How to Find the Best Solid Hardwood Flooring for Your Toronto Home

How to Find the Best Solid Hardwood Flooring for Your Toronto Home

Are you thinking about putting in new flooring at home? Or maybe you want to swap out an outdated floor. If solid hardwood is your flooring material of choice, keep reading.

Confusion over flooring terminology can make shopping a challenging experience. What should you look for? Should you buy wide plank hardwood flooring? If you are a first-time flooring buyer, this guide from AA Floors to shopping for solid hardwood flooring is for you.

Let’s help you find the hardwood floor of your dreams.

Best Shopping Tips for Solid Hardwood Flooring

Before visiting hardwood flooring retailers, a wise first step is understanding how to find the right hardwood floor.

1. Understand the Type of Hardwood

There are several types of solid hardwood flooring products, and choosing the right one for your floors is very important. Classic wood or domestic hardwood species, such as oak, white ash, black cherry, and heart pine, are popular options. They come in various colours and finishes, so there is something for everyone.

Domestic hardwood is more readily available and, therefore, more affordable. That said, if you have the money, investing in exotic solid hardwood flooring is a great way to improve the value of your property. These species include Australian cypress or Brazilian redwood, koa, and acacia varieties.

2. Consider the Area of Installation

Consider the installation area before visiting hardwood retailers like AA Floors. By doing so, you can focus your selection of hardwood based on how you intend to use it.

A hardwood such as oak or hickory is a suitable choice for high-traffic areas like entryways, foyers, living rooms, and dining areas. For rooms with less foot traffic, such as bedrooms and home offices, softer woods like black cherry or walnut are a good idea.

We recommend not installing solid hardwood flooring in high-moisture areas of your home to avoid damage.

3. Consider The Subfloor

First-time shoppers don’t always consider their subfloor. They are more focused on choosing a hardwood. However, the subfloor is an important criterion for installation.

If you have a plywood subfloor, nail or glue-down methods are the best installation methods. A click-together floating floor is your best choice if it is a concrete or tile subfloor. Most hardwood flooring does not support radiant heating so the next best choice would be top-rated engineered hardwood flooring. This still gives you the look and feel of hardwood with better stability against changing temperatures and humidity levels.

Also, make sure the subfloor you have is smooth, solid, and flat, or else the installation will have issues.

4. Understand the Cost

Installing good Canadian hardwood flooring is a costly undertaking, so you must understand the costs.

Remember: paying for hardwood and installation is only part of your expenses; mouldings, staples, nails, glue, and door thresholds must also be considered. The grade, species, and plank thickness of the hardwood you choose will all affect your price. Additionally, installing hardwood flooring may require obtaining a building permit, which can incur additional costs.

It is strongly advised that you seek the assistance of a specialist at our store to get you started if you are unsure how to proceed.

5. Recognize Hardwood Cuts

Terms used in the flooring industry can be confusing but don’t have to be. Understanding them will help you know your costs and what you can expect stylistically from each type of cut.

Flatsawn boards and quartersawn boards are the two main types of cuts for hardwood flooring.

Because they are cut so that the growth rings are parallel to the face, flatsawn boards have a distinctive pattern. The easiest way to spot them is that the wood plank will have a flame-like grain pattern.

The growth rings on quartersawn boards are cut perpendicular to the face, giving them a straight grain pattern. They are typically more expensive as a result.

6. Select Hardwood Grading

Select, natural, and rustic are the three most common hardwood flooring grades. It is crucial to understand the grade you select as it will impact both the overall appearance of your floor and its price.

• Select-grade materials are virtually defect-free, giving the most unified and seamless appearance. The most expensive wood is select-grade Canadian hardwood.
• Natural grade hardwood is less expensive than select grade hardwood and has fewer knots and flaws, giving it a smooth appearance.
• Rustic grade hardwood has more knot colour variations and gives your floor a lot of character. It is also the most cost-effective grade.

 

We hope you feel better equipped to shop for solid hardwood flooring now. Doing so should be done carefully, so do not hesitate to consult experts at AA Floors. Hiring professionals to install your hardwood flooring is the best idea, saving you both time and money. Need advice? Get in touch with us.