What Is the Best Wood Flooring for Condo? Wood flooring is the most popular choice in many houses. The wood floor can be installed in any room, even though it is more suitable for the living room or family area. There are wood floors that can last forever, but there are also ones that wear out easily when they are improperly selected.
It does not mean you need to spend too much money on wood flooring to enjoy quality wood floors; there are many types of wood floors with various prices where you will find wood floors that fit all your needs and budget.
There are many wood flooring choices out there for condo owners, but wood has its disadvantages that you need to be aware of. It is also important to know that wood can vary in quality and price, so it is best to research wood flooring along with the different types of wood before making a final purchase decision.
Wood flooring for condos will forever be an essential part of condo living. So now, what you need to decide is what type of wood flooring you want to use in your condo. Here’s our list of the 10 best wood floors for condos:
For those who want sustainable wood floors without breaking the bank, bamboo is an amazing choice! Durable enough for high traffic area, wood grain look, low maintenance upkeep, and available in the prefinished or unfinished product.
Solid wood floors are the most popular choice for wood flooring in condos, but be aware that solid wood can vary greatly in price. If you choose prefinished wood, then all you need to do is install and begin enjoying your new wood floors! Unfinished wood will require further work before installation.
Engineered wood floorings are great if condo owners want the beauty of wood without the issues usually associated with them (moisture issues). They come prefinished, so installation is quick and easy!
The downside to engineered wood floors is that the wood strands are not very long, so it is more likely to dent or scratch. They can also vary in quality and price, which is why it is imperative to research wood flooring before installation.
Laminated wood floors are known for being less costly than solid wood floors, but they share many of the same benefits too! Laminates do not require a subfloor for installation; they come prefinished and have a wood look that will fool anyone into thinking they’re real wood!
The downsides of laminates are that moisture is an enemy, and using power equipment on them may cause scratches.
Made by combining PVC with grains makes vinyl wood floorings are an excellent option for wood flooring in condos. They give wood floors a run for their money, but they aren’t wood, so there are trade-offs.
Vinyl wood floors do not expand and contract like wood, so squeaks are few, zero warranties to worry about since vinyl is virtually indestructible! There are different grades of vinyl wood floorings too, which can vary in thickness and cost.
Wood Plastic Composite wood flooring, also known as bamboo wood flooring, is an excellent way to get the look of wood with hardly any upkeep at all. They come prefinished or unfinished, which makes them easy to install without needing to invest further work. Using power equipment on these types of products will usually leave dents or cuts on the wood look surface.
Wood strip flooring is an affordable option for wood flooring in condos. The wood strips used are leftovers from making other wood floors like engineered wood floors, which keeps costs low!
Wood strip wood floorings need to be sanded and finished before installation (finish sanded). They also differ in widths, usually 3/4 or 5/8 of an inch wide.
It is best to use glue with wood strip wood floorings, but they can be floated too. Be aware that these types of wood strip floorings will expand and contract like solid wood (which makes them easy to damage).
Distressed wood floors are wood flooring that has been given a worn look, usually through sanding. This distressed wood floor can bring beauty and character to any room in your condo. They are easy to install because they come prefinished, but the wood is not hard, so it may dent or scratch easier than harder wood products.
Traditional wood floors have been around forever, and for a good reason, they look beautiful! Wood strip floorings can be installed without glue if done with care (nails or staples), which makes them a fairly easy product to install.
These types of wood floorings cannot be floated either, but this is typically an affordable option when compared to solid wood options.
There are also different grades of wood strip wood floorings, which can vary in widths and cost. Be aware that wood will expand and contract with changes in moisture levels, which can cause damage to traditional wood floors.
Parquet wood floors are large wood tiles that were originally used for outdoor walkways or decorative rooms. These types of wood flooring are popular because they are beautiful! They are easy to install, come prefinished, and have a wood-look finish which makes them harder to detect as tiles.
The downside is installation may require the help of professionals because applying glue before installation may be needed for some types of wood strip floorings.
It is also important to consider how tough it will be to get replacement tiles if any break; wood strip wood floorings do not have the same wood-look finish.
There are many wood flooring options for your home available! It is important to consider what your condo association will allow since some products may require glue before installation.
Careful consideration of how moisture changes will affect wood flooring is also important. It’s also more expensive to get real wood installed professionally in a condo, but it lasts much longer than wood alternatives.
Cheap wood floors are easy on the pocketbook, but cheap means low quality, which means a shorter life span. Wood parquet wood flooring is beautiful and cheap, but installation takes longer because of its size!
Be sure to check with your condo association if you plan on changing anything about the current wood flooring in place.