Maple Wood Floors, or Something Else? Choices, Choices, Choices
Are you doing a remodeling job in your kitchen or rec room? Are you “souping up” a Bay Area condominium to prepare it for eager buyers? Are you redoing your home now that the kids have “left the nest” – and you want to replace those gnarled, natty rugs in their rooms with beautiful, simple, austere hardwood floors?
The Huge Variety of Hardwood Floors
White oak maple wood has a relatively uniform texture. It’s quite hard, but it can bend. And its flexibility generally means less wear and tear.
Red oak maple is probably the most common and popular variety. Red oak is extremely hard and heavy. Its stiffness and bendability are right in the “goldilocks zone,” so many people love the red oak variety.
If you’re flooring a room that doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic, you might want to consider pine wood. It’s softer, yes, which means that it can get dented and scratched and dinged-up easier than the hardwood floors we’ve discussed. But it can also be cheaper, and it is reminiscent of an older, more classical era of American craftsmanship.
Other common wood choices include teak, beach, fir, birch, mahogany, and cherry.
Maple wood comes in a surprisingly diverse rainbow of colors – from near pale/white through deep red and brown.
Look, all these choices are great. At least in theory.
But if you spend too much time considering all the various variables, factors, and permutations, you can literally make yourself nuts. Social psychologist Barry Schwartz talks about this kind of “choosing problem” in his remarkable book, The Paradox of Choice. Schwartz argues that when you must choose among, like, 19 different options, you will feel stressed out. Any option you choose will have “something missing” compared with one of the other 18 options you rejected.
The solution is to find an alternative that will satisfy you. In other words, you set the standards before you search. Then you find a hardwood floor alternative that meets all of your standards. Once you’ve done this, just go ahead and make the decision.
If you need help with any aspect of floor care, refinishing, or installation, connect with the team at Elegant Floors at www.elegant-floors.com, or call us at 650-961-1339.
We provide free inspections and estimates, and you can get coupon specials at our website as well as answers to your frequently asked questions about hardwood flooring and remodeling.