Which Hardwood is Best for Flooring?

Hardwood flooring is something that truly adds beauty to any space. You can choose from various popular hardwood species, such as hickory, oak, ash, or maple. Each one has distinct properties and visual differences. Selecting a type of Denver Hardwood Flooring that fits your budget and lifestyle is important. Whether that is solid hardwood, engineered wood, or wood-look laminate.

Choosing the Best Hardwood Flooring

Choosing the right material is not as simple as selecting the preferred color and grain. There are many things to consider when choosing which wood flooring to install:

  • Location: Which room are you trying to choose flooring for, and what is the level of traffic in this room?
  • Budget: The cost to install flooring and the price of materials varies. You need to have a clear budget in mind.
  • Maintenance: Different types of flooring have different levels of ease of cleanliness, durability, and ability to repair. You may want to check on the required frequency and simplicity of resealing as well as daily maintenance.
  • Durability: There are many aspects of durability including waterproofing, stain resistance, strength, as well as scratch and scuff resistance.
  • Installation: Floating, nail down, or glue down are all different options.
  • Addons: Type of underlayment, along with radiant heat compatibility.
  • Style: Each type of flooring and species of wood has different looks and styles.
  • Lifestyle: Are there children, pets, or a lot of traffic on the floor?

Types of Wood Flooring

There are a few different types of hardwood and other options that look like hardwood that you can put in your home. If you wish to bring some classic history to your space, you can go for high-end, reclaimed wood. If you are on more of a budget, you can go for wood-look laminate. There is also the middle ground of engineered wood.

Solid Unfinished Planks

These are 100% genuine hardwood and are installed without a factory finish. Choose a custom finish to be applied to the whole floor after they are installed. It is good to note that unfinished hardwood flooring costs $3-7 per square foot simply for the materials, and another $3-$5 per square foot for labor. 

You can seal this type of flooring after installation and cover the entire floor at once. Then it can be sanded and refinished repeatedly. In this type of flooring, the bevels are less visible, but it is a labor-intensive finishing and sealing process. The seal is also less durable than factory-finished planks and it may require resealing sooner than prefinished floors.

Solid Prefinished Planks

Solid hardwood prefinished planks are wood that is supplied with a multi-layer, baked-on factory finish. They have a uniform appearance and a resilient finish. Typically solid prefinished hardwood planks cost $3-$7 per square foot plus $3-$5 per square foot for installation. This is similar to unfinished hardwood. Despite this, they have faster installation and less labor because the finish is already on the planks.

 Overall, solid prefinished planks give a more uniform look than unfinished planks but the bevels and seams are more obvious. It is also susceptible to moisture damage, and repairs may be difficult to hide.

Reclaimed Hardwood Planks

Reclaimed hardwood flooring has a special charm. It is typically made of heartwood (which is the innermost portion of the tree). These planks bring history to your home and provide an interesting conversation point. They also have a unique weathered appearance and are limited because of being old wood. 

Reclaimed wood is great for the environment because you are upcycling old wood instead of buying new, but it can be extremely expensive at $15-$30 per square foot, including installation. It is also hard to find enough good quality reclaimed planks to cover a large space at times, and woodworm and other pests may infest planks if they’re not sufficiently kiln-baked.