Wood flooring has always been very popular. Wood floors have a formal, beautiful and warm look that is ideal for all kinds of rooms. They are also eco-friendly, affordable and the best part is, there is a lot of variety available. They are also relatively easy to maintain. Additionally, wood floors increase the value of a house and are therefore an investment. These days, wood flooring is being done in unique and custom designs like borders, medallions, hand-distressing, painting, mixed media, stain and exotic wood.

There are certain things to be considered while selecting wood flooring: the budget, the kind of wood to be used, the style or design, the traffic in the place where the floor would be installed, the color of the walls and the rest of the furniture, the kind of maintenance that could be possibly done and so on. Other questions to be considered are: how long the installation will take, if the contractor has a license and the warranties and guarantees.

There are different types, style, species, cuts (plainsawn/ quartersawn/ riftsawn) and grades (clear/select/common/first/second / third) of wood flooring. There are different styles of wood floorings: parquet, which is a series of flooring pieces arranged in a geometric design; plank hardwood flooring, which are linear and wider planks of wood; and strip, which is linear flooring that is not as wide. The various types of wood floors are acrylic impregnated wood floors, engineered wood floors, solid wood floors, pre-finished wood floors and unfinished wood floors. Wood floors are also classified on the basis of the kind of installation: floated, glued and nail/stapled. Other distinctions are the dimensions, the patterns and the color (ash, maple, pear, walnut, plum, oak stain white, bamboo, beech, mahogany). There are also exotic species of wood floors like birch, cherry, white oak, maple and red oak. Different kinds of woods are being combined to make custom wood floorings.

Wood flooring styles also depend on the kind of room. Custom designs like feature strips, medallions, accents and borders are ideal for foyers or entry rooms because these are formal areas. Lighter wood colors are ideal for formal living rooms and dining rooms, while darker colors are good for kitchens and family rooms. Darker colors are also perfect for bedrooms and office rooms, but the wood should be stronger since these rooms contain heavy furniture that is likely to be moved frequently.

Wood flooring can be installed by yourself or you can take the help of a contractor for installing and finishing wood floors. Since there is so much choice today, it is better to take the advice of a specialist in selecting the right kind of a floor. The internet is also a very good source of information for wood flooring.