The Best Wood Flooring Ideas for Your Dream Home

Finding the best finish product for your floors is as critical as getting the right contractor to build your home. Some homeowners don’t remember their floors until they are almost done with the whole construction budget. The product you choose to use on your floor can make or break your home. Imagine that you’re looking to buy a house. Your realtor shows you two options: one with neat wood flooring, and another with the typical ceramic tiles. Which one would you choose? Without a doubt, the answer is wood flooring.

How to Choose the Best Flooring for Your Home

As mentioned earlier, you must select the best floor finish for your home. So how do you do that? Here are factors you need to consider to help you determine what you need.

Budget

This is, by far, the foremost important aspect of your project. Determining how much you are willing to spend on your project will help you figure out how much you can spend on your floors. Nonetheless, it is best to remember that nothing good comes cheap.

Family setup

While most people may not think this to be a factor, you will be surprised to know that they most often end up regretting not considering this aspect. If your household has infants and toddlers, you should opt for scratch-resistant and spill-proof products. However, if your family has teenagers and adults, then any floor finish you choose will work.

Room

Not every floor finish will work for all your rooms. For instance, you should not consider wooden tiles in your indoor garage, or a floor-to-floor carpet for kitchen areas. Both of these would be a recipe for disaster. They would, however, work just fine for living room spaces.

Décor style

When it comes to décor, you will need to do a lot of research or even consult a professional interior designer. It would be regrettable, for instance, to use ceramic floor tiles if your house has a country theme.

Installation requirements

Some installation materials like laminate floors require an underlayment, which will come at an extra cost.

What Are the Common Wooden Flooring Products Available?

So now you know the rules you’ll need to follow before getting started. You’ve been looking forward to becoming a homeowner. You’ve probably always known that wooden floors are a must-have for your home. However, you have no idea what options are available in the market. Find below a list of what you should expect to find.

Hardwood Floors

Solid wood is one of the most popular flooring options. Its construction is pretty straightforward as you simply purchase the wooden boards and nail them into a wooden subfloor. These planks are made from a wide variety of wood, such as maple, oak, cherry, etc. Although hardwood is relatively long-lasting, its most significant disadvantage is its inability to withstand the natural elements. It is, therefore, not usable in wet areas such as the bathroom.

Engineered Wood

Most people can easily mistake engineered wood for solid wood due to their uncanny resemblance. The difference, however, is that engineered wood has a layer of inexpensive plywood underneath the thin veneer of natural wood on top. Despite their great variety in size and patterns, engineered wood is easy to scratch and dent, so it’s not a very durable option.

Laminate

Borrowing so much from their engineered wood counterpart, laminates also have a layer of plywood underneath the top layer. However, this top layer is not wood, but a photograph trim of timber or stone sealed under a clear plastic coating. So if you’re going for the real deal, this might not be for you.

Bamboo

A new alternative to wood flooring, bamboo is available in both solid and engineered strips that are easy to install. Unfortunately, bamboo grass relies heavily on fertilizers and pesticides that are harmful to the environment.

Other wood floor options to look into are vinyl, parquet, and cork tiles.

Charred Wood: Your Best Wooden Flooring Solution

In a world that is steadily growing conscious of what we consume and how we affect the environment, you must promote and encourage eco-friendly practices. And this is where burnt wood comes in.

Shou Sugi Ban, also known as Yakisugi, is an ancient, yet unique, Japanese woodworking technology developed in the 18th century. It entails the controlled burning of wood to remove the soft outer cells, leaving behind the robust inner cells. Yaki is a Japanese term meaning ‘to heat with fire,’ while Sugi refers to cypress wood. Since Japan generally experiences harsh climatic conditions, people had to develop a technique to prevent their homes from getting damaged by the elements. That’s how Shou Sugi Ban was born.

What Are the Benefits of Using Charred Timber?

Yakisugi wood has a unique dark look bound to add beauty and a modern touch in whatever application you may wish to use it. Below are some of the benefits that our Shou Sugi Ban flooring products have over typical wooden flooring:

• Charred wood has tremendous weatherproof abilities. It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor usage, regardless of winter or summer seasons. When you burn wood, the pores on the outer cells are destroyed, leaving behind a tough carbon layer unperturbed by the elements. You are therefore guaranteed long-lasting floors that will have no buckling or warping.
• Charred timber is unbelievably resilient to fire. During the burning process, the soft outer cells are removed, and a tough layer is left behind.
• Burnt wood will repel insects from your home, thanks to the carbonation that occurs as a result of burning.
• Unlike most flooring materials, Yakisugi wood is exceptionally versatile. It is perfect for bedroom areas, living rooms, dining rooms, and all wet areas.
• Shou Sugi Ban is substantially more durable than untreated wood. Despite the loss of the outer layer during combustion, the resulting inner cells are tougher and more resilient.

Final Thoughts

While the Japanese initially only worked with cypress, at Degmeda, we have incorporated different types of wood, such as larch, Accoya, pine, spruce, and cedar. When it comes to decorating your home, our range of colors will give you a variety of options: red amber, deep char, dark brown, light grey, etc. Our quality products are great for not only flooring but cladding, decking, fencing, and any other projects you may have. We also offer wood charring services to interested clients. To find out more information, please visit our website.