There’s a wide range of wood flooring alternatives that you can choose from and at first, it might seem overwhelming.
In this guide, you will find all the information about the popular Bel Air hardwood flooring options to simplify your decision-making process.
In this guide, you will find all the information about the popular Bel Air hardwood flooring options to simplify your decision-making process.
Engineered wood flooring versus solid hardwood flooring
You need to decide the type of wood flooring you want, engineered wood or solid hardwood flooring. While they might appear similar, there are a few vital factors to consider before making your decision.
First and foremost, the cost of engineered wood is less than solid wood. It is this difference that make some people choose the former option. However, it is crucial to consider that engineered flooring might not be rewarding over time. Hardwood, on the other hand, is a profitable investment because it can augment your property value in the future.
Engineered wood can be refinished only two to five times because it has a thinner layer of wood.
Therefore, the lifespan of your flooring will be reduced to twenty to thirty years. On the other hand, you can refinish solid hardwood flooring up to ten times, and hence, extending the lifespan beyond hundred years.
The durability and long lifespan of hardwood flooring outweigh the costs of maintaining hardwood flooring.
Fixed versus floating engineered floor
Fixed engineered Bel Air hardwood floors take much longer to install than floating floors and they have a longer lifespan. These floors are typically nailed or glued down to the sub-floor.
Floating floors sit or float on top of the existing floor or sub-floor but it isn’t attached to the surface. The planks are not nailed to the sub-floor but they are snapped together or glued down. This makes these floors easy to add existing floors. Also, these floors can be installed quickly than fixed floors. However, these floors don’t offer a high resale value.
Plank sizes
Whatever plank size you need for your home or office, solid wood can be cut to a range of sizes to suit your needs. Conventionally, long planks are used in solid hardwood flooring and they create a clean visual continuity because they don’t have many joints. You can use planks in varied sizes to open up space or add character and depth to your rooms.
Wide planks offer the perfect rustic feel to any home and they are great for displaying the natural wood imperfections and grain patterns.
Unfinished versus prefinished wood
Generally, engineered floors come prefinished while solid wood flooring provide options for unfinished and prefinished.
Prefinished floors are known to reduce the installation costs and save time. These flooring can be enjoyed the moment you install it because they don’t require additional treatments like sealing, sanding or staining.
The durability of this type of floor layers makes it hard to change the finish and you’ll have to replace the planks. On the other hand, unfinished hardwood floors take much longer to install but you can customize the finish to match the rooms in your home. Also, they can be refinished several times.
So, these are the different types of Bel Air hardwood flooring that you need to know about.
You May Also Read: A Winter Maintenance Guide For Hardwood Floors