Floor covering is a term to describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. Materials almost always classified as flooring includes: Vinyl, Wood Flooring, Tile, Stone Floors, High Performance Floors, etc.
Many different species of wood are fabricated into wood flooring in two primary forms: Solid and engineered. Hardwoods are typically much more durable than softwoods.
Laminate is a floor covering that appears similar to hardwood but HDF laminate consists of high density fiberboard topped by one or more layers of decorative paper and a transparent protective layer. Laminate may be more durable than hardwood, but cannot be refinished like hardwood and is subject to water damage as the core expands when subject to floods. Some Laminate floors are now combined with vinyl to create a water resistance for laminate floors.,Laminate flooring is available in many different patterns which can resemble different woods or even ceramic tile. It usually locks or taps together.
Bamboo flooring is a floor manufactured from the bamboo plant and is a type of Grass. Not all bamboo is the same. Bamboo has over 10,000 known species and each one is a little different. Out of this vast number only a few species of bamboo should be used for flooring. Also the harvest can be cut early which is different than a late harvest cutting which is harder. The manufacturing process can also be different as the bamboo is bonded with adhesives, better grade adhesives allow the floor to last a long time. The Janka ratings are not always accurate way of measuring bamboo. As bamboo is made of hollow chambers that can be crushed and still be considered hard. A better grade of bamboo will fill in these hollow chambers with a resin, or crush the bamboo and bond it together, which can be called stranded. Which means it will resist denting better than a cheaper bamboo. How do you know that you are looking at a high end Bamboo? Ask one of our experts, we would love to help you.
Cork Flooring is a flooring material manufactured from the by-product of the cork oak tree. Cork floors are considered to be eco-friendly since the cork oak tree bark is stripped every nine to ten years and doesn’t damage the tree. Cork flooring comes in both tiles and planks, and can have glue or glues-less installation.
Ceramic tile are clay products which are formed into thin tiles and fired. Ceramic tiles are set in beds of mortar or mastic with the joints between tiles grouted. Many different natural stones are cut into a variety of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses for use as flooring. Stone flooring is uses a similar installation method to ceramic tile. Slate and marble are popular types of stone flooring that requires polishing and sealing. Stone aggregates, like Terrazzo, can also used instead of raw cut stone and are available as either preformed tiles or to be constructed in-place using a cement binder. Porcelain stoneware can be used instead of natural stone.