Adding hardwood flooring to any room will greatly increase the overall value of a home. Taking into consideration that floors are intended to last for a very long time, it is important for your floor to match the decorations and overall structure of the room it will be in.

Positioning is Important

Hardwood floors should be laid out to provide the greatest benefit to a room. For long narrow rooms, consider laying the floor from side-by-side rather than lengthwise. This will work to tighten up the area, bringing the area together in a more comfortable manner. 

Rooms that are consistent in length and width can benefit greatly from hardwood laid one in a manner that flows from room to room. This will create a clean appearance that joins all connecting rooms together freely.

Types of Hardwoods Available

Once the layout is determined, it is crucial for you to consider the type and stain. Each type of wood boasts its own sense of style and beauty, which can play off the structural characteristics of a room. 

Oak hardwood, which is one of the most common choices, contains a medium to heavy grain. Red oaks contain a lot of color variation with rosy undertones. On the other hand, white oak has golden browns to light gray undertones with a heavily linear grain.

Maple flooring is often lighter in complexion than any other type of floor and it contains extremely fair and light grains. Hickory hardwood is some of the "busiest" available due to its heavily-varied appearance. A single piece of flooring can have multiple colors ranging from light to golden brown.

Which is best?

Determining what floor type is best for your room is completely a matter of preference. If you are looking for a floor type that stands out among all the furniture and structural elements, then hickory is probably the ideal choice for you. Hickory floors go best in rooms that have a southern country style. Heavy metals, black and white designs, cast or wrought iron, browns, and other woods are great matches for hickory flooring. Due to the diverse color variations in hickory, it can match virtually anything thrown its way.

Oak floors will go with any type of decor or furniture. No matter what style of room you have, oak flooring will fit in perfectly. The knots and grain are often dark, so it can accent other wood furniture fairly well. Red oak floors accent browns, greens, blues and earth tones extremely well. White oak flooring is extremely bright and can play well off furniture and decoration as well. White oak floors often make rooms look larger, which may be a turn off if you already have a fairly large room to begin with. If you have a small room, a lighter oak hardwood can make the area feel larger and grander.

Maple hardwood will provide a much warmer feeling to a space when compared to any other type of wood. The minimal grain found in maple creates more of a unified flooring option. It is a great choice for modern spaces, but can really be successfully incorporated anywhere.

Existing Wood in a Space

Homes often have a large amount of wood in rooms aside from the flooring. Trims, furniture, light fixtures, and picture frames often rely on this beautiful building material. Hardwood can be incorporated to either match it or accent it, either of which makes a drastic difference when compared to one another.

Hardwood that matches trims and existing wood works well to blend a space together. It creates a linear appearance and feels more natural to a space. Hardwood that accents current wood features makes the flooring stand out more, appearing far more grand and dominant in a space. If you go with a lighter floor option, it is best to try to match or blend the room together. Having a lot of dark elements stand out can make a room look busy or unconnected. Dark floors will work extremely well when blended or used to accent the space, so the choice is simply a matter of preference.

Matching hardwoods to existing furniture is not as difficult as you would imagine. On darker floors, dark or bright furniture both play off very well. Darker furniture creates a more formal appearance, while light furniture livens up the space. Light floors are best matched with lighter furniture and bright area rugs or accent pieces.

Whether you go with a rich oak, a busy hickory, or a beautiful light maple, you can never go wrong with design elements. After all, your comfort in the room is what matters most so it is crucial for you to love and enjoy a space rather than try to impress others.