1. Color. What shade do you want? Hardwood floors can be red-brown, mustard, cherry, chocolate, even white-purple. What goes best with your de)cor? If you have a dark home, consider lightening it up with some white oak or yellow pine. If you want to create a vintage look, consider darker hues. Try to match the floors to your furniture and walls.

2. Hardness. If you have a household with children who love to play indoors, soft pine isn’t the ideal choice for your living room. Certain woods dent more than others. The distressed look is desirable for some people, but for others, it’s not practical. Ask about the hardness of the wood before making a decision. 1. Color. What shade do you want? Hardwood floors can be red-brown, mustard, cherry, chocolate, even white-purple. What goes best with your de)cor? If you have a dark home, consider lightening it up with some white oak or yellow pine. If you want to create a vintage look, consider darker hues. Try to match the floors to your furniture and walls.

3. Finish. There are prefinished and unfinished hardwood floors. Go to a warehouse or showroom and see what option suits you and your home. If you decide on unfinished flooring, you’ll need to apply a sealant and stain. The most popular options are a satin stain and a polyurethane oil stain. The first is a darker yet understated look, while the polyurethane gives the floors a “pop” or shine.

4. Budget. Now that you’ve done some window shopping and comparisons, consider the price tag on some of these floors. If you can’t afford installing 3,000 square feet of Brazilian cherry wood, ask a professional what type of wood most closely mimics it. There are always affordable options. Hardwood flooring is priced per square foot and square foot installed, so make sure to get an exact quote from your supplier or flooring store before you commit.

For more information about the hardwood floor at our showroom, contact a representative at Dover Rug & Home.