Oak Wooden Flooring
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010
by Anthony Davis
I'm sure you know that there are a ton of options out there to choose from if you've already been searching around for wooden floors. Oak wooden flooring is near the top of everyone's list. I suggest checking on the alternatives, though, before diving headfirst and purchasing a solid oak wooden floor. We'll check out some buying points here so you can determine if oak wooden flooring is really your best bet.
If you are thinking about wooden floors, you should definitely compare directly to at least one laminate and one engineered product. After all, once the floors are installed, they all three look quite similar. If cheap wooden flooring is your primary goal, then you should concentrate on laminate. It's not only cheaper to buy, but maintenance is also less expensive, and easier. The only real advantage, besides looks, that solid wooden floors have over laminate, is that they can be sanded if deeply scratched or scuffed.
Comparing Oak Wooden Flooring And Oak Engineered Wooden Flooring
You should also think about engineered wooden flooring. An engineered floor usually costs only a bit more than laminate and they can be sanded, if only a few times. They are generally stronger, and than laminate, and use a lot more real wood. With laminate, the topmost layer is basically a laminated picture of wood, while the topmost layer of an engineered floor actually is wood. You can see this one of two ways. There are many who say that laminate is more environmentally friendly because less trees are cut down. Proponents of engineered and solid wood say that using real wood is better for the environment than processed chemicals since the trees can just be regrown.
Aesthetics: What To Look For
Oak wooden floors are usually sought after because of their looks. However, be sure to check some samples, and find out what the various floors actually do look like, since modern staining techniques can make wood look different than you might think. You can find cherry, white, dark, and light, and that's just with oak wood flooring. A natural colored oak wooden floor, which might still have a stain added, should be almost sand colored with darker brown streaks. Flaws, such as scars and worm holes, are considered desirable, to a point, in solid wood floors, so be prepared for that if you go with solid.
Oak Is Very Durable
Those folks who don't have a lot of experience in wood floors tend to assume that oak is their best choice if their home sees a lot of foot traffic. This is a logical assumption, since oak is known to be quite strong, but it's not always correct. If you're choosing solid wooden floors, going by the type of wood might help you decide. When it comes to engineered wooden flooring, and especially laminate, the durability of your floor will have a lot more to do with the rest of the flooring than the topmost layer.
To learn more about wooden flooring, check out Wooden Flooring Info.
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