Understanding the Classic and Original Solid Hardwood

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Hardwood flooring is a classic look that has transcended centuries of style. It’s natural, eco-friendly, and incredibly durable. It’s no wonder people have been constructing wood flooring for ages.

Before new technologies and innovations of hardwood flooring was developed, choosing hardwood flooring materials were simple and straightforward. Engineered didn’t exist back then, everything was solid hardwood, the only decisions and choices were on species and the way in which the wood was cut to create the planks. Nowadays, there are an abundance of different variations. Now we will look deeper into the details of solid hardwood.

Solid Wood

The traditional and original hardwood flooring option, solid wood is exactly what the name says, it’s a solid piece of wood from the top to the bottom. 

Species is one way to categorize solid wood. Softwood comes from coniferous trees like pine, while hardwood comes from deciduous trees like oak. Species can be domestic, like oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and cherry; or imported, like jatoba, cumaru, ipe, and acacia.

The standard thickness for solid wood is usually three quarters of an inch, there’s 3 different ways the planks are sawn. Flat-sawn is the most common and emphasizes natural variations. Quarter-sawn requires that a log is cut into quarters before strips are created, while rift-sawn is made by cutting the log at an angle aimed at eliminating natural flecking to make the wood look more uniform and neat.

There’s also a difference in prefinished and unfinished wood. Prefinished floors are coated by the manufacturer and is prefinished by the manufacturer, while unfinished means that the material is installed raw and is finished on-site.

The last but not least is the environment and situation you live in and have in your house. Solid wood is generally known to not resist water, and problems can occur if you live in a place with a lot of moisture. It’s better to get solid wood for dry situations to prevent any cupping, warping, etc.

A lot of people like solid wood because it’s seen as more high quality and is actual real wood.


2021 Trend: Stain Hardwood

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2021 Stain Hardwood Color Trend: Which Colors are Most Popular?

Trends always change by the year, it always evolves every year. This also applies to hardwood floors, let’s see which colors are in trend. Stain colors are the biggest trend in 2020, most notably either dark or light. Light stains give a nice welcoming, warm, and refreshing look. While dark stains give an elegant, sophisticated, and formal look. Between the two, dark stains are more popular this year but it all depends on the style of the home.

In recent times, gray and white washes have been a resurgence! Gray is increasing exponentially in popularity, while white washes are coming back on trend recently.

What are the different colors and which is the most popular?

Dark Colors

Dark colors are definitely the most stylish and elegant. Find which tones suit your tastes and home style the best. Ebony is one of the options, it’s dark in color and gives off an elegant yet cozy look. 

Many prefer having less graining and color variation in the wood plank, it’s more contemporary and makes the floor look more in sync and consistent, making it easier to decorate and style it with, though others might prefer something a bit lighter since it’s easier to clean and maintain.

Light Colors

Light colors are more neutral and give a lighthearted and cheery feel. Though traditional in some sense, it also works well with modern themes and style just like dark colors. They usually last longer and look cleaner.

The type of finishes applied to light colors can have a significant effect on the color. Urethane may make it look more matte, while oil finishes makes it look more natural, and aluminum oxide makes it look more shiny.

Gray and White Colors

Gray is the hottest trend right now, it gives off an elegant and formal look just like dark colors though also providing a neutral and also relaxing feel just like light colors, in a sense it’s the best of both worlds.

White may be an old trend, but it’s resurging back and more people are getting white washes, this trend seems to be driven by the gray trend. White and gray are typically more expensive than the other colors.

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