Hardwood Flooring Buying Guide

Hardwood floors never go out of style and are a great choice for any home. Find out all about this durable, easy-care, and beautiful flooring option. Check out this buying guide to find out about all your options.

Hardwood Flooring Basics

Price

Hardwood is one of the more expensive flooring types.

Installation

Hardwood floor installation is an intermediate DIY project.

Maintenance

Hardwood floors are easy-care and easy to maintain.

Durability

Hardwood flooring offers excellent strength and durability.

Water Resistance

Hardwood floors have low water resistance.

Making the Right Choice: Hardwood Flooring Pros and Cons

Hardwood floor offers many advantages that have contributed to its widespread use, though there are some disadvantages as well.

Hardwood Flooring Pros

Comes in many different wood species
Durability and longevity
Works with all styles
Suitable for the living room, dining room, and bedroom
Increases home value
An environmentally friendly option

Hardwood Flooring Cons

Pricier option
Sensitive to cold temperatures and humidity

Pro Tip

Engineered hardwood is a fantastic alternative to traditional hardwood flooring. It is crafted of layers of plywood and a hardwood surface, making it more affordable. Engineered hardwood flooring is also less sensitive to humidity.

Hardness, Grade, Finish

1Wood hardness
Based on the Janka hardness test, wood hardness is an indicator of the environments that different wood species are suited for. Floors lower on the Janka scale are more prone to scratching, so, for example, a wood species that has a low hardness rating should not be used in a high-traffic area.
2Wood grade
Wood grade provides information on the appearance of a hardwood floor, including its colour, knots, and other visual characteristics. The higher the grade, the higher the cost. However, a high wood grade is not necessarily indicative of its quality.
3Wood finish
Wood species vary in colour and grain, and the type of gloss used is also important to consider. A high-gloss finish is desirable for its ability to reflect light and give the floor an attractive shine. However, it is also more prone to developing small scratches from foot traffic over time..

Pro Tip

Get ready to tackle a DIY hardwood floor installation with the help of this guide. Out of time or don’t have the experience? Trust the team of experts at Reno-Depot for a flooring installation done right.

Suggested products

SEE ALL WOOD AND LAMINATE

Hardwood Flooring Buying Guide

Pro Tip

Pro Tip

Repairing scratches on your hardwood floor

Installing a heated floor cable system

How to install a laminate floor

Suggested products

Flooring

Wood and laminate

Ceramic

Changing store