Carpet colors and vinyl patterns may come and go, but one flooring material that never falls from grace is wood. Tough, natural, and warm—wood is perhaps the most practical of all flooring materials. While it is exciting to have so many options for wood flooring today, it is also easy to become overwhelmed by your options regarding your new floor’s construction, installation, wood species, finish, and style. Here are some things to consider:

Wood Flooring Construction

Wood flooring comes in solid and engineered construction. Solid-wood flooring features strips or wide planks composed entirely of one wood species. Traditional parquet flooring tiles, made up of individual wood slats that form geometric patterns, are another solid-wood option.

Engineered-wood flooring strips or planks have a wood veneer surface covering several layers of plywood, MDF (medium-density fiberboard), hardboard, or particleboard. While solid-wood flooring has the benefit of being able to be sanded down and refinished several times, engineered-wood flooring is less susceptible to the effects of moisture and temperature changes and offers more—and sometimes easier—installation options. For more information, see Solid-Wood Flooring and Engineered-Wood Flooring.

The type of subfloor you have will, in part, dictate your choices regarding solid-wood and engineered-wood products. A plywood subfloor will allow you to choose any installation method—nail-down, staple-down, glue-down, or floating—and, hence, either engineered- or solid-wood flooring products. A concrete subfloor will usually require an engineered-wood product applied via a glue-down or floating installation method. The Wood Flooring Manufacturer’s Association (NOFMA) did recently approve guidelines for the installation of certain types of solid-wood flooring over concrete using the glue-down method, although the organization cautions that only a knowledgeable installer should attempt this.

Wood Species and Grade

When selecting a wood species for your floor, know that there are differences not only in appearance—such as in hue and grain—but also in properties such as dimensional stability and hardness. You should also be aware of how the wood will respond to tasks such as sanding, nailing, and finishing—some species have better “workability” than others. You can read more about the characteristics of various wood species available for flooring installation at Selecting a Wood Species.

In addition, be sure to pay attention to the grade of the wood product that you choose. The grade refers to the amount of manufactured and naturally occurring marks, characteristics, and variations allowed to appear in the wood flooring product. NOFMA has established a ratings scale to assist consumers. A product with a NOFMA “clear” rating will have a uniform appearance, while lesser grades will show more imperfections. Do note that a higher grade does not always mean that a product will be better suited for your particular application, as you may, for example, desire a wood floor with more variation to achieve a certain design aesthetic, such as a rustic look.

Prefinished vs. Unfinished Wood Flooring

Today most wood flooring sold, whether solid or engineered, comes with a polyurethane, aluminum oxide, acrylic-impregnated, or ceramic finish that protects the wood surface from wear and tear. Prefinished wood flooring saves consumers considerable time and effort, as the sanding, staining, and finishing tasks are completed before the product enters one’s home. Unfinished wood flooring is still a viable option, however, particularly for those seeking to recreate a particular historical style or looking to match an existing hardwood floor. Because unfinished wood flooring is sanded down on site during installation and features strips or planks with square edges that butt seamlessly together, it can also have a more even, uniform look than prefinished flooring, which usually features edges beveled at a slight angle to help compensate for potential irregularities between laid-out flooring pieces. To learn more about the types of finishes available for prefinished and unfinished wood flooring, read Wood Flooring Finishes.

Styles and Trends

Once you have thought about some of your new wood floor’s structural aspects, you can explore myriad options regarding styles and trends. While strip flooring, made up of strips up to about 3 ¼ inches wide, can make a room look large and formal, plank flooring, made up of planks more than 3 inches wide, is becoming increasing popular. You can pick a floor showcasing the natural color of your selected wood species or choose a stained look, which can offer a hard-to-find hue or a uniform appearance. Finally, hand-scraped wood floors, which feature a textured, distressed surface, are a lovely, unique option with an Old World feel. Whichever variety of wood flooring you decide upon, be sure to investigate the manufacturer’s warranties guaranteeing the product’s finish and structural qualities.