Your New Hardwood or Laminate Floor -
Beautify Your Home Easily and Affordably

Wood flooring is enduringly appealing, and for good reason. It adds a dimension of quality, warmth, and beauty to your home that is hard to match. But because it is such a popular flooring option, making sense of such a wide variety of choices can be a challenge.

Call on McClincy's to help you from the selection or the right flooring for your home to the process of installing your flooring to the highest professional standards. McClincy's decades of experience means you can rest assured your wood flooring will be installed on time and as cost-effectively as possible, whether your wood flooring project includes just one room or several. Ask us about these wood flooring possibilities:

Hardwood

Hardwood is real, solid wood, harvested from real trees. It's not man-made or engineered. Hardwoods come unfinished or pre-finished. It's important to pay attention to the hardness of whichever wood you choose, to match it to your lifestyle and budget. It's also crucial to choose the right area of your home in which to have it installed. In general, hardwoods perform better in areas where humidity is controlled and they are less likely to absorb moisture. For example, bathrooms, basements, or any other potentially moist and humid areas are not usually a good choice for most hardwoods.

		Ash – This hardwood is durable, dense, and stable, even more than oak. The grain is pronounced and straight. Colors range from light almond to dark brown. Excellent wear resistance.
		Bamboo – Strictly speaking, Bamboo is not actually a hardwood, it is a grass. Typically harvested in Asia, this wood is considered "green" because Bamboo is an extremely fast-growing, easily replenishable species. Hardness varies, but Bamboo is usually softer than other woods, so it works better in low-traffic areas.
		Birch – Colors range from creamy white to reddish browh in very wavy patterns. Depending on the variety of Birch used, this wood is generally of good hardness, equivalent to most oaks.
		Brazillian Cherry – Resists warping and shrinking unlike other hardwoods. Brazillian Cherry is easy to work with, stains and finishes well with just lemon oil, and ages beautifully. Because of its demand it tends to be more expensive than other hardwood. Brazillian Cherry primarily grows in the Amazon basin.
		Hickory Pecan – Native to the US, Hickory Pecan is one of the original flooring materials. It is extremely dense and hard, making it durable, but a bit more difficult to work with. The grain is characterized by higher contrast streaks of light cream to dark brown.
		Mahogany – The reddish to dark brown wood is fine-grained. It is very durable and often resists swelling, shrinking and warping.
		Maple – Available in soft and hard varieties and primarily grows in the Midwest. The pale, yellowish tone can brighten a room. The grain is fine and uniformly textured.
		Oak – Oak is one of the most commonly used hardwoods used in homes today. It is available in several variations, red or white (pictured) are the most prevalent. Red oak is the most abundant species and grows in eastern US forests.
		Rosewood – Rosewood has a dark brown-reddish color and is one of the most expensive hardwood options; primarily used to make furniture.
		Teak – Teak is hard and durable and also often resistant to moisture and rot and is more expensive than other hardwoods.
		Tigerwood – This exotic wood species comes primarily from South America and gets its name from the extremely high contrast variegated grain patterns. Tigerwood may darken over time. It is a hard, dense wood that is dimensionally stable.
		Walnut – Easy to work with, resists shrinkage and warping. It is also a more expensive hardwood and the finished product is beautiful.

Engineered Wood

This is a choice that can stand up well to light moisture. It is constructed of plywood, with a top layer of hardwood, and can be installed on any existing floor that is level and stable. It can be nailed down or installed as a floating floor. This wood is ideal for use over concrete slabs. It's best to install it in an area where it is not likely to be subjected to use that would cause dents or deep scratches, which cannot be sanded out.

Exotic Wood

These species of wood are not found in North America and many of these exotic species are photosensitive and may change color over time. Popular exotic woods include bamboo and tigerwood.

Prefinished Versus Unfinished Hardwoods

Unfinished floors require several days to install, stain, and finish. While most hardwoods have a distinctive natural color, stains and finishes may be applied to hardwood flooring which will dramatically change that color. So, you can often choose from a wood for its texture, hardness, and other characteristics, then choose a stain to match your preference in color. A major advantage of prefinished floors is that they can often be installed and completed the same day.

Laminate

Laminate flooring is an amazing simulation of wood that is a very cost-effective alternative to hardwood. These floors are produced by laminating multiple layers of synthetic and/or wood-based products together. These layers are then covered with a layer of paper or plastic sheeting printed to look like various wood grains and colors. The laminate is then coated with a high-tech aluminum oxide finish to provide a polished look and to make the surface more durable and scratch-resistant.

Typically, laminate floors come in boxes containing either individual planks or interlocking panels printed to look like 3-4 staggered boards. The planks have a tongue and groove arrangement which allow the pieces to be assembled at your location. With its "snap together" design, it is typically quick and inexpensive to install. Laminate flooring is a popular choice for many home applications, including kitchens or bathrooms, because it is resistant to moisture and humidity.

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