The Real Thing

By: Tim Snyder (Page 1 of 6)

Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Hardwood Floors

Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Hardwood Floors

Engineered flooring looks like solid wood, but it's made from thin, cross-laminated wood plies that are glued together to form strips or planks. A factory-applied finish like the one on this Maple Harborlight flooring from Bruce Hardwood Floors is very durable, so you can walk on this floor as soon as it's installed.

Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Hardwood Floors

Solid-wood Strip flooring, popular in new construction, can be refinished many times. This solid-maple Kennedale Prestige Plank from Bruce Hardwood Floors contrasts nicely with the dark-stained wood furniture and painted walls.

Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Hardwood Floors

Parquet Flooring comes in square pieces instead of in strips or planks. This Harris Square oak parquet floor from Harris-Tarkett was installed in a conventional basketweave pattern.

Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Hardwood Floors

Exotic and antique wood floors from smaller companies are other options to consider. Most of these suppliers specialize in certain types of flooring—wide planks or floor boards made from salvaged timber, for example. Seen here are Santos mahogany flooring from Indusparquet and antique-pine wide planks from Goodwin Heart Pine Company.

Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Hardwood Floors

A decorative border like this one from Historic Floors of Oshkosh adds visual appeal and can also help to delineate space, as in this dining room. For ease of installation, the border should have the same thickness and edge detail as the flooring that joins it.

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What You'll Learn:

The wood look is definitely in. Just consider all those other flooring materials trying to imitate it. While many do a good job, the real McCoy has a distinctive tone, grain and texture that can't be duplicated by other materials. But even real wood flooring now comes in veneer as well as solid forms. The wide range of products and much improved finishes mean wood floors can go just about anywhere in your house, including over a concrete slab. We'll show you what's available, tell you which products can go where and answer the most common questions about buying and installing a wood floor.