Which Factors Determine the Price of Hardwood Flooring?
When it comes to selecting flooring, hardwood is often the first option for Canadian homeowners. Although it is expensive, this flooring is known for its versatility and durability. Plus it looks great and increases the resale value of your home.
In this post, we discuss the key factors that determine the prices of hardwood flooring solutions from top brands like Superior, Wickham, and Appalachian.
Let’s get started.
Key Factors That Affect Hardwood Flooring Prices
Here are a few factors that you should consider when choosing Canadian-made hardwood flooring.
Grain and Colour
The first thing to determine when installing hardwood flooring is the colour. For example, for an airy look, choose pale woods like maple or ash. For a darker shade, walnut or mahogany is your best bet.
Wood grain may also affect the cost. Plain-sawn wood planks with wave-like grain are the most cost-effective option. (This kind of lumber is made by making the first cut on a tangent to the log’s circumference. Each extra cut is then made parallel to the one before.) Rift-sawn wood planks with the grain running in lines across the plank are a more expensive option. (This lumber is narrow, with a straight grain pattern on the board’s face.)
Grade
Hardwood flooring is graded on the basis of its physical characteristics. A graded solid hardwood floor looks uniform and is devoid of imperfections such as knots. Hardwood floors with a more natural look and feel are graded as select. These hardwood types have knots, colour variations, and mineral streaks. All these factors affect the price of hardwood flooring.
Thickness
The standard thickness for hardwood flooring is ¾-inch. Some wood floors are as thin as 5/16 of an inch, but this will affect refinishing. Solid ¾-inch wood planks may be sanded as well as refinished nearly ten times. Thinner wood boards cannot be sanded and will also not withstand repeated refinishing.
Real or Engineered Hardwood
As the term suggests, an engineered hardwood floor can imitate the appearance of real wood and costs less because it uses less real wood. Obviously, the cost of hardwood flooring increases if you choose more exotic wood. The installation cost also differs a lot.
You may discover differences between the prices of engineered wood floors. This is because the price is also dependent on the thickness of the veneer as well as the construction of the core. In fact, the thicker its veneer, the higher the price. A thicker veneer also signifies that you may refinish the floor often and thus the flooring lasts longer.
Installation and Labour
The harder the wood flooring, the longer it may take to install. For instance, exotic hardwoods such as Brazilian walnut and teak take longer to mount. Intricate as well as angled patterns like herringbone require more cuts which may lead to more waste of flooring materials which increases your overall cost. Hardwood flooring installation in rooms with intricate or big counters requires more time and will also increase your flooring costs in Oakville or elsewhere.
Finish and Coating
In order to increase the durability of hardwood flooring, you may add a protective seal coating known as the finish. The type applied or cured in the factory is more durable than the one applied after installation.
A key benefit of prefinished wooden flooring is that you may walk on it immediately after mounting without waiting for the finish to dry.
Hardwood flooring adds a touch of sophistication and style to your home and is a great investment. However, its high cost deters many homeowners. Hopefully, this post has helped you learn about the key factors that can determine the prices of hardwood flooring brands like Wickham, Appalachian, and Superior.
