Warm, fuzzy carpet can support whole cities of microscopic dust mites that cause allergic reactions in humans. And even the best grades of carpet show signs of fatigue after only a few years. The desire for flooring that is more permanent, easier to keep clean and more conducive to a healthful indoor environment has folks returning to wood floors. But a spin through the wood-flooring section of your local home center or flooring supplier can be extremely confusing. You'll have to navigate through choices in wood species, color, composition and finish, as well as installation methods to come up with a wood-floor decision that will suit your circumstances, your taste and your budget.
Unfinished flooring is still the most popular type of wood flooring.
But unless you plan to install, sand and finish the floors yourself, figure on that price at least doubling when the installer and finisher weigh in. With unfinished floors, the quality of the final finish depends entirely on the installer, the type and grade of finish used, the number of coats applied and the care taken with the application. That adds up to a lot of variables. Polyurethane is the most common finish, and polys are either water based or oil based. Oil-based polys take longer to dry and produce noxious fumes, but they penetrate better into the wood surface.