Trying to figure out where to start when buying wood flooring? Here are 10 questions to help you start your project.
1.Which type of wood floor is right for me, solid or engineered?
Solid vs. Engineered can be a decision based on many factors: application, cost, and climate. Both solid and engineered products from Albany Woodworks are eco-friendly and high quality. If you are looking for a wall application, require a glue down application or live in a high humidity environment, then our top of the line, low VOC engineered flooring is the ideal choice. Our engineered flooring has a 4 mm wear surface that allows refinishing several times over the years.
Solid wood flooring is beneficial for nail down applications. It can be sanded and refinished for generations to come, a feature that engineered flooring is limited on . Our antique flooring provides a very stable surface for any room. It works best on floors and ceilings and gives any room wonderful character!
2. Which wood species is right for me?
This will really depend on the grain design you like, the color (if you wish to only put a clear finish) and the hardness you need. The Janka scale provides the hardness of all woods, domestic and imported. Antique woods are naturally harder due to their age. Back then, the trees had time to grow densely (29 growth rings in antique flooring vs only 7 growth rings in some new flooring today)
3. Is a factory-finished floor or a site-finished floor better for me?
This really depends on factors like: how custom do you want the color/finish on your floor? What is your installation time line?
Both have their advantages. Factory finished floors comes ready to install so if you are on a tight timeline, no extra time will be added for finishing. It also cuts down on the amount of dust during installation. Site finished floors give you the most flexibility and control over how your floors will turn out. You can choose the stain color to best match your planned home decor and the sheen of the finish. Not to mention a professional grade job gives you a top of the line look to last you for years to come!
4. My room is 400 square feet, but we’re being told order 450 square feet of flooring. Is this really necessary?
Yes, this is the waste factor that is the general rule for flooring installation. This factors in the cutting that will need to be done in order to make the flooring fit properly in the room. Some of the cut pieces will be unusable. This waste factor can increase or decrease depending on the features of the room. If the room is square with no interruptions, than you may get away with less than 10%. If there are stairs, a bay window or fireplace, the waste factor may increase due to the amount of pieces that need to be cut. A flooring installer or contractor can help determine these waste percentages.
5. I’ve seen different finish sheens on wood floors; some are shiny and some are not. Which one is better?
This is primarily a preference choice. Sheen range from a matte oil finish to a high gloss finish. Satin gloss finishes offer the most shine, and will reflect the most light. Semi-gloss finishes offer some shine, and will reflect some light. Satin or matte finishes offer the least shine, and will reflect the least light.
If you have children and/or pets, a satin or matte finish would be the best choice. They hide small scratches in the finish since they reflect the least amount of light.
Questions sourced from the NWFA. For more information on Albany Woodworks, click here.