Hardwood Flooring Basics

It is important to know how to choose the right hardwood flooring for your home and how to take care of it once it is laid.

Choosing Flooring - Hardwood flooring comes in many different wood types, colors, and installation styles. Some wood and color choices that will be available to you may be wenge, rustic pine, yellow pine, maple, oak, and bamboo. The type of hardwood flooring you choose will depend on what type of space it will go in.

If you need a sturdy wood that will stand up to the humidity you may find in a bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room you may want to go with engineered or laminate hardwood flooring. This wood is very stable because it is formed with several layers of thin wood, with the wood grain going in different directions.

Hardwood also comes in several different installation styles. Strip flooring and plank flooring are long strips of wood that are from one-fourth to six inches wide. This will give your room a very nice, long, sleek line. Parquet flooring is just large pieces of wood that is laid out like quilt pieces to make an interesting design that are usually in different stains or wood types to add extra interest.

Cleaning your Flooring - Usually, when people think of hardwood flooring they think of how hard they are to clean. Not true. New technology in stains and finishes makes them a snap to clean up. Small stains can be cleaned up with a damp cloth or paper towel. Larger messes can be cleaned up with a dust mop or vacuum. Many find that a steamer mop designed for hardwood floors is a lifesaver when there are kids around.

For the most part, hardwood flooring only needs to be swept or vacuumed regularly. Then, once a week or so, the wood needs to be mopped with a wood floor cleaning product recommended by the manufacturer of the flooring. Hardwood flooring should not be wet mopped because standing water can cause discoloration in the wood.