You’ll never regret getting hardwood floors, but there are a lot of choices and consideration to get the right floor for your home. More importantly, you need to stay within your budget. Hardwood floors aren’t cheap, but the strength, beauty, and longevity make them well worth the cost. There are ways to keep down the cost of hardwood floors.
Reducing the cost of hardwood floors
The first decisions you have to make when shopping for hardwood floors are choosing a species, grain, and grade. Every choice you make will affect the cost of your floors, but they also affect the appearance. Getting hardwood floors that fit in your budget is about balancing the cost with the appearance. You can simply choose the least expensive species, grain, and grade of wood but if you don’t like the appearance, then it’s not worth the reduced cost. Hardwood floors last a lifetime, so you want to love the way they look as well as feel good about your investment.
Species
The species of wood will affect cost and appearance. With so many species available you can choose a wood species that have all the physical characteristics that you love — however, the more exotic your taste, the more expensive the wood. If the colors, textures, and tones of the wood appeal to you, but is out of your price range, then think about choosing a less expensive wood that is easy to stain the color you want. Wood that is lighter in color, like Oak, can easily be stained to meet the physical characteristics you love, without going over budget.
Grain
The grain pattern of the wood will make an impact on the physical appearance of your floors. Some woods have a more prominent grain pattern, that can be beautiful, but that is up to you and your personal style. The least expensive grain pattern comes from plain-sawn wood, where the grain runs across the board. This grain pattern can be quite busy when the floor is installed. A more common choice, but a bit more expensive is the quarter-sawn wood, where the grain runs along the long length of each board for a more pleasing grain pattern.
Staining the wood
There are ways to reduce the visibility of the grain pattern with stains. You can choose a plain-sawn wood, and then tone down the dramatic grain pattern with a stain that is closer to the color fo the grain.
Wood grade
All wood is graded based on the appearance. Wood that is free of knots, wormholes, and color variations is given a “clear” grade, the highest grade. However, many people are starting to love the rustic and natural appeal of wood making the lower grades more popular than ever. A “select” grade allows the wood to appear in its most natural state, whereas the No. 1 and No. 2 common grades will have even more color variations, along with knots, mineral streaks, and wormholes. Find the right grade that satisfies your style and budget.
Talk to a hardwood flooring craftsman about the best type of flooring for your style and budget.