A Simple Guide to Hardwood Flooring

January 28, 2025

Your home’s flooring sets the foundation for every room’s style and comfort. This guide will help you confidently navigate the world of hardwood flooring, making choices that fit your lifestyle and enhance your home’s beauty for years to come.

Understanding Your Hardwood Flooring Options

Choosing the right type of wood flooring might seem overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Each type of flooring has its strengths; understanding these will help you make the perfect choice for your home.

Let’s explore the main types of wood flooring and what makes each special.

Solid Hardwood Flooring

Solid hardwood is crafted from a single piece. This timeless flooring option offers unmatched durability and can be refinished multiple times.

• Rooms: Living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms
• Lifespan: Lasts generations with proper care
• Finishing: Can be refinished multiple times
• Conditions: Best in climate-controlled rooms
• Best Uses: Adding a polished look to rooms while providing long-term value to your home

Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Combining a real wood top layer with a sturdy, multi-layered core, engineered hardwood delivers the beauty of real wood with enhanced stability in challenging environments.

• Rooms: Any room, including basements. Questionable in excessively wet areas like bathrooms.
• Lifespan: 20-30 years
• Finishing: Can be refinished 1-2 times based on veneer thickness
• Conditions: Handles moisture and temperature changes better than solid wood
• Best Uses: Great for active families and varied climates

Wood Look Flooring

• Rooms: Any room, including bathrooms, mudrooms, and laundry rooms
• Lifespan: Varies depending on the material
• Finishing: Must be replaced
• Conditions: Water-resistant or waterproof based on material
• Best Uses: High-moisture areas and busy households

Best Room Selections for Hardwoods

Every room in your home has unique flooring needs. Temperature changes, moisture levels, and daily use all affect the best flooring choice.

Here’s your room-by-room guide to making smart flooring decisions.

Main Living Spaces

As the heart of your home, living spaces need flooring that balances beauty with durability. They must also be able to handle daily family gatherings and entertainment.

• Best Choices: Solid hardwood or engineered hardwood
• Why: Each provides the appeal of genuine hardwood flooring to create a warm, inviting atmosphere
• Pro Tip: Wider planks make rooms feel larger

Kitchen

Kitchens present unique challenges for flooring, from temperature fluctuations to spills and dropped utensils, making your choice of flooring especially important in this busy space.

• Best Choices: Engineered hardwood or wood-look flooring
• Why: Better handles spills and temperature changes
• Pro Tip: Textured finishes hide minor scratches

Bedrooms

• Best Choices: Any hardwood option
• Why: Wood and wood-look flooring create a cozy atmosphere. Wood-look flooring is less cold underfoot.
• Pro Tip: Use area rugs beside beds

Bathrooms

High moisture levels and frequent water splashes make bathrooms one of the most challenging spaces for flooring, requiring special consideration for water resistance and safety.

• Best Choices: Wood look flooring or faux wood flooring
• Why: Maximum water resistance and easy maintenance
• Pro Tip: Use water-resistant baseboards and caulk seams

Choosing Your Hardwood Color

The color of your hardwood flooring does more than complement your decor—it sets the mood of your entire home and can even affect how spacious your rooms feel. Let’s explore how different wood tones can transform your space.

Light Woods

Like a breath of fresh air, light wood tones create an open, airy feeling that brightens your space and offers remarkable versatility in design.

• Impact: Makes rooms feel bigger and brighter
• Complements: Most paint colors
• Maintenance: Shows less dust and pet hair
• Decor: Modern and casual homes

Medium Woods

• Impact: Makes rooms feel warm and welcoming
• Complements: Any decorating style
• Maintenance: Forgiving of everyday wear
• Decor: Any home style

Dark Woods

• Impact: Makes rooms feel rich and sophisticated
• Complements: Light wall colors
• Maintenance: Shows more dust and scratches
• Decor: Formal spaces

Caring for Your Hardwood Floors

Maintaining beautiful hardwood floors doesn’t have to be complicated. You can keep your floors looking gorgeous for years with the proper routine and knowledge. Here’s your simple blueprint for floor care success.

Daily Living

Simple daily habits keep your hardwood floors looking fresh while preventing dirt and debris from causing long-term damage.

• Sweep or vacuum loose debris
• Wipe spills right away
• Use door mats to catch dirt

Monthly Care

A monthly maintenance routine helps catch potential issues early and ensures your floors receive the regular attention they need to stay beautiful.

• Clean with wood floor cleaner
• Check for any problems
• Move rugs to ensure even sun exposure

Yearly Maintenance

Annual attention to your floors helps maintain their long-term beauty and protects your investment by addressing wear before it becomes problematic.

• Deep clean your floors
• Check for any repairs needed
• Consider professional cleaning

A Simple Cleaning Guide for Wood Flooring

Keeping your hardwood floors clean doesn’t require a science degree. Understanding what to use—and what to avoid—will help you maintain your floors’ beauty with minimal effort.

Safe Products for Hardwood Floors

The right cleaning tools and products protect your floor’s finish while keeping them spotless, helping preserve their beauty for years.

• Soft-bristled brooms
• Microfiber mops
• Manufacturer-approved cleaners
• Slightly damp (not wet) cleaning

Products to Avoid with Hardwoods

Some cleaning methods and products, even with the best intentions, can damage your hardwood floors. Keep these items away from your hardwood to prevent unnecessary wear and damage.

• Steam mops
• Wet mops
• Vinyl floor cleaners
• Harsh chemicals
• Oil-based cleaners

Protecting Your Hardwood Floors

Your hardwood floors are an investment worth protecting. That starts with a solid cleaning regimen.

But daily life brings challenges, from furniture movement to sun exposure, that can impact your floors. With some of these tactics, you can prevent damage and maintain your floor’s beauty.

Furniture Tips

Your furniture and floors can coexist beautifully with simple precautions that prevent scratches, dents, and wear patterns.

• Use felt pads under furniture legs
• Lift (don’t drag) furniture when moving
• Add rugs under rolling chairs

Family Life

Active families and pets add life to your home, but they can also damage wood floors. Here are some tips to help your floors withstand the energy of daily family activities.

• Keep pet nails trimmed
• Clean spills quickly
• Use entrance mats at all doors
• Remove shoes when possible

Sun Protection

Sunlight can fade and damage hardwood floors over time, but adding protective measures can maintain your floors’ rich, original color and finish.

• Use curtains or blinds during peak sun
• Move rugs and furniture occasionally
• Consider UV-protective window films

Hardwood Flooring Shopping Checklist

Preparation is key to a successful flooring purchase. This checklist will help you ask the right questions and gather the necessary information before making a decision.

Before You Buy Wood Flooring

Thoughtful preparation before your purchase helps ensure you get exactly what you need and avoid common pitfalls affecting your flooring satisfaction.

• Measure your rooms (add 10% for cuts)
• Consider your lifestyle needs
• Think about room lighting
• Get samples to view at home
• Check your subfloor condition

Questions to Ask

Correct information upfront saves time, money, and potential headaches later. These key questions help you understand exactly what to expect from purchase through installation.

• What’s the warranty coverage?
• Is professional installation recommended?
• How long should the flooring acclimate?
• What cleaning products should you use?
• What’s included in the installation?

America is Built on Bruce® Hardwood Floors

Bruce® has been a driving force in the hardwood flooring industry since 1884. You can count on it for:

• Ready to install prefinished wood flooring
• Broad selection of styles, colors, and finishes
• Craftsmanship and quality
• Some of the best flooring warranties in the business

Bruce built the book on hardwood flooring. Find your perfect floor at a retailer near you.