Installing a hardwood floor is a great way to enhance a room
and increase the value of your home. Wood flooring is also
one of the easiest types of floors to install, and you can
install it with tools you’re familiar with: drills, saws,
and hammers.
Many different species of wood are fabricated into wood
flooring in two primary forms: plank and parquet. Hardwoods
are typically much more durable than softwoods.
Solid wood products, on average, have a substantially, or
slightly, thicker ‘sandable surface’, and can be installed
using nails. Lastly, solid wood tends to be less expensive
than engineered wood, but this, as with the thickness of the
‘sandable surface,’ depends on the quality of the engineered
wood (most inexpensive engineered wood products are ‘veneer’
wood floors, and not ‘engineered’).
It is difficult to compare in generalities solid wood floor
to engineered wood floors, as there is a wide range of
engineered wood floor qualities. Engineered floors typically
are pre-finished more often than solid wood floors, and
usually are supplied with beveled edges, affecting the
appearance.
Engineered wood flooring has several benefits over solid
wood, beyond dimensional stability and universal use.
Patented installation systems (such as "unilin" or
"fiboloc") allow for faster installation and easy
replacement of boards. Engineered wood also allows a
‘floating’ installation (where the planks are not fastened
to the floor below or to each other), further increasing
ease of repair and reducing installation time.
Cork Flooring is a flooring material manufactured from the
by-product of the cork oak tree. Cork floors are considered
to be eco-friendly since the cork oak tree bark is stripped
every nine to ten years and doesn’t damage the tree. Cork
flooring comes in both tiles and planks, and can have glue
or glues-less installation.
Pick the longest, most visible wall to start your
installation. Start by laying down a chalk line 1/2" from
the wall and extent it the full length. This is where your
first row of flooring will go. Remember for maximum
performance strip flooring must be nailed down at opposite
directions to the floor joists.
The Barrie Home inspector uses his knowledge on flooring types and systems to provide you with a comprehensive report detailing your new homes information in a clear and concise manner. Whether buying or selling a home in the Barrie, Alliston or Orillia area, ensure your Peace of Mind by contacting the Barrie Home Inspector.
