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Hardwood
flooring can be categorized in many ways. For starters
there is solid hardwood flooring which is pure solid
wood that has been milled to set lengths and widths. The
sides typically have what is called a tongue and groove
on each edge allowing for easier alignment, installation
and to maintain seams throughout the life of the floor.
Solid hardwood flooring
can come in either pre-finished or can be finished
after it is installed. There are pros and cons to each
method and you should take great care in choosing which
is best for your application.
Pre-finished hardwood flooring
has many advantages in that once it is installed
you can usually begin to use the floor at once. There is
less mess, dirt, faster installation time, often less
cost and other factors associated with buying
prefinished hardwood flooring and/or having it
installed.
Un-finished hardwood flooring
does have advantages. For one thing, you have great
control of how the finished floor will look. For
example, once installed you can choose a small out of
the way area and have a small section finished, see how
you like, see how it comes off with the lighting of the
room etc, then if you like it, have the entire
installation finished the way you like it, or have the
section sanded and refinished until you get the look and
feel your going for overall.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- With engineered hardwood flooring your still
getting hardwood flooring however it is typically made
with a solid hardwood top layer bonded over other wood
based materials.
There advantages with one major one being cost, also you
will find typically better control in enviorments that
may be subject to wide climate changes such as swings
from very dry to very humid, as such these would often
effect solid wood flooring more than engineered hardwood
flooring. Engineered can be both finished or not though
finished is usually the most popular.
Durability on hardwood flooring varies according to
several factors including but not limited to, floor
traffic, the finish selected and of coarse the type of
hardwood selected.
Janka Hardness Scale For Wood Flooring Species
The Janka hardness test is a measurement of the force necessary to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. It is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various species to tolerate denting and normal wear, as well as being a good indication of the effort required to either nail or saw the particular wood.
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