Oak Wooden Flooring

I’m sure you know that there are a ton of options out there to choose from if you’ve already been searching around for wooden floors. Oak wooden flooring is near the top of everyone’s list. I suggest checking on the alternatives, though, before diving headfirst and purchasing a solid oak wooden floor. We’ll check out some buying points here so you can determine if oak flooring is really your best bet.

Oak Wooden Flooring Compared To Oak Laminate Flooring

When considering wooden floors, it’s always a good idea to do a direct comparison to a laminate and an engineered alternative. This is because, after everything is said and done, they won’t look all that different. If you’re looking for a cheap wooden flooring, then laminate really is the only choice. Not only is it cheaper to purchase initially, but it’s also cheaper to maintain. Solid wooden floors really only have one major advantage over laminate, and that’s the ability to sand them should they become damaged.

Comparing Oak Wooden Flooring And Oak Engineered Wooden Flooring

Engineered wooden flooring should also be on your list of things to look at. The price differences between engineered and laminate are usually minimal, and engineered floors can actually be sanded if needed, but only once or twice. Engineered uses more real wood than laminate, and is usually tougher. With an engineered floor, the top layer is actually a thin layer of wood, while with laminate, it’s a picture of wood. There are two schools of thinking on the differences. Some feel that, the less trees cut down, the better for the environment. Those who favor solid and engineered wood feel cutting the trees down is better for our planet than plastics and resins as trees are a very renewable resource.

Aesthetics

Most people who desire oak wooden floors do so because of looks. With today’s staining techniques, though, one should probably look at some samples before decided what they like best. Oak wooden flooring alone can be had in dark colors, light colors all the way to white, and red or cherry colors as well. The natural color of an oak wooden floor is light tan, with darker, brownish streaks going in one direction. You can expect true solid wood floors to have flaws, like worm holes, which are considered desirable to some degree as they add character to the wood.

Strength

A lot of people who are unfamiliar with wood floors default to oak because they foresee a lot of traffic in their home. This comes from the oak being one of the strongest trees in the world, creating some of the most durable lumber. When it comes to solid wooden floors, you can use this to gauge how durable a floor will be to some extent. With engineered wooden flooring as well as laminate, however, the toughness of the final product will be more dependent on the makeup of the floor, and not so much the top layer.