Ceramic tile offers homeowners a long-lasting beautiful floor and so do hardwood floors. Both types of floors have advantages and disadvantages as far as upkeep and installation. Although ceramic tile and hardwood floors are quite different in construction and installation they are both used in the same areas of the home and both types have become extremely popular among homeowners.

The Hardwood Flooring has the artistic value in them and they have very many benefits than stated above. Hardwood Flooring looks gorgeous than the other alternative flooring. If you are ready to pay an extra couple dollars per square foot, then your best choice should be hard wood flooring.

What is timber flooring?

Technically, timber flooring is wood flooring; it differs from ordinary wood flooring in one important way: a true timber floor is constructed using recycled or reclaimed wood boards.

As more people become interested in making their homes as green as possible, interest in natural flooring options has increased significantly. Fortunately, there are a number of flooring options that will fit just about any décor while still offering durability and beauty. Wood floors are easily one of the most popular of all natural flooring options.

In many cases, this reclaimed wood was originally cut and milled to side a barn, a house, a shed, or other utilitarian structure.

Timber flooring is very often described as planking simply because one of its more distinctive features is the width of the boards used. Many times old barn boards will be 10, 12, or even up to 28 inches (29.4 cm, 30.48 cm, up to 71.12 cm) in width.

How do we choose the Best Wood Flooring?

If you are planning to install wood flooring in your home or business it is important to know how to choose the best wood flooring.

Although it is tempting to pick out the color and plank size that matches your décor and have it installed, to get the best wood flooring requires that you understand certain characteristics about wood floors and how they act under certain conditions.

One of the most important characteristics of wood to be familiar with to choose the best wood flooring is dimensional stability. Dimensional stability refers to how a wood reacts to changes in humidity.

All wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity, but certain wood, such as Santos mahogany, is extremely stable and expands and contracts significantly less than other kinds of wood.

If you choose to use air conditioning and a humidifier to keep a constant level of humidity in your home or business, you can use a less stable wood, such as maple or birch, whereas wood floors that are exposed to the elements or are installed over basement concrete floors, should be stronger, more stable woods such as mahogany, cherry, walnut or ash.

What Are the Different Types of Wooden Flooring?

The beauty of wooden flooring is undeniable. The natural color and grain pattern of wood gives a feeling of warmth and welcome to any room, whether the wood is laid in intricate patterns or long planks.

Choosing wooden flooring can be a challenge, because wood floors are categorized in several different ways.

The most common way to describe wooden flooring is by the species of wood used -- for example, oak flooring or maple flooring.

Almost any species of wood can be used as flooring, although hard woods are the most durable. The hardness of wood is measured by the Janka Scale, which designates Brazilian ebony as the hardest of woods commonly used for flooring and pine as one of the softest.

Oak, ash, and maple are popular for wooden flooring because they are both hard and readily available.

The style in which the wood is laid is another method of describing wooden flooring

The thickness of the floorboards is another way to describe wooden flooring.

Wooden flooring can also be described by the kind of finish applied to the floor. Surface finishes, where the floor is first stained and then sealed with varnish, are the most traditional and least durable. These floors are usually waxed to give additional protection, and they may be re-stained and sealed when worn.

What Are the Advantages of a Wood Floor? Part 1

wood floors have many advantages over other floor coverings. They are warmer and often less expensive than marble or other stone floors. A wood floor is also more elegant and durable than a vinyl or other synthetic floor. Unlike its laminate look-alike, a genuine solid hardwood floor not only looks like wood, but it feels like the real thing as well.

Laminate floors are made from photographs of wood that are laminated or coated in a thick synthetic material. The appearance is of genuine wood grain but whereas wood strips are nailed in place to create a genuine solid hardwood floor, a laminate wood floor is put on in sheets. Older laminate floors tend to pull up when walked on and make a noise that is not like a genuine wood floor.

While laminate floors are cheaper, they aren't considered to add as much value to a home as genuine wood floors. The only advantage laminates have over genuine wood is that they tend to stand up better to pets' nails, as laminate doesn't scratch as easily as real wood. Wood floors can be sealed to help them become less resistant to scratching. Wood floors can also be sanded and refinished by a flooring company and this is a strong advantage over other floors because it gives a solid hardwood floor the ability to last for many decades.

What Are the Advantages of a Wood Floor? Part 2

A wood floor is also a natural product that is environmentally friendly. Wood grown in sustainable forests as well as recycled or reclaimed wood can be used to create hardwood floors. Indoor air quality is greatly improved by wood floor covering as opposed to synthetic wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting is not only made with chemicals, but it tends to trap dust and dirt in its fibers. No washing is a big advantage of having genuine wood flooring. Dry mopping and regular vacuuming work best to maintain a wood floor.

Another advantage of wood floors is that there is a large selection of different types and colors to choose from that will suit each particular room and decor. Cherry is an elegant looking wood for floors and it can be the ideal choice for kitchens with cabinets in the same wood. Maple is strong and has a consistent texture that many people find appealing in wood floors. An oak wood floor is a popular choice when light colored flooring is wanted.

Engineered wood flooring is one of the best alternatives to traditional hardwood flooring. Engineered wood is still real wood, as compared to laminate flooring which is a composite product. Engineered flooring is also generally very easy to install. There are various installation methods available to choose from, including nailing or gluing it down. A floating floor installation method is one that has become popular, since do-it-yourself homeowners can usually install it. This type of flooring features a tongue-and-groove locking system that requires no glue or nails.

What Is the Best Way to Repair Flooring?

Flooring is one of the elements of a home that people tend to ignore until something goes wrong. There are several reasons why it may become necessary to repair flooring

The exact process required to repair flooring will depend on the type of floor involved. For example, repairing a damaged section of a wood floor can be a simple task. By carefully extracting the damaged portion, it is possible to fit a replacement section using the same grade and thickness of wood into the gap. The replacement section can be secured using wood glue and finishing nails if necessary. Once in place, the floor repair requires nothing more than painting or staining the new section to match the surrounding wood floor.

Concrete floors can sometimes be repaired with relatively little effort. Deep nicks or the appearance of cracks are examples of the more common problems with floors of this type. In order to repair flooring made of concrete, fill the nick or crack with cement and allow it to set in place. Once the set is hardened, use buffing equipment to smooth the patch out to the same level as the rest of the flooring.

Ceramic Tile or Hardwood Floor (disadvantages of ceramic tiles)

Ceramic floor tile is made from various clays, is somewhat brittle, and takes a very sturdy sub-floor. The preferred installation is using a compendious mixture over a concrete slab.

Hard and cold underfoot

Ceramic tiles are somewhat delicate during installation

The real key to having a long lasting ceramic tile floor is in the installation (including floor -prep) and regular maintenance. You need a sound sub-floor and the tiles need to be well-adhered to the sub-floor. Although the finish is extremely hard, chair pads and regularly removing any grit and dirt from the floor's surface will help prevent scratching the glazed finish

Ceramic tiles can be cracked and chipped under hard impact. They can have uneven surfaces. The grout between the tiles can be weak and although the tile itself is non- porous, the grout is not. Grout lines can be stained and will get dirty during normal use requiring frequent cleaning.

it is very costly to replace existing tile.

Can be slippery

Can be stained if not properly sealed

Tough to keep grout clean

Can crack, thus requiring replacement

Solid-wood floors last for long even for hundred years or more. Wood floors are more durable than other floors. There are very few flooring materials that is around like wood. Wood has shown itself to be a lovely and durable floor choice for over many Centuries. The other newer materials haven’t proved themselves yet like the Hardwood.

A little sweeping and a little mopping is enough to clean the hard wood floors, and your hardwood floors will keep looking nice for a long time to come. Even families with dogs and kids are realizing that it's easier to mop a hardwood floor than try to spray, scrub, wash. Another bonus is that a scratch here or a gouge there really just adds character to wood floors. It is easy to refinish your hard wood floors with perfection at any time you want.

What Are the Different Types of Bathroom Flooring?

There are many different types of bathroom flooring options available and they have advantages and disadvantages that should be considered. The main concern with flooring used in bathrooms is the moisture that may occur even when plumbing isn't leaking. For instance, occasional water spills may loosen adhesives on some kinds of floors and if a bathtub or toilet overflows, some types of bathroom flooring may have to be replaced. Laminate, wood, carpet, vinyl, ceramic and stone are some of the most common types of flooring materials that people consider installing in their bathrooms.

Stone floors in bathrooms can look naturally elegant, but they are also the most expensive choice. Stone bathroom floors can feel cold on the feet and many types of stone are slippery when damp. Slate is considered a good choice for stone bathroom floors as it has a rougher texture that helps prevent slipping and it's less expensive that most kinds of stone. Ceramic bathroom flooring is excellent for bathrooms if it's unglazed, as the glazed type may get slippery. An advantage of ceramic for bathroom floors is that it can blend well with ceramic tile used in the shower or counter areas.

Wood floors in the bathroom may be a concern for some home buyers. Wood can be used successfully as bathroom flooring, yet spills have to be cleaned up immediately. If a wood floor is going to be used in a bathroom, it should be hardwood rather than softwood because softer wood absorbs moisture more easily. Some popular types of hardwood flooring include walnut, maple, cherry, oak and hickory. Sealing a wood bathroom floor with a polyurethane finish helps protect it from moisture problems, but very humid bathrooms may still warp the wood or build up moisture under the floor that can cause mold.