Queens Oak Restoration
Hardwood floors give value to your money. It improves the ambience, durability and adds value to your home or apartment. Aside from being beautiful to look at, hardwood floors are also environmentally friendly. Wood is a natural resource that is both renewable and recyclable. And because its durability, most hardwood floors almost never need to be replaced. They can truly last a lifetime.
Of all the available hardwood for flooring, oak wood is the most popular. An Oak Wood Flooring is elegant. It adds value to your home or property. If you are considering buying this type of hardwood flooring, there are some things you need to know to help you make correct choices.
Oak Wood Flooring can be an elegant addition to your home. There are many options to choose from and buying Oak Hardwood can be a confusing process. Knowing some terms and definitions can help make right purchases.
Some of the factors you need to consider when buying hardwood floors are the type of the material, the finish, the size, the color and the grade of the wood boards.
Material:. Generally there are two types - Solid and Engineered. Solid construction means that the board is a single, solid board made from one piece of wood or wood planks. This type of construction is extremely popular because it is easy to install, can be refinished many times. Engineered means there is a true Oak veneer on top of multiple layers of standard wood. This is cheaper than solid Oak wood.
Pre-finished or unfinished. When buying Oak wood flooring, you can buy a pre-finished Oak Wood Floor or purchase an unfinished floor for a custom installation. A pre-finished hardwood floor has a harder surface and maintains its shine much longer than a custom finish.
Warranty. One thing to consider when buying Oak hardwood flooring materials is the warranty. Most of the time, refinish floors have longer warranties; while unfinished floors have much shorter warranties. If you hire a flooring company to do installation, it is important to ask them about any guarantees and warranties they offer.
Sizes and widths. Hardwood boards will range from 2 and ¼" wide to about 7" but the more popular Oak Wood Flooring products fall below 5".
Color. Color is a choice that is totally up to you. Make sure you get a color or stain that is the right for you. Oak hardwood flooring comes in red oak and white oak. When choosing Oak hardwood flooring, you should think about the shade you want, because oak can vary from an almost white to deep brown color.
Grades. The Oak flooring grades are the same with the other types of hardwood floors. There are actually 7 grades. The highest grade is Select then there is #1 common, #2 common, and then the cabin/tavern grades. Select grade has very even and fine grains, not much streaks and an even coloring of the base wood.
Installation. Installation is an important issue. Oak hardwood flooring can be floating. Not much experience is needed here. Other types of flooring need to be glued, nailed, or stapled. In this case a more experienced person or a professional should handle the installation.
At the end of the day when you go shopping, look for Oak Wood Flooring that offers a blend of the grades. This will simplify your choices. You may have a choice of two blends. The first is a Premium series which is a mix of Select and #1 common. The second is a mix of #1 and #2 common. This offers a budget priced floor but with far less irregularities. |
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