How to Choose Hardwood Flooring For Any Room

Select durable hardwoods if you are particularly active in your space.

Choosing the right hardwood flooring for your home may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you set a flooring budget and figure out what color and style you're looking for, it's not that complicated. Hardwood flooring prices vary depending on the size, wood type, finish, color and manufacturing process, with rich-colored and exotic hardwood floors being the most expensive.

Instructions

1. Figure out what type of hardwood floor you want. Go to open houses, friends' and neighbors' homes, trade shows or flooring stores -- whatever it takes to collect ideas and samples of the wood flooring you like.

2. Determine your flooring budget. There are tons of choices of hardwood flooring out there, so be careful to not spend more than you can afford. Purchase unfinished hardwood flooring, prefinished hardwood flooring or engineered hardwood flooring if you can afford it. Laminate flooring, which isn't real wood but is much cheaper, doesn't stand the test of time as well and needs to be replaced if it becomes damaged.

3. Consider the room in which you plan to install hardwood flooring. For example, solid hardwood flooring should not be installed in a bathroom or basement -- moisture will ruin it. In addition, particularly light or dark hardwood flooring installed in high traffic areas will easily reveal scratches, dents and wear spots.

4. Decide how long you will keep the hardwood flooring. If you will use the floor for more than 10 to 20 years, install solid hardwood flooring or engineered hardwood flooring with 1/8 inch or thicker veneer. Choose a hardwood floor that suits your personal style and lifestyle, but also one that will stay in style for a long time.

5. Decide whether installing hardwood flooring is something you can do yourself. If you are familiar with hardwood installation techniques, go ahead and install the flooring yourself. Otherwise, hire hardwood floor installers to do the work for you, especially when installing unfinished hardwood floors. Hardwood flooring will be in your home for many years to come, so consider the cost of professional flooring installation an investment and have it done right the first time.

6. Carefully examine the construction of the hardwood flooring. Do the planks fit together properly or will your socks snag the edges as you walk across the floor? Are there beveled corners or grooves that will collect dirt over a period of time? If you purchase a prefinished hardwood, is it scratch resistant? The length of the warranty will tell you a lot about the product and how durable it is. If you purchase and install interlocking hardwood panels, keep in mind they will likely start popping and squeaking after a few years of walking on them. Consider purchasing hardwood panels that can be glued down instead.

7. Purchase flooring from a hardwood flooring store that has a long history of excellent customer service and good warranties. The last thing you need is to be hassled if you end up with flooring you don't like. If you find cheap hardwood flooring and you're tempted to buy it, keep in mind you get what you pay for. Research the product and the reason behind the low pricing before you buy.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you buy new hardwood flooring, make sure you don't already have hardwood floors underneath your old carpet. If the old hardwood flooring is in good shape, you can just refinish it and save yourself a lot of money!

• Make sure you have a very smooth, flat subfloor to install hardwood flooring on or you'll be unhappy with the final product no matter what type of hardwood flooring you install.

References

• Utah State University Cooperative Extension; Selecting Wood Flooring; Dr. Leona Hawks