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Oak Wooden Flooring

InfoGerbil | Jan 25, 2010 |

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If you've been looking at wooden floors, then you know that there are lots of different options to choose from. Oak wooden flooring is one of the most popular options out there. Before you go spending your money on an oak wooden floor, though, let's take a look at the alternatives and see how oak wooden flooring stacks up. We'll consider the most important buying points, and see if oak wooden flooring is really the best choice.

Comparing Oak Wooden Flooring And Oak Laminate Flooring

One of your first priorities, when researching wooden floors, should be to do a direct comparison between solid wood floor and both an engineered and a laminate alternative. After all, the untrained eye can barely tell the difference between the three. I would definitely suggest concentrating on laminate if cheap wooden flooring is the top priority. It's easier and cheaper to maintain and to purchase in the first place. Do be aware, however, that laminate cannot be sanded like solid wooden floors can.

Oak Wooden Flooring Versus Oak Engineered Wooden Flooring

Engineered wooden flooring should also be on your list of things to look at. The price differences between engineered and laminate are usually minimal, and engineered floors can actually be sanded if needed, but only once or twice. Engineered uses more real wood than laminate, and is usually tougher. With an engineered floor, the top layer is actually a thin layer of wood, while with laminate, it's a picture of wood. There are two schools of thinking on the differences. Some feel that, the less trees cut down, the better for the environment. Those who favor solid and engineered wood feel cutting the trees down is better for our planet than plastics and resins as trees are a very renewable resource.

What It Should Look Like

Oak wooden floors are often sought after because of their looks. However, with modern staining techniques, it might be best to look at pictures before labeling what you think looks best. With oak wooden flooring alone, there are light colors, dark colors, cherry colors, and even white oak, just to name a few. A natural oak wooden floor will be a light tan color with darker streaks running through it. Real solid wood floors are expected to have some flaws in them, such as worm holes.

Strength

A lot of people who are unfamiliar with wood floors default to oak because they foresee a lot of traffic in their home. This comes from the oak being one of the strongest trees in the world, creating some of the most durable lumber. When it comes to solid wooden floors, you can use this to gauge how durable a floor will be to some extent. With engineered wooden flooring as well as laminate, however, the toughness of the final product will be more dependent on the makeup of the floor, and not so much the top layer.