Elegant hardwood flooring is available in many different price-brackets to encourage all homeowners to consider this type of outstanding choice in floors. Throughout history, wooden floors have been made from trees that are native to the housing location. The local trees normally offered three or four shades of woods that were used in almost all area homes. Today, the modern flooring industry offers a globalized selection of planks and floorboards that come in a wide variety of species, colors and grain-patterns.
Hardwood floors can be made from any timber or grass product that is suitable to use as a floor. As an example, bamboo hardwood floors are made from the bamboo plants that are members of a grass family. The term hardwood floors is used to describe floors made from hardwoods, and all other types of wooden floors today. It is possible to get thick solid wood floors, thin wooden floors, laminated wood floors and many interesting new flooring products that are the result of our age of rapid advancements in technology.
Modern hardwood flooring is normally installed in homes as a beautiful interior design element. Hardwood floors, wooden floors, and laminate floors can be installed over many styles of sub-floors or foundation layers. Laminated floors are normally used in areas of the home that could have potential water problems such as in bathrooms, basements or laundry rooms. Solid hardwood floors of all thicknesses should never be installed directly on top of concrete to avoid the possibility of the concrete wicking water from a source.
Laminated floors offer the beautiful appearance of solid wood floors at a fraction of the price. The laminating process includes a center-core that is made from strong lesser-priced materials. This inner-core is surrounded by a real layer of wood that is sealed into place through a process that leaves the floorboard with an easy-care surface. Laminated hardwood flooring is scratch-resistant, moisture resistant and easy to clean with common household products. Laminated wooden floors are often used in heavy traveled areas.
Hardwood floorboards and planks come in sizes that range from about 2.5″ across up into sizes that are custom created for special applications. The small 2.5″ floorboard strip sizes are among the most common size used in residential settings. The wider plank-size boards are often found in public buildings where they are used in larger-size rooms. However, current interior design trends are using plank-width floorboards in residential homes. With modern hardwood flooring, there is a wood floor for every taste and need.
Darrell Potter writes out of Vancouver about a variety home decor tips, and gives advice on how to maintain your home and hardwood flooring looking sharp. Always looking for the highest quality materials at the lowest cost possible, he tends to end up shopping at www.flooringcanada.ca/hardwood.aspx more often than not.