A New Homeowner’s Guide to Different Types of Hardwood Flooring

Wood flooring is ideal for all home styles, from rustic to modern, sleek condos. Learn more about the different types of hardwood flooring available.

Wood flooring is an excellent way to increase the value of your home by up to 2.5%, according to experts. You can also expect a return on your investment of around 70%-80%, meaning it's an excellent upgrade to make before selling. 

However, there are many types of hardwood flooring, so it can be a bit intimidating trying to choose the right option. Are you feeling lost? We're here to go over some of the most common options so you can choose the best type of hardwood flooring for your home. 

Solid or Engineered Floors 

Solid hardwood flooring is entirely wood. It's somewhere between 5/8" to 3/4" thick, and the boards are fitted together using a tongue and groove or nail-down method. 

Engineered wood flooring is a combination of a thin piece of real hardwood glued to high-quality plywood. It looks like solid hardwood and has gained popularity over the last few years. 

There are a few key differences you need to understand before you make your choice. We'll cover some of the most important. 

Pros of Solid Hardwood

Solid hardwood floors have a longer lifespan, around 30-100 years, depending on how well it's maintained. Solid hardwood is more durable, and it can last you for years. 

Another pro of solid hardwood is that it's great for the resale value of your home. 

Cons of Solid Hardwood

Solid hardwood floors are more expensive to install. It's also not recommended for any high-humidity areas, as it can swell and warp. 

It's not recommended for below-grade basements either. 

Pros of Engineered Wood

Engineered wood flooring is cheaper to install, making it one of the best types of hardwood flooring for those on a tighter budget. 

Although it's not ideal for humid areas, it does better than solid hardwood. Engineered wood is more resistant to warping. It features the beauty of hardwood at a lower price point. 

Cons of Engineered Wood

One of the biggest downsides of engineered wood is that it can't be sanded down as much as hardwood flooring. When considering the longevity of your floor, you may want to keep this point in mind. 

Engineered wood also doesn't increase the value of your home as much as hardwood, but it still can improve an outdated home. 

Popular Types of Hardwood Flooring by Species

Now that you know about solid vs. engineered hardwood flooring, it's time to go over the different species. The best type of hardwood flooring is a species that is hard, durable, and readily available. 

Here are some popular choices among homeowners. 

Oak

Oak is one of the most common choices out of the many types of hardwood floors. It's easy to work with, durable, beautiful, and affordable. Plus, oak floors are timeless and never go out of style. 

You'll see red oak and white oak options for flooring. Red oak has a darker red color, while white oak is actually a golden brown. 

Oak flooring is ideal for high-traffic areas due to its higher ranking on the Janka hardness scale. White oak measures 1360. 

Cherry

Cherry hardwood floors have a unique and beautiful appearance that adds class and warmth to any room. Cherry wood has a pinkish hue that darkens over time. 

Brazillian cherry has a reddish-brown appearance and looks very rich. 

American cherry wood has a lower rating of 950, but Brazillian cherry ranks higher on the hardness scale at a value of 2350. 

Maple 

Maple hardwood flooring is another popular choice among homeowners. It has a very subtle grain pattern, and it's even harder than oak. In fact, maple flooring is one of the main types used in bowling alleys, so you know it can withstand quite a bit. 

Hard maple flooring has a value of 1450 on the Janka Hardness Scale. 

Walnut

There are multiple different species of walnut floors, including English walnut, black walnut, white walnut, and more. Choosing this type of flooring gives you many color and style options to choose from. It's a very versatile option that looks good in any style home. 

American walnut has a distinctive grain that makes it a popular choice. 

Ash

Ash wood flooring is great for those that want a contemporary look. It's a bright and clean-looking type of wood with subtle patterns to add just enough visual interest. 

There are many types of ash wood, between 40 to 70 species, such as blue ash and white ash. 

Bamboo

Bamboo is actually a type of grass, but it's often considered a "wood" due to how hard it is and its appearance. It's made of compressed strands of bamboo, and it's one of the most popular options for eco-friendly homeowners. 

You can find bamboo flooring in yellow tones or darker shades. You can also see the nodes from the bamboo stalks in the grain pattern. 

Bamboo isn't as easy to stain as other types of hardwood, so keep this in mind when weighing your options. 

Pine 

Although pine is relatively soft, it's readily available in Canada and the United States. It's cheap and also fairly sustainable, making it a popular choice. 

Pine has a unique white and yellow tone that's been popular as a hardwood flooring type for decades. 

Keep in mind that pine does dent and scratch easier than other hardwoods. 

Factors to Consider

There are a few factors you must consider when choosing hardwood flooring.

One factor is foot traffic. Is this flooring going in a high-traffic area? If so, you might want to go with one of the more durable options that are more likely to withstand repeated use. 

You should also consider the possibility of spills, accidents, dents, and scratches. For instance, dining room chairs can scrape your floors, meaning you might not want to go with a softer wood in that area unless you plan to use an area rug. 

Lastly, make sure you consider your budget. Hardwood floors that are readily available and more common will cost less than more exotic species. 

Finding the Perfect Flooring for Your Phoenix Home

Choosing the right flooring for your Phoenix home takes a great deal of consideration, but we hope this guide helped. If you need help choosing the best types of hardwood flooring for your home, Eagle Flooring West in Phoenix can help. 

Contact us today with any questions or visit our showroom to view our selection of quality hardwood flooring.