Discovering what types of hardwood you want to install in your home requires a lot of research. To give you a starting place, here is a beginner’s guide to the different types and what to look for. As a busy professional with not a lot of spare time on your hands, you like to cut to the chase in matters pertaining to home improvements. You’ve calculated the cost, weighed the pros and cons, and finally settled upon new hardwood floors.

However, the question remains – which hardwood floor types are best for your home? As you continue with your research on the topic, consider the following pros and cons of the different types of hardwood floors.

The Benefits of Any Hardwood Floor Type

Whether you are replacing your existing carpet or putting in a brand new floor, any type of hardwood floor is a great choice for the following reasons:

• It looks great. There’s no denying that a hardwood floor has that look about it, one that conveys beauty, grace, elegance and a sense of affluence that is so appealing.
• It provides a sense of warmth. No matter what your decor, hardwood floors are an excellent final touch in creating a warm environment conducive to comfort in the home.
• It’s a great retainer of heat. Unlike tile floors, hardwoods are a great insulator, and this means you’ll not likely complain of cold floors when walking barefoot across them.
• It’s easier to match your new decor. Regardless of the finish of your wood floors, there remains a certain neutrality in terms of redecorating rooms with new color schemes and finishes on furniture.
• It is remarkably resilient. If finished properly, wood floors are very resilient when it comes to holding up to stains and spills. Even mild scratches can be easily remedied.
• It’s so easy to clean and maintain. Sweep it, vacuum it, wash it regularly and your hardwood floors will retain that brand-new look of having just been installed. If you add in periodic polishing, you’ll really bring out the shine.

Hardwood Flooring Options

There are three main considerations when choosing the type of hardwood floor you wish installed in your home. These choices pertain to whether or not the wood is solid or engineered, what particular species of wood you are looking for, and whether you want the wood floors installed in a finished or unfinished state. Let’s examine all three choices and the pros and cons of each more closely.

Solid vs. Engineered Types of Hardwood 

While there are many species of hardwood, there are only two main types of hardwood flooring, engineered and solid hardwood.

Solid hardwood flooring is exactly what it sounds like — solid planks of wood cut from a specific type of tree. Solid hardwood flooring is the more traditional type of hardwood and it’s the one that most people envision when the word hardwood comes up. Some of the benefits of solid wood hardwood are that it’s highly durable and has the ability to last decades if maintained properly.

If you decide your preference is for solid wood, there are several things you need to know. While it can be sanded and refinished repeatedly over the course of time, real wood has a susceptibility to potential problems related to exposure to moisture and humidity. This can be remedied by finishing the wood, however, and by not laying it in bathrooms, laundry rooms or basements.

Engineered hardwood flooring is a more modern, optimized type of hardwood flooring that has been developed to mitigate some of the disadvantages of solid hardwood. For example, engineered flooring types cope better in damp environments. Engineered hardwood flooring consists of several wood layers with a top layer of hardwood. The layers give engineered hardwood its ability to expand and contract again without sustaining damage.

Engineered hardwood floors are quite different in that they are manufactured as a composite between real wood and a veneer of real wood. The structural integrity of the wood combined with the protection offered by the veneer means you can lay it anywhere—even areas susceptible to moisture and humidity.

Continue reading to learn more about all types of hardwood flooring or give Carpet To Go a call to speak with a flooring specialist.

Best Types Of Hardwood Flooring (By Tree)

Here is a list of some of the most popular types of hardwood flooring species. If you have any questions about how to find the best types of hardwood flooring for your home, give our team of flooring experts a call today.

Oak

If you’re in search of warm, traditional hardwood flooring, oak is the way to go. Oak has traditionally been used in homes that emphasize a warm-toned, cozy aesthetic.

If you’re opting for an oak hardwood floor, you have the choices of red or white oak with each bringing its own unique aesthetic flair to your interior.

Cherry

A glossy, luxurious hardwood flooring type, cherry wood comes in a variety of different hues including black, red, and softer hues.

One of the benefits of cherry hardwood is that it is naturally gorgeous and has a luxurious, shiny finish. The downside of this beautiful hardwood is that it is pricy and doesn’t fit into many budgets.

Walnut

Looking for a rich, dark hardwood to bring contrast and moodiness to your interior? Walnut is the perfect hardwood.

Walnut is a soft, lightweight hardwood but is still durable. Walnut hardwood flooring does well in living or dining rooms as it creates a stunning, bright, and luxurious interior.

Hickory

Hickory is a mid-toned hardwood floor that’s durability is scarcely rivaled. Interiors that have hickory hardwood tend to have a cozy, rustic ambiance.

Hickory flooring is good for any type of home and is an excellent choice for families and homeowners with indoor pets.

Maple

Maple hardwood flooring is one of the lighter-toned hardwoods and is characterized by its unique grain pattern. It is one of the hardest types of hardwood flooring and is extremely durable.

Maple hardwood is also one of the most affordable types of hardwood and is an excellent choice for homeowners with pets and kids.

Finished Hardwood Floors vs. Unfinished Hardwood Floors

This can often be the most difficult decision you have to make. Installing hardwood floors that are already sanded, sealed, and finished at the factory is going to reduce the time spent on installation.

Conversely, if you’re seeking a particularly custom finish that you’re not able to find in finished hardwoods, you may want to have unfinished floors laid. This allows for the application of a custom stain before the final finish is applied. This can be helpful in situations where you are seeking to match the color of certain pieces of furniture or an existing floor in your home. Because this type of flooring is stained and finished after installation, it also aids in aiding in its resistance to moisture.

Types Of Hardwood Flooring Finishes

Here are some of the most common types of hardwood flooring finishes:

• Water-Based Polyurethane
• Oil-Based Polyurethane
• Moisture-Cure Urethane
• Wax
• Shellac
• Penetrating Oil Sealer
• Acid-Cured Finish
• Aluminum Oxide

Bear in mind that there are pros and cons to each of these types of hardwood flooring finishes. Please give one of our flooring experts a call to discuss the type of hardwood flooring finishes in greater detail.

Learn how to fix floor scratches here.

Types Of Hardwood Flooring: How To Know Which To Choose

Now that you’re more familiar with the types of hardwood flooring, how do you go about actually choosing one?

Hardwood flooring preferences are extremely subjective and personal. Only you truly understand your aesthetic tastes, practical preferences, and budget needs.

You should choose a hardwood flooring that has a tone that you find aesthetically pleasing and one that also matches your interior style.
While choosing hardwood flooring, you should also not neglect the practical needs of your household (make sure that you’re factoring in yours and your family’s practical needs).

Looking for Hardwood Flooring Today?

Here at Carpet To Go, we are proud to offer a huge selection of different types of hardwood flooring. We’d be happy to help you find the right flooring for you and offer our installation services to you as well.

If you have any questions about the different types of hardwood flooring or Carpet To Go’s installation services or flooring selection, give us a call today.

Picking new flooring for your Seattle or Bellevue home can be a daunting task. With the vast array of flooring options out there for the homeowner to choose from it makes deciding on the right flooring type a lengthy process.

Choosing The Best Flooring

There are a few simple ways that you can cut down on lost time due to the decision-making process. Asking yourself specific questions and articulating what your needs are for a floor is key to helping you decide on the most functional floor for your home.

1. Determine Purpose

First off, determine the purpose of the room you are having refloored. Each room in your home has a unique purpose and your flooring choice should reflect that. Here’s an easy example of how the purpose of a room might affect your choice in flooring:

Your kitchen is a high traffic area of the home with lots of food being handled and potentially spilled all over surfaces as well as flooring. You should take these realities into consideration and choose a floor that isn’t stainable and is able to withstand heavy foot traffic. You’ll want a surface that is water-resistant as well as comfortable to walk on — especially if you spend a lot of time cooking or cleaning in the kitchen. A couple of good flooring options that we’d recommend for frequently used kitchens are hardwood floors, which are highly durable as well as easy to clean, and vinyl floors, which are comfortable to walk on and water resistant.

2. Identify Style

Design and aesthetic style affect every aspect of your home. Similarly, your flooring choice should reflect your style and the aesthetic of the rest of your home. Flooring really does play a major part in the home environment and it’s important to know that not all furniture is cohesive across the spectrum of flooring. Some floors are not able to go with certain colors, tones, or stains so it’s important to identify your style so that you can avoid any potential aesthetic clashing.

The good news is, as a homeowner in Seattle you have a plethora of varying floor options available to you. You get to decide texture, tint, finish, patterns, and the rest! So identify what the current style in your home is and choose a floor to match.

3. Calculate Expense

If you are on a budget, it’s important to do some calculations to help determine which flooring option is most conducive to your budget. Luckily for you, being on a budget doesn’t equate to having cheap looking floors.

Comparing Different Types of Flooring

Here are a few budget-friendly flooring comparisons that we’ve added for your convenience.

Carpet vs. Area Rugs

If you have a room or area in your home that you would really like carpeted but you currently don’t possess the budget for such a renovation, then purchasing an area rug is the way to go. Area rugs can match the comfort and visual aesthetic of carpet without the price tag of a full-blown carpet makeover.

Area rugs are gorgeous, easy on the joints, affordable, and can really enhance the visual appeal of almost any space.

Hardwood vs. Laminate Flooring

If you are on a tight budget, we’d like to bring laminate flooring to your attention. Laminate floors were designed to replicate the classic look of hardwood floors at a fraction of the price. There are a number of benefits laminate floors have to offer that hardwood floors can’t match. For instance, laminate floors are much easier on the joints than their hardwood counterparts. Laminate flooring is also extremely water-resistant which, when combined with its budget-friendly price tag, gives hardwood floors a run for their money!

Tile vs. Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl floors offer a much more affordable flooring alternative to tile or hardwood floors and are meant to imitate the same look and feel without the high installation costs and expensive materials. Vinyl floors are durable, easy to install, budget-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing. They come in varying colors, textures, styles, and are very versatile when it comes to different styles and functional for all rooms.

We hope the insight offered in this article was able to help you better understand your options as a homeowner in Seattle who is looking to have your floors redone. Whether you are on a tight budget or not we hope that you now know what flooring style and look you are hoping to achieve with your remodel.

Flooring Experts Near You

If you have any flooring questions or wish to speak with one of our flooring professionals about getting a reflooring project started in your Seattle home, contact Carpet To Go today. We would be more than happy to assist you in pursuing your home’s aesthetic goals and will always provide you with our honest and professional opinion about your best options.

As a homeowner, you might be looking for ways to spruce up your home this spring. And like a lot of homeowners, you might be looking at the floors in your house and realizing that it’s been a long while since you’ve had them redone.

Hardwood floors are highly appealing because of their longevity and beautiful, classic look — however, looking more into hardwood flooring you might be surprised to see the price tag on them and just how much time goes into having this kind of flooring installed.

The high cost and intensive labor required can be discouraging, as many homeowners aren’t aware that there are numerous high-quality yet cheaper alternatives to hardwood floors.

Faux hardwood flooring is an alternative to classic hardwood floors that’s rising in popularity among homeowners. Opting for an artificial wood floor instead of real wood is a great way to save on installation costs, and generally comes with a much more affordable price tag for materials than hardwood floors.

Here are a few things you should consider as a homeowner who wants a classic wood feel and look, but without the price tag of a hardwood floor.

What is Faux Hardwood Flooring?

Faux hardwood flooring is made from thin fiberboard and has a top layer that is made to mimic the look of real hardwood or sometimes stone. This top layer is usually made from laminate or Luxury Vinyl Planks.

Artificial wood flooring has the beautiful appearance of real wood but with a few added benefits that traditional hardwood floors lack. For instance, fake hardwood floors are generally softer to walk on, minimizing the negative affect hardwood has on many people’s joints. This aspect may also make faux hardwood a better option for families with small children or indoor pets.

Durability and Longevity

Artificial hardwood floors generally last between 15-25 years. They are highly durable, can withstand heavy foot traffic, and are extremely water resistant. Their lifespan is generally not quite as long as real hardwood floors (which can last about 30 years) but faux flooring makes up for the shorter life span when you consider its cost-effectiveness.

Cost and Installation

When researching for your upcoming floor remodel, you’ll quickly notice that there is a stark contrast in price between real and faux hardwood floors.

High-quality artificial wood flooring, such as laminate or Luxury

Vinyl, are generally no more than $3 per square foot — whereas mid-range hardwood floors will generally run you between $5-$10 per square foot.

On top of material costs, you also have to consider installation costs. Another benefit of artificial hardwood (such as laminate or Luxury Vinyl) is that installation is fairly simple and can even be completed by you! Traditional hardwood floors, on the other hand, require an installation crew who usually charge per square foot installed. This only adds to the already expensive price tag of classic hardwood floors.

Maintenance and Repairs

Fake hardwood flooring is generally very low maintenance and requires only a quick occasional clean to keep it looking bright and fresh. While the low maintenance of faux hardwood flooring is certainly appealing there is a downside regarding repairs. Fake hardwood floors do not have the same resistance to damage that hardwood floors possess, so once damaged the only solution is to replace that section of your faux floor.

Resale Value

There’s no getting around the fact that should you ever decide to sell your home, faux hardwood floors will do little to increase the value of your home. Traditional hardwood, on the other hand, may positively affect your home’s value. This is because buyers tend to be drawn to classic hardwood floors over faux ones which may lead to you getting a higher resale price than if you had fake hardwood floors.

Nonetheless, for budget-conscious homeowners and those with elderly family members or children, faux wood flooring easily makes up for this by being cheaper to buy and install, and by providing comfort and warmth underfoot.

Contact Our Flooring Experts Today!

We hope this was an informative read and that you now have a clearer idea of the route you wish to pursue as you refloor your home.

Contact Carpet To Go if you’d like to receive a free quote or if you want to speak to one of our flooring professionals today. We’d be happy to answer any additional questions you might have and want to be of service to you as you pursue improving your home’s aesthetic.

Hardwood floors make an excellent addition to any home, but they may not always pull the room together as you had envisioned. In many cases, adding an area rug can add the finishing touch that creates a noticeable theme across your living spaces.

That said, decorating with area rugs on hardwood floors is not always simple. You have to choose from a huge collection of patterns, colors, and textures. But, if implemented properly, the results can be breathtaking!

Benefits of Mixing Area Rugs and Hardwood Floors

Let’s take a look at some of the major benefits of carpet and wood flooring combinations:

Keep Your Floor in Great Condition

Area rugs can be used to protect high-traffic areas of your home. If you have wood flooring in areas like hallways, entries, and living rooms, you should consider adding an area rug. They reduce the wear and tear while still letting you show off your stylish floors.

Use Colors to Highlight Your Decor

The key to decorating with area rugs on hardwood floors successfully is creating a sound theme. Your rug and hardwood combination should highlight your decor around your house.

Always select rug colors to either match or create a positive contrast with your current layout and style.

Control the Brightness of the Room

Dark furniture matched with hardwood can reduce brightness in your living spaces. You can always add a splash of light by implementing a light area rug. Remember, even if you choose a lighter or darker tone, the rug should also be within a similar palette to maintain harmony.

Increase Comfort Specific Areas

Even though they look fantastic, hardwood floors are not always the most comfortable. Carpet and wood flooring combinations can help improve comfort in areas such as your living spaces or bedrooms.

Tips for Using an Area Rug on Hardwood Floors

Hardwood is known for being the most luxurious type of floor. And, contrary to popular belief, area rugs are not meant to hide your hardwood floors, but compliment them. Below, we’ve put together a list of five tips to help you choose the best area rug for your hardwood floors.

Clean the Area Before Placing the Rug

One of the biggest mistakes most people do when placing a rug is forgetting to clean the area beforehand. Even if you’re looking to cover a scratch or another imperfection, remember you have to move your furniture and clean the floor properly beforehand (Related: How To Clean Area Rugs).

Dirt particles, oil, and other types of debris can stain and damage your hardwood. Placing a rug on top of a dirty floor will leave visible marks after the carpet is removed. You can prevent this by sweeping, mopping, drying the area thoroughly, and repairing any scratches with filler.

Maintain Your Floors Functional

Carpet is comfortable on your feet, but it’s not suitable for all areas of your house. Besides improving the aesthetic appeal, you should also maintain or improve your floor’s functionality with your carpet.

For instance, thick fluffy area rugs work best in high traffic areas that house furniture, like living rooms. On the other hand, you may want to select a flatter rug for your office so that your office chair can still move around easily. For hallways and other busy areas, you can always use runner carpets that protect and display your hardwood at the same time.

Pick the Right Rug Size for the Room

Choosing the right rug size will help create the impression of having a bigger room. Large rooms should be matched with large carpets.

Traditionally, area rugs either cover just the seating area or the entire space where the furniture sits, so you can choose whichever layout works best for you.

If you have a room with an irregular shape or a particular furniture layout, you can even implement individual or tailored area rugs that create a palpable scheme!

Always Use a Non-Slip Rug Pad

Just because they are not visible doesn’t mean that rug pads are not important! Non-slip rug pads are usually made of synthetic materials and are placed between the floor and your rug. They have two main functions: protecting your floors against friction damage and preventing your carpet from moving around and causing accidents.

Aim to Create Harmony with the Color and Design

Selecting the color of your carpet is a huge step. The first and most important thing you should keep in mind is the tone of your hardwood floor. Then, take a look at other decoration elements in your house, like furniture and wall hangings, to choose a carpet that matches the theme.

All homes are different, so you’ll have to look at your color scheme and decor to make the right choice. But, as a rule of thumb, popular area rug color choices for each floor tone include:

Dark Hardwood

• Beige
• White
• Gray
• Light blue (with white or light stripes)
• Pastel Yellow
• Light colors with bright red or blue accents

Light Wood

• Pale Orange
• Earthy tones (think Thanksgiving colors!)
• Moss green
• Burgundy
• Red
• Brown

Get a Quality Area Rug at a Great Price

Contact Carpet to Go and learn more about getting a custom area rug and hardwood floor combination. You can give us a call or fill out our online contact form and our team of specialists will be happy to assist you today!

Hardwood floors have gained a reputation for being elegant and extremely sturdy. At the same time, they are known for adding value to your home and for requiring relatively little maintenance.

But, that doesn’t mean that your wooden floors can’t use a little TLC!

The Thing About Wooden Floors

While they are awesome investments, hardwood floors do require some attention in order to maintain their appearance and functionality. Remember that the floor is the largest element in any room, which means that it will basically set the tone in that specific area.

Poorly-maintained wooden floors that show bumps, scratches, and scuffs tend to give off the wrong vibe. Instead of admiring the beauty of the finish, you’ll probably find guests and other household members staring at these impurities, trying to figure out how they came to be.

10 Tips to Help You Maintain Your Hardwood Floors in Great Condition

Preserving your hardwood floors is critical to keeping your house looking spectacular. That being said, maintaining your wood flooring in great condition is a long-term project.

Check out these 10 tips to help you keep your hardwood flooring in tip-top condition.

Apply a High-Quality Finish

Wooden floor finishes vary in appearance and actual quality, so make sure you always choose a reliable coat that’s on the higher end of the scale. While the tonality is completely your choice, you’ll need to select from a variety of finishes that offer different qualities.

Depending on your budget and preferences, you can choose between oil or water-based finishes, sealers, wax, and other options. If you’re not sure which one is best for your case, contact your local flooring expert and verify which works best for your particular area or weather type.

Keep the Shine at Bay

Wooden floors tend to get scratched, dented, or simply collect a lot of dust. Having a shiny floor will reflect much more light, prominently displaying dents and all other small damages. At the same time, the shinier your floors, the more you’ll notice them fading away.

Instead of selecting a glossy finish, go for a matte or satin in order to keep your floors clean for a longer period of time. Plus, you won’t notice your flooring fading as quickly, which may save you a significant amount of money in the long run.

Walk Around Barefoot or Use Slippers Inside of Your House

Shoes with hard soles tend to wear your floors quickly, so you can encourage your entire family to either walk around barefoot or use their slippers indoors. Many folks prefer switching to comfortable footwear as soon as they walk into the house anyway, so enticing your entire household to keep it comfy will, in fact, reduce the wear and tear that your floors go through.

Put Area Rugs Under Big Pieces of Furniture

Area rugs are a great way to protect your hardwood. Even when they cover large areas, these rugs still let you showcase your wooden floors and they provide a layer of protection that keeps damage from heavy furniture to a minimum.

Invest in Hardwood-Specific Cleaning Supplies

There’s no denying that hardwood floors have become extremely popular. Because of this, many companies have developed wood-specific cleaning supplies that range from microfiber cloths to non-staining liquids that restore the appearance of your floor.

Make sure you purchase the basic supplies needed to keep your floors looking like new. It’s important to know the type of wood and finish that was applied because purchasing the wrong product may actually stain your flooring.

Remember that hardwood is a major investment, so getting the right supplies is a small price to pay to keep your wooden surfaces in top condition.

Avoid Rolling Chairs

Rolling chairs are functional, but they can also damage your hardwood flooring. The best way to prevent these damages it to avoid rolling chairs altogether, at least in the areas that have wooden floors.

If the floor in your office is made of wood and you need to have a rolling chair, finding a thick vinyl panel and placing it under the chair can help mitigate the damage caused by the wheels.

Clean Up Spills Immediately

Spillage is inevitable, especially if you have pets, children, or clumsy friends. Always remember to keep your hardwood cleaning supplies handy as this will help you take care of spills right away. The longer you let liquids, food, and other contaminants sit on the floor, the more likely they are to leave a stain.

Put a Doormat in All Entrances

Most of the outdoor contaminants that may damage hardwood floors come in on the bottom of people’s shoes. Placing a doormat in every single entry point in the house will help reduce the deterioration that your wooden floor experiences.

Besides removing potentially harmful substances, a doormat will reduce the chances of walking in with a piece of solid material stuck underneath your shoes and scratching your floor.

Vacuum or Sweep with a Light Broom Regularly

Removing hard particulate from your wooden surfaces will help it maintain its appearance for a longer period of time. Not only this, lightly vacuuming or sweeping the surfaces may help maintain the functionality of the coating for an extended period of time.

The vacuum you use should be designed for hardwood floors or have a setting specifically for wood. Moreover, the broom should feature light bristles in order to avoid scratching your wooden flooring while still looking like new.

Use Home Remedies with Precaution

Home remedies promise to take care of bumps, scratches, and other imperfections with simple tricks. Some of these may ask you to apply solutions that were not designed to clean floors and these may actually damage or stain your hardwood.

Our suggestion? Veer away from miraculous home remedies that promise to improve the visual appeal of your floor. Instead, purchase the right supplies and actively take care of your hardwood by changing up some of your habits!

Getting Professional Maintenance for Your Hardwood Floors

While regular upkeep goes a long way, there are certain cases that require professional maintenance to fully restore your flooring’s grandiose appearance.

If you have any questions about keeping your flooring in great condition, get in touch with us by giving us a call or filling out our online contact form and our team of hardwood experts will be more than happy to help you out!