Most people are concerned with normal wear and tear when choosing a wood floor. However, you should also consider the aesthetics in relation to your lifestyle. Enumerated below are the various varieties of hardwood floor alternatives, together with their unique qualities, advantages, and drawbacks.

Oak

Oak is one of the most common wood flooring products, offering a nice mix of affordability, color variety, and durability. It is suitable for high-traffic areas and is available in red and white oak varieties because of how effectively the wood grain covers scratches. Save for ultra-modern, oak provides a very classic look that suits a wide range of design aesthetics. Although its grain design conceals scratches, it eventually turns yellow when exposed to sunlight.

Cherry

Cherry wood is a popular flooring material due to its stunning beauty, but is also more expensive. Its color is a light reddish-brown and has noticeable grains that swirl. It may, however, darken in the initial few months following installation due to its extreme photosensitivity. Besides being the softest natural wood flooring material, it is susceptible to warping, discoloration, scuffs, and dents.

Mahogany

Mahogany is the most exquisite type of hardwood flooring. Its rich color and detailed texture complement more formal and classic settings. Although the material is more expensive, it is extremely strong and water-resistant.

American walnut

Swirled grain gives American walnut, a velvety, dark wood, a unique appearance. It is an eye-catching design element, but this wood floor should not be utilized in high-traffic home areas because it is prone to scuffs and dents.

Bamboo

Bamboo flooring is not a natural wood product since it is made of compressed bamboo strands. Its wood-like look makes it regarded as wood flooring nonetheless. In addition, it costs less per square foot and is two to three times harder than most natural timbers. Bamboo is a widely available and environmentally beneficial plant that grows quickly. While bamboo is readily available at home improvement stores prefinished and in various color options, it is more difficult to stain than natural wood.

Maple

While it can have a similar appearance, maple is marginally more resilient than oak. Often found in its natural hue, the tight grain pattern makes it challenging to stain darker colors. One of the main arguments favoring oak over maple is its color diversity. Compared to oak, wood is less likely to turn yellow from sun exposure, although staining any other color but the original light tint is challenging.

Parquet flooring

The history of parquet flooring begins with the French parquet courts of the 1600s. It is a method of installing wood plank flooring rather than a specific kind of wood. Creating a geometric, angular mosaic out of tiny panels of one wood is known as parquet flooring. There are three types of parquet floor patterns: herringbone, chevron, and square. Parquet flooring adds value to your property and highlights the natural beauty of the grain pattern. However, it demands regular cleaning.

The takeaway

Consider factors such as traffic volume in your house, desired aesthetics, space of installation for the flooring, and financial constraints to choose the ideal wood floor for your needs.