What Hardwood Flooring Is The Best?  

The best hardwood floors for most people will be Oak floors, stained and then finished with polyurethane

Starting from scratch and figuring out what kind of hardwood floors are best can be daunting. There are many different species of hardwood for floors. There are also multiple configurations of how the floors can be manufactured. On top of that, there are even more choices regarding the finishing you want on the floors. Let’s start with a budget. 

Budget

If your budget allows, we advise choosing traditional hardwood planks. They are the most durable and easiest to fix and repair if there ever were to be a need. They also will last the longest if properly maintained. If hardwood planks aren’t an option, there are many great engineered hardwood products that are indistinguishable from traditional hardwood. They have a thin layer of hardwood on top of a plank made mostly of pressed wood. This keeps their cost a little lower. If budget is really an issue, the amount of quality vinyl floor options is remarkable. 

Appearance 

When it comes to appearance, this is a very subjective issue. However, we have found that the image that comes to mind when most people imagine buying hardwood floors for their home, they are thinking of Oak floors. Oak is by far the most popular choice for hardwood floors. It makes up roughly two-thirds of all hardwood floors in America. With all hardwood floors, Oak can be stained, giving the same cut of hardwood many different shades of color. Other popular wood species are maple and cherry, which both have very distinct qualities. 

Hardness

Not all wood species are created equal when it comes to hardness. There are some wide discrepancies regarding the different species of wood. Depending on the type of traffic and use of the floors should impact your wood selection. Here’s a quick chart of the most common species of hardwood, listed by their Janka rating. The Janka rating is how the different species’ hardness is measured. 

Availability 

Most of the more common hardwood species are readily available from Hardwood distributors and big-box stores. However, some species of less common hardwoods and softwoods might be harder to source. This could cause the project timelines and even the budget to go up. We suggest asking these types of questions with your contractor before falling too much in love with a species of wood that could be hard to source. 

Personal Taste

Everyone is different! A new set of hardwood floors can bring some serious character into a house. But they also can give a home a calm and muted feel. There is no right or wrong answer regarding what will be right for you. We suggest talking to a bonded and licensed flooring specialist early in your process to have the most accurate information. 

If you are in New York or Florida, we would love to help you choose the best hardwood flooring!