Wooden Flooring: Is It Practical For Indian Homes?
By: Dhrishni Thakuria
Tags: Home, Flooring, Home Decor, Homedesign

Wooden Flooring is the hot trend in Indian market now. It is one of the most practical and luxurious forms of home improvement. However, if you fear that wooden flooring might not be a good choice for your home this article will answer the question for you.

Added bonus: Exclusive maintenance tips from us! :D

Hardwood VS All Other Wooden Flooring

Hardwood VS All Other Types Of Wood

Wooden flooring can be used everywhere, except in wet areas like traditional kitchens and bathrooms. Hardwood flooring is vulnerable to moisture and humidity, and even small amounts of moisture can deteriorate the wood. Consequently, one has to be extremely careful and avoid spilling any liquid on such floors.

Which Wooden Flooring Is Suitable For What Type Of Climate In India?

If putting wooden flooring has been in your mind for some time now, you just can’t go wrong! All types of wooden flooring have a warmth and unmatched look that goes well with all kinds of home styles from modern to minimal to traditional, you name it. But is it suitable for your home and the climate of your place? Let’s find out!

Hardwood

Hardwood

How easy is it to maintain: Hardwood is easy to clean and very wear resistant. It is extremely durable and can be refinished several times over their lifetime.

Installation Difficulty: Labour intensive to install

Climate sustainability: Hardwood does not retain heat and might even shrink or expand depending on the temperature making them an ideal choice for moderate climate of places like Bengaluru or Hyderabad or even the North-Eastern states of India.

2. Engineered Wood

Engineered Wood

How easy is it to maintain: Engineered wood has excellent stability over time and makes it a good choice for any area of your home, including below-grade basements. Depending on the thickness of the hardwood veneer, engineered hardwood flooring can only be sanded and refinished once or twice during its lifetime.

Climate sustainability: Engineered wood is moisture resistant and hence is ideal for humid places like Mumbai or Kolkata.

Installation difficulty: Installation process for Hardwood is extremely fast.

3. Laminated Wood

Laminate Wood

How easy is it to maintain: It is composed of a synthetic material that stimulates a wood appearance which is then laminated. The only drawback to this flooring is that it can be very slippery when wet. It is stain resistant too.

Climate sustainability: Laminated wood are cool underfoot, making them a good choice for warm climates of places like Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Installation difficulty: Laminated wood is extremely simple to install.

4. Bamboo Wood

Bamboo

How easy is it to maintain: Much like hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring is an ultra durable flooring option. Bamboo flooring is an eco-friendly and renewable option for modern homes. It is easy to install and hypoallergenic.

Climate sustainability: Bamboo is a climate friendly flooring option and is more moisture resistant than hardwood. Make sure all areas of your bamboo floors receive the same amount of sunlight by frequently moving furniture and rugs. It is ideal for all types of climate except places which are extremely warm.

Installation difficulty: Bamboo flooring is easy to install.

Consider This #ProTip When Installing Wooden Flooring In Your Home

Hardwood floors may be nailed down, glued or floating. If the current floors are covered with ceramic tiles or vinyl the floating form is the best. This also cuts the cleaning time since it would only be assembled on top of the old flooring. Choose which best suits the type of under floor one has or the capability of the one doing the task.

Engineered ones are much easier to install since they can be glued or nailed down. Solid woods on the other hand cannot be subjected to sub-standard installations.

Pricing

Wooden Flooring TypePricing ( INR/square feet )Hardwood650–5000 Engineered250–900Laminated120–1200 Bamboo160–1900

Well known brand on wooden flooring: Greenply, Pergo, Floor Master, Egger, Krono.

How To Take Care Of Your Wooden Flooring

Avoid using soap or detergent as it could spoil the finish

Vacuum is ideally preferable to pull out the dirt and dust between the boards. You could also take to sweeping it! Avoid using soap or detergent as it could spoil the finish. Place doormat outside the bathroom so that you avoid making the floor wet every time you step out of the bath space. Use blinds to protect your floor from discoloration caused by glaring sunlight which also ages the wood. Wooden Flooring should be polished from time to time (ideally once a year) so that it also treats on termites.

For more flooring guides and home decor inspiration, drop in your comments below. Happy homing! :D