Hi Vla1,
I'm going to post this as a comment, since your question "which is the
best brand" is subjective. However, I think I can provide some useful
advice, since my husband have lived with hardwood floors for many
years in two houses. We've refinished and cared for traditional plank
floors and installed our own engineered flooring. Here's the benefit
of my experience and research.
First, I think you need to consider several things before deciding on
a brand.
1. Do you want traditional solid plank flooring that is nailed to the
subfloor and finished onsite? If so, it may not matter what brand you
buy. The durability would depend on how well it's installed and
finished. There are different grades of wood, which affect how your
floor looks (i.e. whether it has knots or other imperfections), but
usually don't affect durability. There are also different types of
finishes, with urethane-type finishes being most durable. Although
some people prefer the look of waxed floors, they will require more
maintenance over time. (BYW: If you're house is on a concrete slab,
you cannot used solid wood flooring, but will have to used an
"engineered" product. See #3)
2. If you want a prefinished floor -- a very popular option nowadays
because the urethane finish is often "impregnanted" in the wood and is
supposed to last longer than site-finished floored -- any reputable
brand should be acceptable. This type of flooring speeds installation
and is much less messy. I would choose by which has the best look and
warranty on its finish. Read more about finishes here:
http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/products/finishes.html
3. Are you planning to install it yourself? If so, you may want to
consider engineered flooring, which is made of a thin layer of
factory-finished hardwood glued to a plywood underlayment. These may
be individual strips or planks of strips that are either glued down
and glued together to form a "floating floor." A reasonably competent
do-it-yourselfer can install these floors, and save alot of money.
Again, compare warranties.
4. Consider aesthetics. Glossier finishes show scratches more.
Darker stained wood shows dust more.
To learn more about buying wood floors, check out the library of
articles at hthttp://www.fastfloors.com/articles/
Does this answer to your question satisfactorily? If so, may I post
it as an answer.
Good luck,
Helpful1 |
