How to Order Wood Flooring Online

Online shopping is at the peak of its popularity considering the latest lockdown, which means ordering your wood flooring online is now a very popular option more and more people opt for too. However, in order to make sure you are making the right choice and you don't end up with a bunch of packages of a floor you don't like delivered at your doorstep, here are some things to consider and research beforehand.

Engineered Wood or Solid Wood Flooring

When choosing to purchase a new wooden floor, the dilemma of choosing between engineered wood flooring and solid wood flooring will most probably be the biggest and most important one you will have to deal with. Each type of flooring has its major advantages and some disadvantages you also need to consider. In fact, despite the fact that both types of flooring look almost similar when installed and are super beautiful and elegant, they differ a lot in the context of their usage. As an example, solid wood flooring is the classic choice.

Solid wood floorboards are cut from one single piece of timber and this type of wood flooring is as natural as it gets. However, since solid wood floors are made out of real wood materials, they are a subject of the risk of issues caused by increased moisture and humidity and temperature fluctuations. All these three are probably the biggest enemies of solid wood floorboards and their natural porous structure that responds to extreme changes in the floor's environment with contracting and expanding floorboards. While this movement is usually absolutely natural and under the floor's control, in some more extreme cases the floorboards may get loose, damaged, broken.

Therefore, when choosing a solid wood floor, make sure you are not considering it for areas such as the bathroom, kitchen, conservatory, or basement. For all these areas and also for the rest of the house you can opt for engineered wood flooring. Engineered wood floorboards consist of a core that is made out of softwood or plywood. Glued together crisscrossed, these layers are topped with a thick layer of hardwood. This specific structure of the engineered wood floorboards makes them significantly less prone to the impact of humidity, moisture, and temperature fluctuations. 

Wood Species

Real wood floors, no matter if solid wood, engineered wood, or parquet, all are available in an abundance of wood species. Different wood species do not just come in different colours, grains, textures, undertones, etc., but they also come with a different density of the wood's porous structure and different hardness. Depending on where you will have the floor installed in your home and how much everyday usage the floor will experience, you should take into account all of the specifics of the wood species and choose a floor made from one that best meets your requirements, needs and fits your lifestyle. Choose harder and denser wood species for floors that are installed in areas of high traffic.

Grade

Grade of wood flooring divides the floorboards into four different categories. The different categories of grade do not determine the quality of the wooden floorboards. In fact, grade describes the amount of sap and natural patterns such as knots and swirls in the floorboards. The categories start with prime, which is considered the grade with less amount of sap and almost no knots and swirls on the surface of the floorboards, then followed by select, natural grades and finally, the rustic grade, which is the most characteristic one with the highest amount of natural pattern. The choice of the right wood flooring grade will be mostly determined by your personal style and the interior design and atmosphere you want to achieve.

Finish

The choice of the right wood floor finish is as important as the choice of the right floor. Wood floor finishes have protective properties and preserve wood's natural colour, texture, and condition but it also adds additional style to the floor. There are different types of wood floor finishes available on the market and each one of them is more suitable for different types of wood floors. Some wood floor finishes are more durable, while others look more natural and enhance the beauty and colour of the wooden floorboards. 

Online or Traditional Store

There are many options for you to purchase wood flooring materials and products. When planning to invest in a new floor, you should consider what would be the better way for you to buy it - either in a traditional store or ordering it from an online supplier. One of the main advantages of buying your floor from a traditional store is that you can actually go and see the floor in person. Samples of the floor will give you a good idea of how it looks and feels in person rather than just a picture.

You will also have the chance to speak to the wood flooring specialists working in the store and get more in-depth and professional advice on what floor will be the best choice for your particular conditions and for your home. However, there is also no doubt that ordering the floor online is considerably more convenient, easy, and fast. You can do that from the comfort of your own home and take as much time as you need to check all your options and consider all opportunities you have until you make the best choice.