Among the many flooring options that are available to homeowners today, wood plank flooring, especially oak flooring, continues to be a preferred option because of the warmth that it gives to any setting. Individuals who are in the market for wood floors have several different flooring choices to pick from if they want to achieve the look of real oak flooring. Not all of these options are actually made of true oak hardwood flooring, some are engineered oak flooring. Yet solid oak flooring remains an excellent pick for those who want to lay oak floors in their home, and it is not very difficult to understand why.
Firstly, flooring made from solid oak wood is often chosen over its laminate oak counterpart because of its authentic beauty. Of course, oak laminate flooring does mimic the appearance of real solid oak floors quite well; nevertheless, there is a difference between the real thing and materials that have been manufactured to look like real wood. The naked eye may not be able to distinguish oak laminate from a real oak floor, but homeowners will always know whether or not they have installed the real thing.
Second, oak floors constructed out of real wood have an advantage over both laminate and engineered wood flooring when it comes to durability. They will cost more than those other options, but the extra cost pays off in the long run in that homeowners will not have to pay to replace a solid oak floor after only a few years. Laminate flooring is made of several different materials, including paper, wood chips, and more. It may get ruined if water gets under the floorboards or if liquids are spilled upon it and are not cleaned up right away. It cannot be sanded at all. Engineered oak flooring, because it is made of layers of real wood, holds up better than its laminate counterpart. Usually only the external layer is the desired wood (oak, in this case); it can only be sanded and refinished a couple of times before it needs to be replaced. Solid wood flooring, whether it is oak, pine, or any other type, can be sanded and refinished again and again, and can last for several generations before it needs to be replaced. Moreover, water damage is not the same risk for solid wood floors as it is for laminates.
Oak Flooring
There are many choices with your oak floor. There is white oak flooring, oak parquet flooring, French oak flooring, solid oak flooring, prefinished oak flooring, hand scraped oak flooring, engineered oak flooring, laminate oak flooring, and red oak flooring. As you can see this is quite the list there are many more options than just these! Each one of these options has their own color, their own benefits and drawbacks, and their own cost. Obviously, many of these are going to overlap in some qualities but you can mix and match until you find the perfect match for your home.
Finally, solid oak flooring is an excellent choice because of its tendency to retain its color over time. Unlike other hardwood floors such as cherry flooring, oak does not tend to change color as it ages. In fact, it will not really change color at all unless too much direct sunlight hits the flooring. When that happens for extended periods of time, then the oak floors will usually get lighter. Homeowners who do not want that to happen should make sure to limit the amount of direct sunlight that falls on the flooring.
Oak floors are durable, colorful, and desirable. Oftentimes, wood plank flooring can increase the worth of your home. Homeowners who choose to install solid oak flooring will not be disappointed with the results and they will end up with beautiful floors that can last a lifetime.
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