Practical Wood Flooring Guide

When investing in a wooden floor, most homeowners want to get a floor that looks attractive, appealing, elegant. However, aesthetics is not the only aspect you have to consider when you are planning to spend money. Functionality and comfort are essential when it comes to choosing such an important element of interior design. Indeed, hardwood floors are beautiful and they become the statement piece of any interior style. However, when choosing a hardwood floor, you want to make a choice you won’t regret and will ensure a lot of cosiness and convenience for many decades. 

When investing in a hardwood floor, you want to play it safe and pick a floor that will suit the habits and lifestyle of your household without requiring too much maintenance and renovation. Especially in households with pets, young children, or high traffic in the busy areas of the house, the best choice would be a floor that can go through all the wear and tear and remain in good condition and visually appealing. Today we share with you some of the most essential factors and aspects that make a wooden floor practical, functional, convenient. Here is what to look for, when you want comfort, durability, and elegance at the same time.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood is among the most durable and functional flooring materials. Despite its natural origin, because engineered wood floorboards are made out of hardwood and lumber materials only, engineered wood is a man-made product designed to be extra durable, long-lasting, and hard-wearing. Engineered wood floorboards have a specific structure of layers that are glued together crisscrossed then topped with a durable and thick layer of hardwood.

Thanks to this advanced structure, the floorboards are less prone to moisture issues and water damage. Their design minimises the impact of moisture, humidity, and temperature fluctuations by decreasing the contraction and expansion of the floorboards. In result, engineered wood floors are less prone to breaking, cracking, cupping, ballooning, etc. Engineered wood floors are a great choice for rooms and areas, where humidity, moisture, and temperature fluctuations may be an issue, such as kitchens, bathrooms, basements, conservatories, etc. Besides, engineered wood flooring is very durable and hard-wearing. It can be sanded and refinished.

The Right Finish

When choosing a hardwood floor, the floor is only part of the final decision. One very important aspect that will determine the hard-wearing and lasting power of the whole flooring construction is the finish. There are many different floor finish options available on the market nowadays.

However, the old but gold varnish, lacquer, and polyurethane are considered to be the most hard-wearing. These finishes create a very durable top protective layer on the surface of the floorboards that works as a protective barrier and preserves the condition, texture, and colour of the floor. There are also commercial-grade floor finishes available on the market that are a perfect choice for high traffic and busy areas that get a lot of wear and tear. Choose a floor finish with an added UV filter to it to protect the floor from the impact of direct sunlight that can dry out the wood, make the colour fade, affect the finish.

Go For Matt 

While high-gloss finishes look very elegant and classy, the truth is that such finishes require a lot of maintenance and care. On the other hand, matt finishes are great at camouflaging all the scratches and marks on the surface of the floor that can otherwise affect its appearance. So when it comes to households with pets and children the best type of finish to go for is matt.

As Simple As Possible

Indeed, there is a lot of elegance and beauty in the classic wood flooring choices such as parquet and all the amazing parquetry patterns available. However, the truth is that parquet flooring and complex patterns are as painful to maintain and care for as they are beautiful and attractive. Parquet floor renovation and refinishing require a lot of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

When done by non-professionals, such procedures hide high risks for the floor and standing against the grain can damage the wood. On the other hand, if you go for straight and simple lines and basic floorboard constructions, you will have the peace of mind that maintenance, cleaning, and care won’t require too much energy, money, time, and elbow grease.

Medium Colour Palette

There is no doubt that dramatic dark wood floors or crisp white ones are an attractive and bold choice that can become the focal point of every room and set the fundament of the entire interior style of the house. Floors in non-traditional colours and undertones are truly a great way to express your style and have a unique element of your interior.

However, such floors are also harder to maintain, you have to invest a lot in maintaining and looking after the colour. Besides, dark wood flooring is poor at camouflaging scratches and dust and will require everyday intensive cleaning, while white and blonde floors make every accidental stain super visible. Still, when you want to make a practical choice and choose a floor that is mainly functional, we highly recommend you go for the classic medium brown colour palette. Besides being easy to clean and maintain in good appearance for longer, medium wood floors are also very beautiful and suit all sorts of styles and settings. They look cosy, warm, and inviting and this is all you need for your home.