Wood Flooring Options For Design and Durability

The timeless beauty of wood is why it's often a first choice in flooring upgrades. No other flooring offers the warmth, beauty, and value of wood. Wood flooring enhances the décor of any room, and provides timeless beauty that will increase in value throughout the years. In fact, in a national survey of real estate agents, 90 percent said that houses with wood flooring sell faster and for higher prices than houses without wood floors. That’s money in your pocket!  For 2012, trends include wider planks, richer colors, wider use of recycled woods, "green"or sustainable materials for both the floor and the underlay, non-toxic colors and finishes, and low or non-toxic preparation and installation materials and methods. The construction methods and wood finishes - as well as the introduction of exotic woods - have improved the manufacturing of wood floors to allow for a wide range of colors and flooring choices.

Flooring manufacturers are constantly trying to find new looks from familiar woods. One way this has been accomplished is by varying the way that the wood is cut. Slicing and rotary cutting the wood produces different patterns on the face.  

Maintenance of today’s wood floors is easy.  New technology in stains and finishes call for regular cleaning that takes little more than sweeping and/or vacuuming, with occasional use of a professional wood floor cleaning product. You will want to use a cleaning product recommended by your flooring manufacturer, installer, or other wood flooring professional. This will ensure that you use the proper cleaner for your type of flooring and finish.

Wood floors have come a long way in the past few years. Today, there are more styles, colors and species of wood flooring available than ever before. Whether you’re looking for traditional Oak, rustic Pine, exotic Wenge or trendy Bamboo, you’re sure to find a color and style to fit your décor.

A new trend is to replace existing carpet with environmentally friendly flooring such as reclaimed wood or bamboo. The reuse of wood found in old buildings such as barns, hotels or railroad cars is common. This is helpful to the environment,to the air quality inside the home, but a wonderful aesthetic choice.

Rich, deep colors in solid and engineered flooring abounds;  ranging from light beech to cinnamon, cherry, and caramels, these colors are water -based, non-toxic and durable.    A new process - which until now has been used on Bamboo - changes the color of the wood through a steaming process.


Wood floors - solid and engineered -  can usually be refinished over and over again, creating a floor that can last for decades. Hand scraped floors are pre-distressed, adding to the initial charm and long-term wearability.  Engineered wood floors - constructed of sandwiched finished wood and plywood - allow you to forget any long-held concern you may have about wood floors, particularly about their durability in high-humidity areas.