Once you decide on hardwood flooring, it's time to do some homework!
When it comes to choosing a hardwood floor, there are many options available. That is why it is better to be prepared and know exactly what you want to achieve before making any decision.
First determine if you want engineered or solid hardwood, the advantages and disadvantages of each material. To help you understand, lets go over few details of each material. Solid is just a solid piece of natural hardwood, with solid hardwood, you have the advantage of sand and refinish it more times than engineered, but it can't be installed on concrete slab. At least we don't recommend it. Also, it is not a good option to install in bathrooms or in any other humid areas as it is more prompt to expand and contract. On the other hand, engineered hardwood includes a solid top layer of hardwood over layers of plywood, depending on the wear layer, you can still sand and refinish it, but not as many times as with solid. Engineered can be installed on top of concrete and is the best solution for bathrooms and kitchens.
SOLID VS ENGINEERED WOOD FLOOR
Image: Vogue Parquet materials.
Once you know if you prefer solid or engineered, is time to discover the species, each species of wood has its own properties and character. You have many options like white oak, red oak, maple, walnut, cherry, and many more. European oak is our most popular species, as is one of the most durable and beautiful wood species.
EUROPEAN OAK, WALNUT AND ASH
Color, finish and effect: The color you choose will set the mood for the room and influence the rest of your home decoration. Pre-finish material not only is more durable than the finish on site but it also allows the consumer to select the color and finish before the installation, you have hundreds of colors to choose from and for finishing you have oil base, water base polyurethane and hard wax base.
if you want add more drama to your floor you can add some effects, like wire brushed, aged and band saw.
Do you like a distinctive structure and a strong wood grain? Then brushed planks may be just the thing for you!The planks are thoroughly worked with a steel brush, which removes the soft tissue and makes the grain appear stronger.
DEEP WIRE BRUSHED EFFECT FROM OUR RESIDENCE RANGE
With aged effect the planks are tumbled together with nails and gravel, which causes superficial scratches and small pits on the surface. This results in a characteristic, weathered floor. Aged planks will give your interior a tad more authenticity.
AGED EFFECT FROM OUR RESIDENCE RANGE
If you are looking for a rather rough and artisanal look, the band saw effect might be exactly what you need. The band saw creates fine lines on the surface of the planks, which results in an artisanal touch.
BRAND SAW FROM OUR RESIDENCE RANGE
Plank size, hardwood floors come in a variety of widths and lengths. The most common width is from 5" to 8", and random length, which means the planks are from 2' to 10' long. On the other hand, we also offer extremely wide and long planks, 12" wide and 13' long like the image below from one of our projects on Fisher Island, Miami.
Grade of wood, this is very important. Each grade has its own characteristics in appearance, the grade is a way to qualify the appearance of the wood, the grading scales is a measure of the natural characteristics of the wood, eg, color variation, marks, presence of knots, open cracks, mineral streaks, sapwood, etc. Lets discuss the top 3 grades.
PRIME: The cleanest grade as it has practically not knots, open holes or color variation.
RUSTIC A/B: Unlimited knots, some color variation and sapwood.
RUSTIC: This grade has the most knots, color variation, can also come with open holes and cracks for a more authentic vintage style.
Looking for fresh creative solutions for your hardwood flooring project? We are ready to assist you with love, efficiency and commitment.
As always we are here for you, please reach out to info@vogueparquet.com or call us at 786-606-9301 for any questions or concerns you may have, feel free to share our blog on your social media.