Durable flooring options to add long lasting value to your home

... comparing laminate flooring with natural hardwood flooring.

Because of the heightened popularity of hardwood flooring there are now, more than ever, more options available to the average homeowner. These options will end up suiting different households depending upon the needs of each homeowner. In this post, we’ll go over some types of hardwood flooring that’ll be extra durable and resilient. By choosing floors such as these you’ll be adding a more permanent value to your home. With these types of floors upkeep and maintenance will be less due to their durability which will serve to save you money in the long run. Floors with excellent durability are a great fit for homes that have children or just generally see a large amount of foot traffic.

A good choice for flooring is of course just natural hardwood flooring. There are many options available with this type of flooring as well. There are many types of trees-- exotic, domestic and otherwise and each one has different properties. The Janka hardness scale is a great tool to use when trying to decide on what types of hardwood flooring to get. Since we’re going over trade woods that would be a fine fit for a house that sees more foot traffic than normal we will deal with hardwoods that lie towards the top of the scale. An example of some of the harder, exotic wood species would be Brazilian Walnut. This type of wood is so hard that it presents many challenges for whomever working with it. It is hard to nail and saw and requires special tool to handle.

Engineered hardwood flooring is a mix of natural hardwood and laminate flooring and is very durable. The reason for its durability is due to the way the floor is made. Several layers of plywood, between three to ten pieces, are pressed together under extreme pressure. Naturally, the more layers used the more durable the engineered planks will be. These same layers are what make this type of flooring so moisture resistant as well. This feature is a great help in households where any serious spills or leaks may occur. The different layers block moisture and in doing so prevent swelling and warping in your wood. Another popular feature that engineered hardwood flooring has is its top layer. The top layer of engineered hardwood flooring is made from an actual trade wood. Whether its Brazilian Cherry or Maple they have engineered flooring available for nearly every species of wood. Also, due to veneer applied to engineered hardwood flooring it is possible to sand and refinish this flooring. Doing so will revitalize the flooring and restore its pristine condition. This gives homeowners the option of having real hardwood floors installed while saving a bit of money in the process.

Homeowners looking for durable woods can also consider acrylic wood floors. These aren’t used in the home as often as the other types of hardwood flooring that I’ve already mentioned but they still make a fine fit in the home. Acrylic floors are usually used in malls and shops and chances are you’ve walked on them many times already. Acrylic hardwood flooring is both attractive and very durable. Acrylic hardwood floors are made when regular solid hardwood is impregnated with acrylic. In this process the wood has all of its moisture vacuumed out of it and then color and liquid acrylic are forced into it. This makes it 300% stronger and even more resistant to moisture than engineered hardwood.

While, it is true that these flooring options are some of the most durable on the market, following a few simple steps can help extend their life even further. Common sense steps such as placing mats down in high traffic areas like entry ways and using certified cleaning products will always do your floors more good than harm.

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