In years gone by, it always seemed that flooring was the last building material to be installed and the first to show its age. Back then it was always the foot traffic that damaged the flooring, but in today’s world flooring has become much more engineered and durable. As well there are many more types to choose from.
Still, you need to be aware that flooring is only the top layer of a system that includes, among other things, a sub floor. There are also structural elements that need to be taken into consideration that include joists and girders. For a floor to look great and last a long time, all these elements must come together and work as a unit to carry the loads they will endure safely.
Remember too, that while there are flooring systems that are designed to withstand the ravages of moisture, all flooring will be damaged over time if installed in chronically moist places. What this all means, is that there are a variety of underlying problems that need to be looked at before you install a floor in any location, and the bevy of choices that are available now, can help you make the right one.
Today, the old standards of wood, tile and linoleum have been joined by an array of mixtures that make choosing the one that’s right for you a complicated affair. Now, you can pick from everything that includes laminates that snap together to mimic wood to refinished maple the color of plumbs. One of the basic yardsticks to use is that you should try to pick a flooring system that’s right for the particular room. Several of the factors that you might want to mull over include the ease of installation, durability, comfort underfoot and sound absorption.
However, wood flooring still remains one of the old standbys. The revolution that produced engineered lumber has transformed the wood flooring systems of today. As mentioned above, there are a variety of different wood floorings that are available today but the old standard, wood flooring, is still comprised of solid wood top to bottom, and the most common type is the familiar tongue-and-groove version. As well, many homes favor parquet floors.
Then there’s that old tradition called hardwood. The experts suggest that because red and white oak looks as good as it does in a variety of different settings, it accounts for nearly 90% of all hardwood installations. There are other varieties like ash, maple and cherry but these are a little more expensive and therefore don’t sell as well as the oak generally does.
Wood flooring is the sentimental favorite to this day. There are several different versions to choose from and these include the pre finished which is stained and sealed with at least four coats at the factory and bamboo flooring that is perfectly smooth although people don’t expect it to be.
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