Types Of Wood Flooring That Are Most Popular Across The World

Wood flooring has been around for a long time now. People around the world have been installing wooden floors for their aesthetics, usability, durability, etc. to upgrade and ease their lifestyles a notch.

The dilemma comes when people fail to decide what kind of wood flooring to adopt. The dilemma is not only about the choice of flooring, but also about the budget, the durability, and the visual appeal that wood floorings have to offer.

So, to make the confusion clear, and to make decisions like these easy for people, this blog will deal with a comparative study between wood floorings to help you make an informed decision.

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Table of Contents

Factors that confuse people while choosing wood floorings

First, let us deal with some of the factors that most people around the world consider, and which eventually cause the age-old confusion- which one to take?

● Budget

This is one of the most prominent factors that work at the back of people’s minds. Different wood flooring types have different price specifications, variable installation charges, and different maintenance costs as well. These should be assessed before deciding to install a particular wood floor.

● Maintenance

Another important factor behind the confusion is the maintenance of wood flooring. Other than the cost which has already been mentioned, ease of maintenance plays a massive role in the choice of wood flooring types.

● Durability

The durability of a wood floor type is another basis where the confusion is being created. Different floor types have variable durability features in different weather and moisture conditions. Thus, this is a major factor that people consider before buying wood floors.

Types of wood floors available

Now let us get into the topic slowly. But, first, we need to know what are the different types of wood flooring are there and are commonly used by people across the world. This will help you to digest the comparison process a lot faster!

Three different types of wood flooring are the most popular and commonly used across the world-

● Solid hardwood
● Engineered or composite hardwood
● Laminated wood

So, it is finally time to know about the three most popular hardwood flooring and make a comparative study.

Solid hardwood flooring

One of the most common types of flooring preferred by a majority of people, across the world is solid hardwood flooring. Why is that so?

Let’s see the reasons-

● Hardwood floors have excellent aesthetic appeal. These kinds of wood flooring can never go wrong with any kind of setting. Moreover, such floorings enhance the visual appearance of a place on a significant scale.

● Solid hardwood floors are known for their durability and longevity as well. That is the reason why a majority of people choose hardwood floors as they can resist high traffic and can last for years if maintained properly.

● One more thing about solid hardwood flooring is that it provides excellent acoustics. Therefore, it is extensively used for soundproofing and studio purposes.

Note: There are a variety of hardwood species available. Amongst them, Oak is one of the most popular hardwood flooring species chosen by people across the world.

Engineered or composite hardwood

This is a kind of flooring that resembles that of solid hardwoods from the surface. But unlike solid hardwoods, it is manufactured differently. Many layers of composite wood are attached with an adhesive to produce engineered wood floors.

People mainly choose engineered hardwood for the following reasons-

● Due to the presence of multiple layers, engineered hardwood floors have a greater core strength than that of solid hardwood. This makes them super durable and suitable for high-traffic areas.

● Engineered hardwood is also known to have great resistance against moisture and water. Therefore, it is very popular among people living in moisture-prone areas and also in areas where water spills are common like kitchens and bathrooms.

● It is also a long-lasting material (although not like solid hardwood) and can last for decades if maintained properly. Furthermore, such wood floorings are DIY-friendly and therefore save on extra installation costs.

A quick note: One of the main reasons behind engineered wood flooring being one of the most popular wood floors is because of its water and moisture-resistant features.

Laminated wood

This particular floor type is also regarded as an artificial floor covering. It is made of a particle wood base, over which sits a photographic image of a wooden floor. The outermost surface is covered with Teflon to make its resistance to wear and tear much better.

Such types of floors are popular because of the following reasons-

● It is one of the cheapest variants of wood flooring available on the market. Therefore, people can adapt to such wood floorings even if they are running on a low budget.

● The outer wear-resistant layer serves a good purpose of moisture resistance. The layer also helps the floor to be resistant to light wear and tears and therefore can be used in households.

● Another specific reason why laminated wood flooring is very important is that these kinds of floors are very much easy to clean and maintain. You just need to dust off and wipe the floor with a moist mop.

So, here are some of the comparative points of the three most popular kinds of wood flooring. For people who are yet to decide which wood flooring to install, this blog will help them to decide and make an informed decision.