While wood is one of the most popular and attractive types of flooring, people often don’t know what they should be looking for in a hardwood floor, or what exactly makes one type different, better, or worse than another.
Learn about the pros and cons of some of the most common types of wood flooring.
Walnut
Walnut is a beautiful choice for hardwood flooring. It’s straight-grained and the colours range from yellow to chocolate brown. Part of the beauty with walnut is the colour variation found from board to board, however, you can stain the wood to create a more consistent look..
One downside to walnut is it is a softer wood making it prone to dents and scratches. However like all hardwood, this enhances the beauty and character over time.
Cherry
Cherry wood is known for its blond to reddish-brown colouring. It’s commonly used for chairs, cabinets, and tables, but it looks great as a hardwood floor, as well. A major pro for cherry is that it looks amazing when stained, although it still looks rich and beautiful when left unstained.. The downside of cherry is that it is a softer wood and will dent and scratch quicker.
Oak
Oak is one of the most popular types of hardwood flooring. It comes in two varieties: red and white oak. Red oak ranges from light brown to pinkish hues, and comes in water-like or swirling patterns. On the other hand, white oak has a tiger-stripe grain with yellow spots and rays.
Oak is one of the most durable hardwoods. A clear-coat of urethane will highlight the distinctive grain of the wood. It’s also one of the most attractive and notable wood flooring options.
Depending on how you look at it, a con for oak is that it’s almost too popular, meaning it can be found in many homes. This means that if a homeowner is looking for wood flooring that stands out, oak may not be the unique look they’re after. For some people, another con is that staining oak can cause the wood to darken, which exaggerates the grain and makes it look two-toned. Those considering this hardwood should ask a Saskatoon flooring expert about the different options that are available for staining.
Maple
Maple is another popular wood flooring option. This is because of its hardness and durability. The flooring can look beautiful for many years with not many or any scratches, stains, or dents. It’s also one of the most affordable wood types.
The creamy white wood can also be stained to look like more expensive hardwood, such as mahogany or cherry. However, a major downside to maple is that the stain can look uneven or blotchy.
If you have questions about hardwood flooring, give us a call. We are Saskatoon flooring experts and we sell and install a wide range of beautiful wood flooring for homes and businesses throughout the area.
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