A well maintained wood floor is not only beautiful, but can last for decades without a great deal of maintenance. Here are some tips on choosing wood flooring for the home.

A naturally dark wood like wenge or mahogany will make a room look smaller, while a light wood like pine, larch, or maple will make it look larger. Pine tends to be the least expensive wood for flooring, but after a while it can wear down and splinter.

The buyer might want to know the wood’s durability before they buy it for flooring. A wood that’s considered very durable will last more than 25 years, durable from 15 to 25 years, moderately durable from 10 to 15 years, non-durable from five to 10 years and perishable less than five years.

If the homeowner wants to stain their wood flooring they should try the stain on a scrap of the same wood. They should wait till the stain completely dries before they judge the color. Also, some solvent based coatings are banned in some parts of the country. The homeowner should check to see what the ordinances are in their area.

A wood floor will need at least three coats of good urethane to it them last.

Wood flooring generally should be avoided in the bathroom because of the moisture content.

The homeowner can buy prefinished wood floor from some manufacturers. This wood already comes with an acrylic protective coat, but it can’t be sanded and refinished later on.

Wood flooring with a uniform grain is more expensive, but wood flooring that has knots, burls and other irregularities can be more interesting, as well as cheaper to buy.

Parquet floors can come in checkerboard, herringbone or basket weave patterns.

Have wood flooring delivered a few days before its installation. This will give the wood some time to adapt to the moisture in the area. If wood flooring is laid down too soon, it can warp and shrink.