CA Oak Flooring | California Hardwood Floors
Los Angeles Hardwood flooring makes a bold statement in any home, but not all hardwood is the same. Along with differences in color and grain patterns among different hardwoods, you should consider other factors depending on the expected use and even the climate you live in. You will also need to decide whether to use solid hardwood flooring, or engineered flooring that is a composite of hardwood on top and a composition board beneath it.
Three main varieties of hardwood flooring are hickory, oak, and maple. Each variety has advantages and disadvantages, so let’s look at your choices. After showing you the features of all three, we will offer you our first choice of hardwoods to be revealed below.
Hickory is the hardest of the three types of woods, and has a distinctive grain and color quite different from the others. Some buyers prefer it due to its greater hardness than other woods, but it can also turn off buyers who don’t appreciate the wide differences in grain and color that can occur in a hickory floor. Homes that can use wider board widths, such as rustic or colonial-style homes, might be better candidates for using hickory floors. San Diego Hickory floors installed by contractors without the experience of installing this wood can look like patchwork due to the color and grain differences, so make sure you have an experienced contractor if you choose hickory.
Maple is generally considered slightly less hard than hickory. Customers who complain that maple scratches too easily may have floors using softer maple varieties, where only hard and sugar maple will give you the hardness equivalent to other hardwoods. Maple floors tend to be lighter in color with finer grain structures, so this can be a factor depending on the look the owner is trying to achieve. Maple floors sealed with clear coat sealant can yellow with age, and stains can end up inconsistent due to soft and hard areas in the wood that accept the stain differently.
Oak is not necessarily the hardest of the woods we are discussing, but it is very durable and actually is our first choice for hardwood flooring. Oak is by far the most popular hardwood for residential flooring, so you may want to consider something else if you desire a floor that looks different from the rest. One big advantage of oak flooring is that it is the most stable of the hardwoods from an environmental standpoint. Changes in temperature and humidity will affect it less than the others, making it ideal for different climates and weather conditions. It accepts stains and sealers well and there is less inconsistency in grain patterns, both characteristics desired by many customers.
Flooring.org can be your source for information on hardwood, laminates, bamboo, cork, and engineered flooring of many styles. Let us be your first choice when looking for flooring, and check back often for our specials that offer excellent pricing on a wide range of floor materials.
