There is a lot to consider when selecting hardwood flooring for your home.  You need to ask yourself: How do you want your room to look? Can the flooring stand up to wear and tear from foot traffic?  What about color matching and quality of woods? What about budget?

Growers and Nomads have compiled a list of hardwood shopping guidelines to help you as you search for the perfect flooring for your home.

1. Color. What shade do you want for your floors? Hardwood floors can be red-brown, mustard, cherry, chocolate, even white-purple if you really want it. What goes best with your décor? If you have a dark home, consider lightening it up with some white oak or yellow pine. If you want to create a vintage look, consider the darker hues. Try to match the floors to your furniture and walls. If you’re not “talented” with color matching, ask a professional or just get the opinion of several friends.

2. Hardness. If you have a household of five children who love to play ball and roughhouse indoors, soft pine isn’t the ideal choice for your living room. Certain woods dent more than others. The distressed look is desirable for some people, but for others, it’s not practical. Ask about the hardness of the wood before making a decision. At FloorFacts is a chart you can use as a guideline.

3. Finish. There are prefinished and unfinished hardwood floors. Go to a warehouse or showroom and see what option suits you and your home. If you decide on unfinished flooring, you’ll need to apply a sealant and/or stain. The most popular options are a satin stain and a polyurethane oil stain. The first is a darker yet understated look, while the polyurethane gives the floors a “pop” or shine.

4. Budget. Now that you’ve done some window shopping and comparisons, consider the price tag on some of these floors. If you can’t afford installing 3,000 square feet of Brazilian cherry wood, ask a professional what type of wood most closely mimics it. There are always more affordable options and compromises to be made. Hardwood flooring is priced per square foot and square foot installed, so make sure to get an exact quote from your supplier or flooring store before you commit.

For more information about the hardwood floor at our showroom, contact a representative at Dover Rug & Home.

Photo: Armstrong Flooring