The diversity of hardwood

When you have your mind set on hardwood, hardly anything else will do. But did you know how many options you have to choose from with this type of flooring?

We are going to guide you through a few of the things you’ll want to think about before making a decision. Many of these will depend upon your personal style, and whether or not you’ll want to match your existing décor. Some options will be better suited to how you want the floor installed.

Either way, we’re here to help you.

There are lots of different species of hardwoods. Some are darker than others are, while some, like cherry, have a distinct coloring. You can also purchase either domestic or exotic species, each with its own characteristics. Here are just a few you can choose from at Brian’s Flooring & Design:

• American Cherry
• Ash
• Birch
• Eucalyptus
• Hickory
• Maple
• Oak
• Tigerwood
• Walnut

One of the things you’ll want to think about is the thickness you prefer for your hardwood. Thicknesses can range from 0.3125 all the way up to 0 .75 inches. It’s important to keep in mind that the thicker the hardwood, the more times you will be able to refinish it. This not only adds to the overall lifespan of your floor, but each refinishing will make it look like a newly installed floor. Thicker also means sturdier, which is something you’ll need to think about when considering your subfloor.

Surface type can really change the way your hardwood floor looks as well. We offer brushed surface, hand-scraped, distressed, high gloss, ate, semi-gloss and smooth surface. If you are expecting to have a lot of traffic over your wood floors, you might be better off to choose a matte surface. Since it doesn’t reflect light as much as glossy finishes, light scratches and scuffs won’t show nearly as easily.

When choosing an installation method, you will primarily need to consider the subflooring that your hardwood floors will be installed over. For instance, you don’t want to choose a nail down method if your subfloor is concrete. Some of the installation methods available are nail down, staple down, glue down and floating.

Brian’s Flooring & Design has three showrooms located in Calla, Birmingham and Valleydale, AL. Visit us at any of them to see our selections of hardwood flooring.