Category Timber

The Enduring Beauty of Hardwood Flooring

by

jmahoney

Hardwood kitchen flooring has many advantages like how if items are dropped on it they do not shatter, it is attractive, and it is good for sound insulation. It is also easy to change the look and color of it just by sanding it. You do not have to replace the entire kitchen flooring. This makes hardwood kitchen flooring a good investment.

Hardwood kitchen flooring can provide elegance, beauty and style for your kitchen. There is something that is really special about hardwood kitchen flooring. Improvements in construction methods have brought about an increase in the range of colors, finishes, cuts, styles and installation. Today you will find that there are more choices and options available than ever from the introduction of many exotic woods to flooring materials that can mimic the look of wood without really being wood. Because of the long life span and easy maintenance of this material it is expected to increase in popularity.

However whether you just prefer the look of hardwood kitchen flooring, the fact is that having a hardwood floor can greatly increase the value of the home.

Hardwood flooring has been around for hundreds of years, and now more and more homeowners are discovering and appreciating the beauty of these kinds of floors. After years of decline in the popularity of hardwoods due to the push for wall-to-wall carpeting after World War II, hardwood flooring is enjoying a renewed popularity.

Hardwood comes from deciduous trees which drop their leaves annually. The most common types that are used in kitchen flooring are maple, cherry, pine, and oak. One new trend in hardwood flooring is the use of maple.

Hardwood is so attractive when it has aged that there is a new trend among many homeowners today who are coming to realize that they can make their hardwood kitchen flooring look aged and well-worn, through the use of grinding, pummeling, and notching. They do this to give their hardwood kitchen floors a more vintage or distressed look.

Hardwood floor finishes include unfinished and pre-finished or engineered. Unfinished hardwood gives you a completely smooth and uniform surface. Pre-finished hardwood is available in a larger selection of wood types, and is more labor saving because it has the factory finish. Pre-finished is becoming a very popular choice because of it can be installed over concrete, as well as being available in many colors, and can be installed anywhere in the home.. Pre-finished hardwood kitchen flooring offers thicker wear layers (the top layer of the wood) and is easy to install. A veneer of hardwood can be added as the finished top layer.

Hardwoods from South America and Africa are in big demand today with darker floors becoming popular. These hardwoods range from Mexican purpleheart to hard Brazilian cherry. Many of these wood species have good moisture-resistance and are extremely durable. While these hardwoods are not very expensive, the cost of installation and finishing can be somewhat high.

Because of many homeowners opting for more environmentally friendly wood alternatives there has been a new trend for hardwood kitchen flooring that includes the use of bamboo and cork. These kinds of flooring are renewable resource.

James Mahoney is the author of many kitchen design articles, visit at

Kitchen Designers Ideas.com

.

He also publishes a newsletter on kitchen design.

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The Enduring Beauty of Hardwood Flooring

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