It’s Spring time here in Clearwater, Florida and Pinellas Floor Covering is as busy as ever installing flooring around the local area. From solid hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, to engineered wood flooring, we are busier than ever!
For most people deciding on the kind of flooring that they want to install in their home can seem like a daunting task at first. It’s NOT, it’s actually really simple once you begin to learn some of the basics.
Before you begin the selection process you need to first familiarize yourself with the main types of flooring widely available on the market, then you can begin narrowing down the specific designs, colors, and grain patterns that suit your homes specific design style.
3 Main Types of Wood Flooring:
1) Solid wood flooring
2) Engineered wood flooring
3) Laminate flooring
Here in Florida, since the humidity is so high, it is not recommended to install solid hardwood flooring. While the installation of this type of flooring is possible, it is not suggested because of solid hardwood’s tendency to expand and contract under high humid environments.
To get around the high humidity problem and to still be able to use the natural essences of wood for a flooring material, the installation of engineered wood flooring is very typical for the area. Engineered wood flooring has many advantages over solid wood flooring. Engineered wood flooring is constructed with plies of lower grade wood and uses a premium wood veneer as an outer/top layer. This type of flooring material can cost as much as half as much as solid wood flooring and in the long run has a lifespan equal to, if not longer than the installation of solid hardwood flooring.Another even more cost effective flooring option is to install laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is very similar to engineered wood flooring in the way that it uses laminated plies of wood pressed together during the manufacturing process. The main difference between laminate and engineered wood flooring is that laminate flooring does not use real wood for the top/outer layer. Instead laminate flooring uses a simulated wood grain for the top/out layer that is made from highly durable synthetic materials. Laminate flooring is a very cost effective, durable alternative to solid wood flooring or engineered wood flooring. A popular choice amongst price conscious consumers!
Now that you understand some of the basics you can begin narrowing down the type of wood, color and grain patterns that you like. Every flooring manufacturer offers access to their products online. A good place to start is to go through the top 10 laminate flooring manufacturers websites and locate several different types of flooring options that you like.
Top 10 Laminate Flooring Manufacturers
Once you have selected several different styles of flooring that you like you can then begin the process of locating a flooring contractor and flooring store. There are always qualified flooring contractors and flooring stores within every local community. I always suggest looking for one that has many years of experience and service to their local community. Medium sized “Mom and Pop” businesses can typically offer better prices and attention to detail since the owner of the business generally works directly within the business.
For these reasons of flooring company has grown into one of the largest and most reputable flooring stores and flooring contractors within the Tampa Bay and Clearwater area’s. We are not too big to lose our businesses focus, helping people, but we are big enough to offer one of the widest selection of wood flooring samples and the necessary skills and tools to get the job done right the first time!
For more information about wood flooring and installation be sure to read more of our flooring blog articles on our website. If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment please do! We are available to help, even outside of our immediate area. Wood flooring, it’s what we do, our passion. So, leave a comment!
