Hardwood floors are any item made of wood, which is specifically designed as a floor covering, either purely ornamental or for practical use as interior flooring. They have become very popular in recent years because they are both durable and visually appealing. Wood is a very popular choice as a floor covering and is available in different varieties, shades, shapes, and cuts. One of the most prominent features of hardwood floor is its durability, making it suitable for any kind of location and climate. The durability of a wood floor also helps to reduce noise and vibration which mean that a room with this type of floor can be safely placed in most rooms of the house including bedrooms, dining and living rooms, kitchen, hallways, basements, and garages.
When choosing to install hardwood floor, you need to ensure that you are choosing a wood that matches your floor finish and other design characteristics such as your architectural styling, color choices, and local climate and humidity. If you install hardwood floor correctly you will be able to achieve an ideal floor finish that looks great when finished with high quality wax or paint. If you choose to paint or wax your floors you must ensure that you use a wax that is specifically created for hardwood floors, otherwise the finish may not hold up for long and peel off easily.
One way to determine the quality of the wood that you are using is by asking the manufacturer or installer to give you a sample in a size similar to what the entire hardwood floor will be when fully installed. In addition to the samples you should also look at underlayment that is made of 100% wood. Some manufacturers offer a click-together engineered hardwood floor system that consists of subfloors and a top layer of solid hardwood. You can then install the floor in place of your existing floor.