Weekly Design Inspiration: Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors add big impact to your home. If you’re looking to make an investment, choosing hardwood over carpet is a great way to add value to your home and bring your house up to date at the same time.  

Source: A House We Built

Before you take the plunge, consider that hardwood floors take a lot of planning. Colour, grain, plank size, and texture are all considerations, not to mention what areas of your home you would like to include and what is reasonable considering your budget. Keep in mind that consistent flooring between rooms will help create a continuous feel and make the space feel larger. If you find that you can’t quite fit hardwood into your budget there are other look-alike products to consider.

Source: Patrick Ahearn

When it comes to hardwood you can either select solid wood or engineered. Both are beautiful and are nearly indistinguishable from each other. What you end up with may depend on your subfloor and relative humidity in your home. Solid wood is more expensive and can be refinished multiple times due to the thickness but it is also more prone to flexing and movement. If you have a humid basement you might want to consider engineered wood for your main floor instead. Placing solid wood on concrete isn’t advised, so if it's an absolute must-have in your basement, or if you have concrete subfloors on your main level, then you will need to put a plywood layer in between. Solid wood is also typically a bit thicker than engineered so take a look at your cabinets and doors before buying to make sure you have enough room for that adjustment. 

Source: Tessa Neustadt

Once you have decided on the type of hardwood you'll want to consider what it's made of. White oak floors should definitely be on your list. White oak is durable and easy to clean and it tends to come back into style more frequently. You are probably already familiar with white oak due to its popularity. 

Source: Studio McGee

White maple is another favourite. It is one of the hardest woods available for furniture making which makes it very desirable in high trafficked areas. 

If you choose a solid hardwood (or in some cases engineered) it can be refinished easily in different tones. So if you're afraid of dating your home you can always re-stain the floors later. 

Choosing a grain that is right for you is also something to consider. If you have pets or small children, a busier grain may be preferable as it hides small scratches and scuffs more easily. Hand scraped wood floors and wire brushed wood floors also help to create beautiful dimension which helps camouflage imperfections as well. See below for an example of hand scraped floors. 

Source: Kate Marker

Source: Becki Owens

If hardwood won’t work for your home or lifestyle, but you like the look, consider luxury vinyl plank flooring or a tile look alike. 

Vinyl plank flooring has a much greater variety of tones and grains available since they are a manufactured product. They are also highly water-resistant which make them perfect for kitchens and mudrooms. 

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) floors click together the same way engineered hardwood does and they can be installed on any surface.

Source: A House We Built