Choosing Between Hardwood And Bamboo Flooring

Hardwood floors are one of the most attractive and longest lasting choices you can make. However, there’s a lot to choose from.

Step one is deciding whether you prefer unfinished hardwood that you finish yourself, or prefer to buy wood that’s been pre-finished.

Once upon a time, unfinished floors were the best choice. You had a better selection, and it was easier to choose your floor, install it, and finish it yourself. This gave your floor the best appearance and wear qualities.

Unfinished hardwood flooring has also traditionally been less expensive, even when you include the extra cost of staining and finishing. This price difference was so much larger that the extra effort was always worth it for the cost savings. However, this has changed in recent years. Unfinished hardwood is less expensive, but the price gap is getting smaller.

There are also a lot of advantages to getting pre-finished hardwood. When you re-floor an existing space or an addition, you don’t have to deal with the mess or smell of finishing Just add the hardwood, and skip sanding, staining, and coating your floor. You won’t need a respirator or have to worry about eye and lung safety.

Which to choose comes down to weighing costs against budget, and the amount of free time and skill or desire you have for this type of project.

Of course, no matter which type of flooring you choose, you still need to pick out a hardwood. There’s a lot to choose from today, including woods from all over the world.

One of the more interesting choices is bamboo. While it’s technically not a wood, this woody grass is very hard when processed properly. It offers a unique color and look that go very well with Asian inspired decorating schemes, as well as many others. It’s also a lot less costly than many other types of hardwood flooring – about five dollars per square foot.

Much more expensive is the luxurious Brazilian walnut. This wood can cost as much as thirteen dollars per square foot and comes in a wide range of colors. It can be a light brown, looking a lot like the nut most of us are familiar with, or significantly darker. This costly wood is very hard. That means it wears well, but can be hard to install.

In the middle of the cost scale, but not the middle of the range when it comes to looks is the rain forest wood mahogany. This extremely beautiful type of hardwood is reddish brown, very durable, and has a rich grain.

Red oak, a long time favorite with people who install their floors themselves, is available in many widths and is relatively inexpensive. This strong, durable hardwood can create a beautiful floor if finished correctly.

Ash is a good choice if you prefer a lighter color and a less costly wood. Starting around three dollars a square foot, this wood is knotty and attractive. However, it’s softer than other woods. Rustic ash is a particularly good choice for a more natural look.

In addition to new flooring, you can also buy many hardwood types in salvaged and pre-distressed types. That allows you to add yet another dimension of appearance to your flooring, giving you a lived in look but allowing you to maintain a durable floor.

Source: Home

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