How to Buy Wood Flooring. Project overview Love wood floors Its no wonder. Wood is rich looking, warm, durable and easy to keep clean. Its still the most seductive and charming type of floor in a home. But its also a big investment, one that youll live with for a long time. In this article, well tell you how to size up the many types of wood floors available and make the choice that best fits your home and budget. Most wood floors fall into two categories with unique characteristics solid wood and laminated layered. Well tell you the strengths and weaknesses of each type, as well as the price range and the skills needed if you want to install them yourself. Finally, well include buying advice we gleaned from wood floor experts. Solid wood flooring. Stained 2 14 in. wide solid red oak flooring. A traditional solid wood floor has random butt joints, a variety of wood grain patterns and, often, slim cracks between strips during the dry season. Solid wood flooring 34 in. Unfinished red oak. Unfinished 34 in. It can be custom stained for the exact color desired. Widely available in many grades of oak and maple, and almost any other species by special order. Cost 3 to 5 per sq. Prefinished oak flooring. Prefinished strips offer more precise milling and the slight edge bevels allow nailing without sanding. The strips have a tough, factory applied finish in a limited choice of stains and species, mostly oak and maple. Cost 4 to 6 per sq. Prefinished and unfinished hardwood planks. Prefinished or unfinished planks 34 in. When it comes to hardwood flooring, light and dark stain colors are in both extremes. Hardwood flooring stain color trends in Westchester County NY. As I look at whats trending for hardwood flooring, I would classify it as a Tale of Two Cities. Whats so interesting is that the extremes are whats most. Installing hardwood floors in your home with the experienced, licensed installers at your local Home Depot is the easiest way to replace old wood flooring. How much refinishing a hardwood floor should cost. Average costs and comments from CostHelpers team of professional journalists and community of users. Its about. These sometimes require additional screws or nails to keep the floor solid. Cost Same as other unfinished and prefinished flooring. Solid wood flooring is usually made from 34 in. Hardwood Flooring Cost Per Sq Ft Installed Carpet PricesIt has a tongue and groove milled into the edges. When nailed through the tongues, the strips interlock to form a strong floor that feels solid underfoot. The strips are typically milled at random lengths up to about 6 ft. The finished floor shows random butt joints and strips displaying a wide variety of grain patterns, both traditional characteristics of a solid strip floor. A thick wear layer allows sanding and refinishing four to six times before it wears out. Should you lay a solid wood floor yourself Using a floor nailer Unfinished flooring must be sanded. Youll need to rent a flooring nailer and a sander. Laying a solid wood floor requires some carpentry experience. You may need a power miter saw and a table saw for cutting smooth transitions to other types of flooring and for other details. Limitations of solid wood flooring. Expands and contracts with humidity changes. Expect slight cracks to open between strips during the dry season unless you control indoor humidity year round. The cracks will be prominent in light colored wood. Must be nailed to a wood subfloor. Not ideal over concrete, since you must first add at least a 34 in. Not suitable for damp areas. Expect character squeaks from loosened nails after a few years. Laminated wood flooring Laminated cherry wood floor. Laminated wood flooring is stable, excellent over concrete and easier to install than solid wood flooring. Laminated floor board Laminated floors consist of wood layers with narrow strips on the top that mimic solid wood strip floors. Laminated wood planks. Laminated floors are prefinished, have precision fitted tongues and grooves and mimic the appearance of a traditional strip floor. Laminated floors consist of wood layers, much like plywood, with the show wood on the top. Dont confuse these with laminate floors, which have a tough plastic top layer. You can choose among a wide variety of flooring boards 38 in. The top layer of wide boards usually consists of narrower strips to better mimic solid wood strip floors. The boards have precise tongues and grooves for tight fitting joints. Laminated floors are prefinished in a wide range of stains. Depending on the thickness of the top wear layer, laminated floors can be sanded and refinished zero to four times. Material prices range from 5 to 1. Laminated floating floor installation technique. Edge glue type floating floor installation Lay a pad and snap or glue together floating floors. Clamps hold glued edges tight until they dry. With the floating technique, you dont fasten the flooring to the subfloor. Rather you glue or snap the edges of the boards together to make a solid sheet that rests on a pad. This technique works well over concrete as well as wood subfloors. A floating floor must be free to expand and contract. Use special transitions to cover the edges where the floor meets carpeting, tile, stairs and other types of flooring. Buy a sound deadening pad from a dealer floating floors tend to be loud underfoot. Limitations. The joints will eventually show as a regular pattern and may affect the appearance, especially on lighter colored floors. Butt joints will be more prominent on wide boards. Transition pieces can be distracting. Make sure youre comfortable with their appearance. Crack Nt Hash Windows 7 Online. Removing damaged boards in an edge glued floor is difficult. Youll have to call in a pro. Some types are considered suitable for potentially damp areaskitchens, bathrooms, basements but there is some risk. Read the warranty carefully. Do it yourself A floating floor is easy to lay but requires simple carpentry skills around edges and transitions. When edge gluing, use special clamps to make sure the joints stay tight until the glue dries. Rent or buy these clamps from the flooring dealer if you do it yourself. Glue down laminate floor installation technique. Glue down laminate floor installation. Glue laminated strips to dry, flat subfloors much as you would do with tile. Most types of laminated floors can be glued to a wood subfloor or dry concrete. However, when the wood contracts, a glue down floor is more prone to gaps at the joints than a floating floor is. Limitations. This isnt a good choice in potentially wet or damp areas like kitchens, bathrooms and basements. Do it yourself Glued floors are easy to lay. Simple carpentry skills needed for transitions. Nail down laminate floor installation. Nail down laminate floor installation Rent a special flooring stapler designed for the flooring thickness. Much like solid strip floors, some types of laminate flooring can be nailed usually stapled to solid wood subfloors. Limitations Not a good choice in potentially wet or damp rooms. Can develop squeaks. Do it yourselfSimple carpentry skills are needed for cutting and nailing transitions. Wood Floor Shopping Tips. Visit a flooring specialty store. Youll be amazed at the wide range of wood species and finishes now available. Since you buy a wood floor primarily for appearance, its important for you to be able to examine and touch them and even walk on them to get the feel underfoot. You can also ask about other, less common types of wood flooring, including parquet, cork and bamboo. Ask the salesperson about the stability of the species you like. All wood floors expand and contract with humidity changes, and small gaps open between boards. If you live in an area with wide humidity swings see map below, the gaps may be large enough to bother you.