Hardwood floors tie a room together, yet complement virtually any
furniture, decor or overall style. The wide range of species,
colours and patterns offer endless design possibilities.
Hardwood floors are easy to clean. They're ideal for people with
allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems, because dust
particles, pollen and dust mites stay on the surface where they can
be thoroughly wiped out.
For the price of a high-quality carpet installation, a
well-maintained hardwood floor can easily last beyond a 30-year
mortgage, while carpets are replaced an average of three times in
that same time span.
Before Considering a Wood floor, Consider What's Under It.
Before looking into the benefits of the various hardwood floor
types, finishes and other considerations, it's extremely important
to talk about the floor under the floor. Or, more simply: a wood
floor is only as good as the subfloor.
Most solid hardwood flooring will need to be nailed or stapled
through the face or blind-nailed through the tongue. The sub-floor
must be able to hold the nail or staple. For that reason, concrete
won't work. It's also not a good idea to install a wood floor over
particleboard because it doesn't hold a nail well. And even if it
does initially, it will soon work loose with foot traffic, leaving
you with a huge problem.
Plywood, or tongue-and-groove decking products over joists are
recommended for most installations.
Vinyl floors, glued-down carpets, and other existing flooring types
are not suitable as sub-flooring and must be removed. Before
installing solid hardwood flooring, get down to the solid, flat and
dry sub-floor. Remember (and, yes, we're being repetitious), a wood
floor is only as good as the sub-floor.
On-Grade, Above-Grade, Below-Grade
Most appropriate installations are considered "on-grade," meaning
that the floor is level with the height of the exterior grounds with
joists or post-and-beam construction supporting the floor. When
installing on-grade, it's important that the crawlspace or basement
under the subfloor is well-ventilated. If ventilation is inadequate,
moisture will likely result in the cupping or warping of the
hardwood months after installation.
"Above-grade," meaning upper floors of a multi-floor house or
building may be appropriate for solid wood flooring if the sub-floor
is wood. Another consideration is the amount of flex in the floor
prior to installation. While all floors have (and need) some
flexibility, a more rigid floor is necessary for strip solid wood
floors.
"Below-grade" situations, such as basements with cement floors,
limit your choices considerably. Some parquets, as well as the solid
wood Natural Reflections Line from Bruce can be installed over
cement using a direct glue method. In general, though, cement floors
mean moisture, which spells disaster for hardwood.
Your best bet would be to install an engineered wood floor over a
moisture barrier using the floating installation technique.
Wood Flooring Types
Pre-finished vs. Unfinished
Pre-finished also offers more variety than standard unfinished
hardwood flooring. The extra choices give you the opportunity to
install interesting African hardwood species like Purple Heart, or
to use contrasting species as accent inserts.
and other considerations, it's extremely important to understand the
choice.
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