Hardwood flooring brings a wonderful element of style and warmth to any room. However, if you?re interested in installing hardwood flooring in your home, there are a few factors you need to know?like the difference between solid and engineered hardwood. While both options are made of real wood, there are a few significant differences between the two worth noting.

Solid Wood

• Constructed from a single piece of lumber, solid hardwood allows for a uniformed color and grain throughout the entire floor. However, due to its higher quality, solid wood is likely to be slightly more expensive than engineered wood
• Solid wood varies in depth, but typically ranges between 3/4? and 7/16? in thickness
• Due to its tendency to expand and contract with moisture and temperature change, solid wood should never be installed in the basement of a home. This flooring should also always be installed by a professional
• Solid wood flooring can be refinished as many as 10 times throughout its lifetime

Engineered Wood

• Engineered wood is constructed using numerous pieces of lumber and is layered with a solid wood top
• Engineered wood also varies in thickness, but most engineered flooring is 3/4? thick
• Less likely to buckle, gap and react to humidity and temperature fluctuations, engineered hardwood can be installed on any level of your home. This flooring is also much easier to install than solid wood and can sometimes be installed without the help of a professional
• Engineered wood flooring can be refinished only once or twice over its lifetime

When it comes to deciding between solid or engineered flooring, here are a few additional factors to consider:

Hardwood trends
The popularity of wider flooring continues with five-inch wide planks now becoming the preferred width of choice. Longer flooring planks are also becoming a popular trend with most homeowners choosing to install floorboards no shorter than five feet long. Longer floorboards can elongate a room and create a tailored, clean finish.

Homeowners are also choosing to install engineered hardwood. Engineered hardwood is cost-effective and gives homeowners the look of solid hardwood without the price. Plus, engineered hardwood is known to shrink and expand less during dry winter months, which means it will stay perfectly aligned?and crack free?all year around.

Tile trends
Wood-look tile is extremely popular with homeowners who want the look of hardwood but don?t want to spend a fortune. Not only does wood-look tile look great but it?s also a wonderful flooring solution for homeowners with children or pets who are looking for a durable floor.

Much like hardwood flooring, homeowners are also choosing larger format tiles for their homes. 12 by 24inch tile or 24 by 24 inch tiles are the most popular sizes. Large format tile is a great way to expand an existing space and add a timeless accent to any room.

Going green is all the rage. From solar energy to hybrid cars, our world is making a conscious effort to go green and live a sustainable life. Learn to continue the green trend and bring sustainability into your home with these environmentally friendly floors.

Bamboo
Bamboo flooring is considered one of the most eco-friendly flooring options around. With all-natural qualities of durability and structural stability, bamboo flooring offers a unique and sustainable floor at a price you can afford. Because bamboo is considered to be a grass, it is fast-growing and highly renewable, making it an excellent choice for individuals interested in building the ultimate green home.

Cork
Much like bamboo, cork is a rapidly renewing resource. Made from the bark of a cork-oak tree, cork flooring is biodegradable and chemical-free, making it extremely healthy for indoor air quality. Plus, the popularity of cork floors over the last few years has reduced the amount of wasted cork that was already being harvested for other purposes?like wine corks and musical instruments.

Reclaimed wood
Wood reclaimed from old barns, decks and sheds is becoming an increasingly popular green flooring option. Because this wood was used in previous structures, repurposing and reusing it for new flooring is not at all harmful to the environment. Reclaimed wood floors are the result of a great product made of wasted or used materials that would have otherwise added to a landfill.

Recycled metal tile
For a one-of-a-kind sustainable flooring solution, recycled metal tile is the way to go. Another great environmentally conscious choice, recycled metal tile is made from 50 percent recycled aluminum collected from various sources, including beverage cans, automotive parts and household appliances.

With so many different colors, materials and designs available, choosing the right carpeting for your home can be a difficult task. When deciding which type of carpet to install, there are four main factors you need to consider: lifestyle, budget, maintenance and style.

Consider lifestyle
The type of carpeting you choose for your home depends greatly on your lifestyle and how often the room in question will be used. For homeowners without kids or pets, high-end carpeting such as wool is a great long-lasting option. If you are looking for a more family-friendly carpet that can withstand spills and stains, polyester carpeting or carpeting made with Bulk Continuous Filament (BCF) fibers is the way to go.

Consider budget
Don?t blow your budget?good carpeting doesn?t have to cost you a fortune! As with any large purchase, it is important to compare and price-out your options. Ask your sales associate for separate pricing for materials and installation so you can compare costs between flooring brands and determine which brand provides you with the best deal for your needs.

Consider maintenance
Maintenance is a major factor to consider and plays largely into your budget. One of the best ways to ensure you are satisfied with your new carpeting is to pick one that fits your lifestyle AND is easy to maintain. Homeowners with children or pets should avoid costly carpeting that requires lots of upkeep, like hard-to-clean shag carpeting or high-end rugs.

Consider style
While it is important to consider functionality, you ultimately want to choose carpeting that looks great in your home! To narrow down your search, choose shades that match the overall mood and tone you want to set for the room. Once you have chosen a color palette you like, you can then begin to think about what color carpeting would look best in the space. Cool blues and greens are great colors for a calm, peaceful setting, and reds or golden shades can be used to make a large space feel more intimate.

Luxury vinyl flooring has risen in popularity with homeowners over the past few years?and for good reason! Offering great value and unbeatable benefits, luxury vinyl tile is designed to help homeowners build a space that inspires.

Budget friendly
Luxury vinyl tile gives you the look and feel of nature?s best materials at a price you can afford. New printing and photographic technology now allows luxury vinyl flooring to be made to authentically mimic both the look and feel of real wood and stone products. With superior affordability and authentic design capabilities, no flooring is out of reach.

Simple cleaning
Damp mopping is the only recommended cleaning method for luxury vinyl tile. Because it is water resistant, you?ll never have to worry about over-washing or even having to dry your floor after a cleaning.