Room Choices for Hardwood Flooring

Over the years, as people have replaced carpet, they often notice that the hardwood flooring underneath is extremely gorgeous and eloquent. Hardwood flooring works great in virtually any room. It can create a sense of peace and serenity in the living room, a formal environment in a dining room, and provide a durable flooring option in high traffic areas, such as a porch or hallway. Different varieties of wood will also work better in certain rooms. Let's take a look at some of the room choices you can make when installing hardwood flooring. 

Living Room 

In most homes, the living room is the biggest room. You will most likely want to go with wider planks and very little variation in color or grain pattern. White oak and maple tend to work particularly well in the living room. Oak is a popular option because it can make the room seem even bigger. Many flooring installers will likely say that the majority of the floors they install are oak. Here are some of the benefits of going with oak in your living room:

• It's well-priced and its light hue means that it can be stained to match furniture upgrades in the future.
• The grain pattern will mask scratches, dents, and scuffs that come along with a busy area of the home like the living room. 
• If you have kids or frequent guests, oak flooring will withstand the high levels of traffic that you are likely to have. 

Dining Room

By and far, the most popular room for wood flooring is the dining room. Not only does wood flooring set the dining room apart from the rest of your house, but it gives this space of your home a timeless style, an attractive look, but it's also very convenient to clean and maintain as meals are served throughout the day. There are four types of wood that are extremely popular for the dining room:

Oak: Available in both red and white, this is a durable species of wood. The grain is also good for masking surface wear and tear before you do your next refinishing. 

Cherry: This type of wood has dark hues and a smooth grain. It is a softer wood, but it is appropriate for a more elegant dining room setting. 

Hickory: Many homeowners want a classic, rustic look in their dining room. Hickory is a great wood for accomplishing this design aesthetic. 

• Maple: Maple is a popular type of wood for dining rooms because it has dark streaks and specks that make the grain look more interesting. 

Hallways and Entryways

Hallways are high traffic areas of your home. You need something that is hard, resilient, and relatively easy to maintain. For your hallways, hickory, oak, and maple will give you a warm and inviting sensation. These types of hardwood flooring are also affordable, letting you save budget for other rooms of your home.

Bedrooms 

Any type of hardwood flooring will work great in a bedroom. Wood adds a sense of luxury and elegance, helps reinforce the fact that it is your own private space, and can bring a sense of calmness and serenity. Many people choose hardwoods like maple, cherry, mahogany, oak or walnut for their bedframe and accompanying furniture. If you are going with darker wood for the furniture, such as cherry, oak flooring might be a good choice to offset the darker furniture, since it has lighter grains. Some people might even choose 

Kitchen

In your kitchen, you will likely have to deal with a lot of humidity and moisture as your main concerns. Wood can do a pretty good job of standing some spills and temperature, but the humidity can be a problem. Bamboo flooring is a great option for the kitchen. 

Bamboo flooring is extremely strong, it's natural, and it's woven. This makes it twice as strong as other traditional wood flooring, such as oak. Many commercial properties use bamboo flooring for these reasons. It also can withstand moisture and humidity quite well. 

Some Tips to Furnish Your Rooms With Beautiful Hardwood Flooring 

Wood flooring is often an impulse upgrade to a home. You may have already chosen the wood for the room, but are starting to think about furniture and other design considerations. Here are some tips that will help you complete your newly furnished wood floors:

• Go with a complimentary color scheme in the room. Lighter colors for furnishings will always accompany darker woods, like cherry, nicely. Many people will also choose furniture that has wood styling, such as arms on a couch or a recliner. 
• In open space homes, try to continue the wood flooring through as much of the space as possible. If you have a dining room that opens up into a living room, you should try to use the same wood flooring in both rooms. If you must go to carpet, you should try smoothing out a transition with an area rug.
• While wood looks beautiful, it can become uncomfortable to walk on throughout the day. Try to use mats and rugs to soften the impact in higher traffic areas.
• Match the design aesthetic of the floor to other elements of the room. If you are laying wood flooring in your kitchen, you are likely using bamboo. Contemporary cabinets will match this type of flooring nicely.
• Wood flooring can often be overwhelming if it's the single focus of the room's design. For example, metallic light fixtures and curtain rods combined with glass lamps will help make a bedroom with wood flooring feel a little bit more cozy. 

Trust Carpet & Tile Mart For All Your Flooring Needs

If you are considering new flooring for your home, check in with Carpet & Tile Mart if you have any questions. We are the top carpet and tile outlet in the area, but we also are experts in wood flooring. We can answer any questions that you might have and can direct you to the appropriate flooring option for your home and budget.