Choosing the right type of hardwood flooring for your home is an important step. You need to factor in your lifestyle, decor, and the area where the wood floor is going. Wood flooring is available in a wide variety of colors, styles and finishes so you need to know exactly what you want for your home before you buy.

There are varying types of wood flooring. You need to decide between factory finished, solid, plank, unfinished, parquet, and engineered - . Here are some of the differences:

Engineered Flooring:

Engineered floors are made up of multiple layers of wood pressed together. The grains run in different directions on each layer, this makes it extremely stable. Engineered wood flooring is perfect for kitchens, basements and powder rooms.

Solid Flooring:

Any plank that from top to bottom is the same piece of wood is considered solid flooring. This is the most common type and works in any area of your home that is above ground level.

Plank Flooring:

Plank is wider than other types of strip flooring. It is linear and can be used to create the illusion of more space in a room.

Parquet Flooring:

This is a series of smaller pieces of wood that are laid to form a geometric pattern in your room.

The type and style of flooring you choose will determine the style of you room. You can usually get samples from your local wood flooring retailer to help you decide what type of wood flooring will look best in your home.

The type of flooring you choose will determine how your room feels once the floor is installed. Educate yourself and look at as many samples as you can get your hands on to be sure you get the perfect wood flooring for you décor and style.