An Introduction to Wood Flooring

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Posted: June 14, 2016 - Homebuyer's Blog

Hard Wood FloorMany people building a home with Hartz Construction choose wood floors to add beauty and warmth to their home. New home buyers come to the Hartz Design Center to pick their interior selections including their flooring. And, while we have noticed the growing popularity of hardwood floors, we have also noticed that some home buyers, especially first-time home buyers, are unfamiliar with the types of wood flooring available today. For this reason, Hartz has put together the following guide that can help you make the best selection of hardwood flooring for your specific needs.

Two Basic Types of Wood Floors

While wood floors come in an array of styles, sizes and colors, there are only two basic types: solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring.

Let’s take a look at the key factors that will determine which type of wood flooring is best for you.

solid and engineered wood

Solid Wood Flooring

Solid hardwood flooring is comprised of strips of wood with tongue and groove sides.  These strips are typically between 1 ½ and 3 inches wide and come unfinished or prefinished. Unfinished wood requires sanding, staining, and a clear top coat after the wood is installed in your home.wood1
Since this type of flooring is made from solid wood, it is very sensitive to moisture.  As a result, solid wood floors are typically nailed down over a wood sub-floor. These floors are not recommended for installation over a concrete slab or in a basement.

Also, because they are comprised of solid wood, these floors expand and contract in response to seasonal changes in moisture. In the winter, when the humidity is low, the wood can shrink creating unsightly gaps in the planks. When summer comes, and the humidity increases, the wood expands, causing those gaps to disappear. However, too much moisture can cause the wood to buckle or cup.

A big benefit of solid wood floors is that they can be sanded and refinished multiple times over their lifespan.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood flooring is composed of three or more wood layers (called plies) glued together into long planks, with a top layer made from a thin solid wood veneer. The plies are usually laid out in opposite directions, called cross-ply construction. This cross-ply construction makes the flooring dimensionally stable, so it’s much less likely to cup, split, shrink, or warp. It does not have the humidity and moisture concerns that sold wood flooring has.

This flooring is highly versatile.  It can be installed almost anywhere, including over wood sub-floors, on concrete slabs, and in basements.

versatile flooringUnlike solid wood flooring, engineered floors, due to the thin layers, are limited when it comes to refinishing. They usually can be refinished once. So, if you plan on refinishing your wood floors multiple times, this would not be the right choice for you.

Please check out these new home communities from Hartz Homes:

Armitage Pointe of Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bella Vista Townhomes of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Heather Glen of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Hibernia of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Leigh Creek of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Manchester Cove of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marquis Pointe of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marywood Meadows of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Nantucket Lakes of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Oliviabrook of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Park West of Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Playa Vista of Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Sky Harbor of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Whisper Creek of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)

Hartz Homes has new home communities in:
Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Aurora, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)