Choosing the Perfect Timber for Your Wood Floor

Home renovation projects are exciting tasks to undertake. Nothing quite trumps the feeling of finishing modifications and improvements to the home - it's a job that you get to see and enjoy the benefits of finishing every day. One of the most popular things that people love having in their home is solid wooden flooring. Because of their long lasting durability and look, wood floors add value and comfort to any style of decor, making the perfect addition to any home whether it's during initial building or later renovations.

You don't just decide you want wood flooring and bang it in though; like every aspect of interior design, wood floors come in a lot of different styles to choose from. Things like patterns and finishes are important to consider, but the most crucial decision you will make is what type of wood you are going to use.

- Matai, New Zealand's flooring timber of choice. Used extensively in homes throughout the 20th century up until today, Matai wood is popular for its durability and is used as new or recycled. The gorgeous orange-brown colour of the wood is another reason for its extensive use throughout the country.

- Jarrah is a Australian Eucalytpus known for its mix of light and deep red tones. Jarrah is a very popular choice for stairways and flooring, and always results in great feedback. A durable, heavy and hard-wearing wood.

- Rimu was, historically, the main source of wood for New Zealand. Used for everything from construction to furniture, it is a popular wood choice for its attractive colour. While it looks great as flooring, it is not as durable as imported hardwoods like Jarrah or Victorian Ash.

- Tawa is a lighter wood that was a more popular choice between the 1950s and 1970s. It looks good if the light color works into your home decor, and is more durable that both Rimu and Matai.

- Tasmanian Oak is a mixed selection of up to eight Australian Eucalypts. It has light tan and brown through to straw tones coming from the range of Eucalypts. A hard wearing wood that is good for long-lasting wood floors.

- Victorian Ash is, like Tasmanian Oak, a selection of Australian Eucalypts. But a more selective selection including just three of the eight that occur in Tasmanian Oak.

- Kwila/Merbau is a South East Asian wood made up of contemporary light and dark brown tones. Kwila is a cost-effective flooring solution that polishes extremely well and looks good in any modern home.

- American White Oak is the ultimate modern solid wood flooring timber. It comes in a wide range of board sizes up to 222mm. It's an ideal timber to use if you intend to stain the floor. Hard wearing like the Australian Eucalypts, and harvested from sustainable stocks in the USA.

Evaluate your options in light of your home decor and desired finished effect, then you'll be well-equipped to choose the perfect wood for your new floors!

Choosing Flooring Inspired by Nature

People choose flooring inspired by nature because they may want their room to have a unique and natural feel to it. It may add depth, elegance and beauty to a room. It is the sort of thing that interior designers tend to go for, but you can get the effect yourself without having to go to that expense. That is why many people choose flooring inspired, in some way, by nature, and these are in more abundance than many people may think.

Wooden flooring is obviously nature inspired because of its origins. But many people, for cost purposes, may want flooring as near to a wood pattern as possible - giving the illusion of wooden flooring without being wood itself. Other wood flooring that is influenced by nature is white oak hardwood flooring. White oak is a natural wood dating back centuries, with a precise grain texture dating back to medieval times. It is more of a pale gold colour than straight white. There are different grades of white oak hardwood flooring, the two most near to nature being clear white oak which is taken from the core of the oak tree itself, raw and undisturbed. There is also common oak that has natural dark streaks. This is also the lowest price hardwood flooring material. Therefore White oak flooring is not only costly but also brings nature to your room and is strong as it is natural wood. Engineered wood flooring can give the illusion of real wood flooring, even something as accurate as lines on wood, looking as accurate as possible for nearly half the price of natural wood.

Cork flooring is not only a renewable source, but the way it is sourced means it does not cause any environmental damage. This means that a person can enjoy nature inspired flooring without worrying about the environment. With cork flooring the cork is stripped without causing any destruction to the tree.

Hardwood bamboo flooring comes from a bamboo plant which has matured. This is a natural and sustainable source which helps if you want flooring reflecting true nature. Because it grows really fast it is more viable to use this for wood, rather than cutting down trees in the rainforests, for natural wood. This natural wood is available at affordable prices and so can be seen as an ideal flooring type for people who appreciate nature.

There are also patterns and colours that can be inspired by nature. The reasonably priced laminate flooring which can give the illusion of real nature at a cheaper price. Vinyl flooring offers the customer the chance to decide how their flooring looks. They can select patterns that look like wood and give their room the feel of nature whilst not actually being the real thing. A child's carpet may resemble nature to give them comfortable surroundings or simply incorporate tree designs or animal patterns. No matter how far from nature some may intend to be, nature can still be present.

Choosing flooring inspired by nature can involve simply buying flooring that comes from natural resources, and as another option, people can buy cheaper flooring types that give the illusion of wood or patterns and colours that represent nature. When choosing your flooring there are plenty of types that are inspired by and come directly from, nature.

Things to Consider When Choosing Hardwood Flooring

Nothing makes a home look more elegant, warm and inviting than wood flooring throughout. You simply cannot ask for a more durable and beautiful flooring scheme, and that may just be the reason that more homeowners than ever are choosing hardwood flooring for their homes. It not only lasts for years, but it also adds value to your home and property. If you do not currently have it in your home, but would like to install it, please do, but there are some things that you may want to consider before settling on any one type.

How it is created

Most of the wood used to create wood floors is pre-finished at the factory long before it is installed in your home, although you do have the choice of ordering unfinished wood. Unfinished wood can always be stained and finished on-site, before being installed. This type is known as solid wood, and has been the favorite when homeowners are choosing hardwood flooring, and has been used for centuries. It can be finished and refinished several times over the years, and will last for decades.

Another kind of wood flooring, engineered wood, uses several layers of real wood that is sandwiched together. Each layer is laid crosswise to the previous layer, creating a solid weave of real wood planes that is just as durable as the solid wood version. This type can also be refinished when necessary, but the number of times this can be done will depend on the thickness of the topmost layer. In recent years, a layer of aluminum oxide has been added to most manufactured wood flooring, which extends its durability, so much so that it is not unusual to see manufacturer's warranties that extend fifty years or more.

Species Available

Another choice that will have to be made when ordering wood floors to be installed in your home is the species of wood that you wish to have. The most popular styles are generally broken down into two distinct categories: domestic hardwoods and exotic. The domestic type includes more than fifty different species, with the most popular being walnut, maple, pine, ash, hickory and beech. The exotic category includes species that are imported, like tiger wood, Brazilian cherry and Amendoim. The most popular exotic out there today, however, is bamboo.

Bamboo is, by far, the best-selling choice in wood flooring today. It is an environmentally conscious alternative to real wood, and is equally as durable as any domestic hardwood available today. It is available in both horizontal and vertical grains, and can be left natural or in a carbonized form. The carbonization process will heat the bamboo to achieve a darker tone, and improves its durability. Bamboo can be stained into uniform darker colors, or it can be left as strands, with alternating dark and light grains throughout. It is available in both engineered and solid formats.

Widths and Finishes

The last few choices to make when ordering wood floors for your home are to decide on the widths of the wood, and the decorative finishes that are available. The different widths these are available in can make its own decorative statement in your home, when used properly. It all depends on the total look you are striving for. Traditional oak strip, for example, has narrower pieces of wood, measuring around 2 ½" in width. Wood planks are another popular choice, which range anywhere from 3" to 7" in width. The wider planks make for a more modern look, while the narrower choices make it look more antique.

When choosing hardwood flooring, you must also take into consideration the finish you want for the overall decorative effect. Still others prefer that the wood remain its natural color, or stained to a color of their choice. Whitewashed or a distressed finish is also an option for anyone who wishes their flooring to look older and more classic, if that is what will fit in best in their home. That look will also provide a dramatic backdrop for any antique rugs that you may want to utilize as well.