There's no denying the natural beauty that can only be provided by genuine hardwood floors. But before having them installed, take a moment to review the following tips on hardwood varieties to learn which is best for your new home.

Wood Types

You've got two primary choices in regards to hardwood: Solid wood (thick hardwood planks) or engineered wood (single layers of hardwood atop several plywood layers).

Solid hardwoods are vulnerable to moisture and only advisable for above-grade floors, where they must be attached with nails to the sub-floor. So if you've got a cement slab floor, you're basically restricted to using engineered hardwoods for your house's bottom floor. Above-grade floors offer the greatest flexibility when selecting flooring materials since solid and engineered woods can both be laid over plywood surfaces.

Engineered wood is far more dependable in damp environments like basements, where its solid top layer can be sanded down just like solid wood floorings. If you're partial to the aesthetic appeal of wide boards, engineered wood is the best choice due to its size consistency. With each board placed at a 90° angle, engineered wood doesn't have any space to expand, so it can't warp.

Location

The amount of in-and-out traffic during the day has a profound influence on the kind of hardwood that's best for each room in your new house. A room that's constantly used is a good candidate for a matte wood finish that has a distressed or wire-scrubbed style. The advantage here is that a matte finish disguises nicks and scratches more efficiently than a high-gloss or transparent wood grain.

Style

Make certain the hardwood flooring you choose won’t conflict with the style of your cabinetry, furniture, and colour schemes. If you have a lot of windows, you probably already have sufficient light to bring dark floors into balance, while a darker home might be better served by a light-coloured flooring for contrast.

Reclaimed or hand-scraped flooring is extremely popular today, with many people transforming planks from old barns, fences, and buildings into uniquely appealing hardwood floorings. This style provides the rustic look of a hardwood floor that's been naturally aged and stained in a way that showcases the wood grain.

What Type of Hardwood Should I Pick?

Not all hardwood varieties have the same types of finish. High-grade hardwood is solid all the way through and may be sanded down or refinished later on without needing replacement. Listed below are a few of the many options available for finishes on different kinds of high-grade hardwood, ranging from common varieties like oak and alder to more unusual woods like cork and bamboo.

Oak

Oak is easily the most commonly used variety of hardwood. It's available in two primary types: red oak, which has a rose tint, and white oak, which has a browner colour. Oak floors are popular with many property owners due to its high level of protection against dings and heavy scratches.

Walnut

Walnut is a hard and sturdy variety of hardwood that isn't overly heavy. The attractive brown wood colour can be light or dark, and it typically has a visible straight grain.

Maple

Maple is also a trending species of hardwood due to its extra-hard grain, which makes it suitable for heavily-used surfaces like gymnasium and bowling alley floors. Its grain patterns are also usually more understated than those of other hardwoods.

Cherry

Cherry is different from most hardwood varieties in that it actually gets darker as time goes by. It provides a low-maintenance and eye-catching house flooring, but it does have the disadvantage of being prone to scuffs and scratches.

Rosewood

Rosewood is a highly aromatic hardwood option that has unusual and visually impressive wood grain lines. It's also an extremely tough hardwood that's naturally tinted in a maroon hue.

Pine

Pine's smooth, white to light yellow wood is very lightweight and features a straight grain. This type of wood is ideal if you're trying to create a country and western ambiance or a more comfortable, lived-in look.

Acacia

Acacia is without a doubt one of the toughest and most durable species of hardwood. Its subdued mixture of light and dark tones makes it highly sought after by property owners and elevates the character of any room it's installed in.

Ash

Any time you observe a light-shaded hardwood floor, there's a very good chance that you're looking at ash wood. Regarded as one of the hardest types of commonly available hardwood today, ash flooring is a perfect pick for rooms or areas with a lot of traffic.

Bamboo

Even though it's actually defined as a type of grass, bamboo is, in fact, tougher than many other kinds of hardwood. It's a very low-maintenance and long-lasting flooring material that comes in a variety of light to dark cherry brown shades.

Cork

Cork is a specially engineered hardwood material created from cork tree bark. About half of cork flooring's composition is air, which serves as a type of cushioning and enables it to naturally absorb sounds.

Choosing a Hardwood That Suits You and Your Home

Resilient, hypoallergenic, and simple to maintain, it’s not surprising that high-end hardwood floors are so well-liked by many homeowners. While selecting the proper hardwood for your floors involves much more than just picking one and laying it out, hopefully the guidance and information provided above can steer you in the right direction to having a floor that is of superior quality and matches your home's personality.