"After speaking with you personally for the first time, I was 100% convinced that I had finally found the right company to trust and use"...

"Mr. Kanakis, you and your staff have exceeded my expectations by far, throughout my entire ordeal.  I'm so thankful for all of your assistance and expertise that you have so kindly and professionally shared"

Joyce Cohen -
Manhattan, New York

Rich color, Alluring pattern, Enduring elegance.

Few improvements can bring as warm and inviting an atmosphere to your home as oak hardwood floors. Their quality speaks of a craftsmanship usually found in only the most expensive homes. Even buyers looking for a home bargain will pay more for a house with hardwood floors. The investment in oak hardwood flooring can be within reach of most homeowners willing to take care in selection, installation and upkeep.

It's important to get some basic facts when choosing oak hardwood floors for your home.

First, when considering oak hardwood flooring, make sure that what you're getting is the real thing. Because of today's global trade, some foreign imports call themselves "oak" when they're really some other kind of wood. For instance, "Tasmanian oak" is actually from eucalyptus trees in Australia, while "Malaysian oak" comes from tropical rubber trees. Like other foreign wood species, neither is as durable as U.S.-grown oak hardwoods.

Some other things to consider:

Pros:

Durability: Oak hardwood floors last for decades. Many historic homes have hardwood floors more than a century old. Oak hardwood floors resist scuffs and scratches; sometimes minor nicks and dents add to wood's natural beauty.

Maintenance: Sweep or vacuum your oak hardwood floor regularly. Periodically clean it with a wood floor cleaner. That's it.

Value: Realtors know that homes with oak hardwood floors sell faster than carpeted homes. Builders consider hardwood floors an upgrade option.

Health: Homeowners or their families who suffer from asthma or allergies find that oak hardwood floors harbor less dust, pet dander and other allergens.

Sustainability: Oak hardwood flooring, like all American hardwoods, are harvested by renewable methods.  Each year, U.S. hardwood forests grow twice as much wood as the lumber harvested from them, making oak hardwood flooring an environmentally friendly option. In fact, because of careful practices by U.S. lumber companies, American forests today have 90 percent more volume of hardwoods than existed 50 years ago, according to NOFMA, the Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Home Renovation Articles here remodeling
Local in home estimate for your flooring and stairs projects
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Versatility: Oak hardwood floors offer decorating styles from traditional to modern. When you change your home's interior style, your oak hardwood flooring can be sanded or stained to match your new interior.

Cons:

Investment: Oak hardwood flooring costs more than carpet or tile. Installation can require professional help and labor costs will vary.

Refinishing: Floors that get lots of traffic, especially in homes with pets or children, will require refinishing occasionally.  Professional wood floor refinishing can cost between $1.25 and $4 per square foot. Refinishing also produces temporary dust and fumes.

Noise: Footsteps echo on hardwood floors, which can annoy any downstairs neighbors. An area rug will help muffle the sound and often sets off the wood's beauty.

Moisture: Oak hardwood flooring reacts to moisture. Any spills or pet accidents should be cleaned up immediately.

More options

Once you've decided to proceed with oak hardwood floors, there are still options to consider.

Oak hardwood flooring comes in two colors and three basic styles. Red oak, as its name implies, has a reddish color. Red oak is a stiff, dense wood with a coarse grain that resists wear. White oak is usually brown in color, but can have a grayish cast. It too has a coarse grain, but with more swirls and burls than red oak. White oak is harder and more durable than red oak, and thus more expensive.

Both types of oak also can come from heartwood or sapwood. Heartwood comes from the innermost section of the log and is often richer and darker in color. Sapwood lies closest to the tree's bark and is usually lighter wood. In fact, the colors of oak heartwood flooring and oak sapwood flooring can be so different that wood from the same log is marketed under different names.

Whatever its color, oak hardwood flooring comes in three styles: strip, plank and parquet.

Strip flooring: This type of flooring has set widths of 1-1/2 inches, 2 inches and 2-1/4 inches. It varies in thickness, ranging from 5/16 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch.

Plank flooring: This type of flooring, unlike strip flooring, comes in varying widths, but is only in thicknesses of 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch. Its widths range from 3 inches to 8 inches.

Parquet flooring: Parquet floors are composed of individual wood slats put together with adhesive or mechanical fasteners. They are made into geometrical patterns.

Installation

Many homeowners who choose oak hardwood flooring prefer to leave installation to professional contractors. However, the careful homeowner will keep tabs on the installation.

A reputable contractor will make sure that your house is completely closed in, with all outside windows and doors in place, for at least a week before your oak hardwood flooring is delivered. This is to make sure that the temperature and relative humidity of your home have stabilized before moisture-sensitive hardwood flooring is delivered. When it's delivered (preferably in small lots), your oak hardwood flooring should be kept in an interior room for five days before it's installed, again to acclimate the wood. Your contractor should check sample boards from each shipment with a hand-held moisture meter to ensure its quality.

Oak hardwood flooring soaks up moisture through its cut ends, so ends should be treated with transparent sealer before installing. Also, oak hardwood flooring should never be installed on top of damp plywood or concrete. Be sure your contractor leaves a 3/4-inch gap at the wall for the wood's expansion (baseboards will cover up this gap).

If you choose to install your new oak hardwood flooring on your own, your local lumber supply store can provide information on this exciting do-it-yourself project.

Remember: Real oak's botanical name includes the word "Quercus," which means "a fine tree" in Latin, according to the American Hardwood Information Center. Fine oak hardwood flooring can bring fine value and beauty to your home.

Want to get a free estimate for new hardwood flooring and stairs now?
Get estimates from the best New York Hardwood Flooring and Stairway Contractor
Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New York, Staten Island, the Bronx,
Yonkers and Westchester