A thorough understanding of how to distinguish hardwoods from softwoods is essential as you make your choices for the next project.
How to know what type of wood floor you have.
Many species such as oak pine and fir are easily recognizable.
Each type of wood requires certain care and repair.
If you want to identify what flooring you have you can check your air vent.
If you ve chosen hardwood flooring as the material for your next home improvement project you still have a few more decisions left to make.
When you look at the plank you will either see a solid plank layers of wood or a thin plastic layer.
The plank sizes and finishes are also identical.
It can also be a pain if you aren t sure what types of old hardwood floors or softwood you are dealing with.
There are different types of hardwood available and an even bigger range of options when it comes to wood species and styles.
You have tons of options to choose from when you re picking out a solid wood floor from the species aka the tree it comes from to the cut pattern even to the way it s finished.
However you can apply the same high quality coatings to engineered wood floors that you can to traditional hardwood making them very resistant to wear and tear.
You often can tell what kind of wood your floor is made from just by looking at it.
You can usually tell different types of wood apart by looking at the wood grain color and the visibility of growth rings.
Try gouging the edge with your fingernail to get a sense of its hardness.
Doing this when you are buying a home is a great way to ensure you know.
If it s possible pick the piece of wood up and get a sense of its weight and compare it to other known wood species.
How to find out what type of wood floor you have.
Solid wood is extremely versatile too.
Pulling the cover off and inspecting that plank allows you to see what kind of wood you have.
If you have a scale you can take measurements of the length width and thickness of the wood and combine them to find the density of the wood.
Wood floors either have a wax finish or a urethane finish.
Hardwood and softwood and the distinctive set of characteristics of each type of wood which will determines the aesthetic and intrinsic strength of the.
Plus solid wood just feels good underfoot you know.
If you found gorgeous planks of hardwood under old flooring during a remodel or renovation this can add value to your home and more.
If the surface feels smooth it is a urethane finish.
This article is a one stop guide to provide some insights into the traditional classification of wood.
Just like with hardwood floors you can choose from a variety of species of wood like oak cherry and hickory.
You will need to know the type of finish so you can use the proper cleaning product and if you even need to touch up or refinish.
First of all make sure that you re looking at a solid piece of wood as opposed to a veneer applied to plywood or mdf or even a stamped piece of fiberboard this is key to wood identification.