale.

Color- What color of wood you go with can be determined by many factors

• Does the wood floor go well with the cabinets?
• Does it play well with the countertops?
• Does the room have a lot of natural light or is a dark hardwood going to make it to dark?

Remember with Swedish finish floors you can stain the wood almost any color you want.

Finishes- There are many different types of finishes that can be applied to hardwood floors. Hand Scrapped, Wire brushed, Stained, Water based Swedish finish Satin or High Gloss to just name a few.