There's not too much that can beat the look of hardwood flooring for many householders. There are many different wood and faux-wood options that are available for home flooring projects, and some are much better than others. Each product has it's advantages and uses in today's market. No matter what kind of flooring you choose, always get the best flooring you can afford from a reputable dealer and have it correctly installed on a good solid sub floor. Any flooring is only as good as its base and quality of installation.

Wood floor enthusiasts agree a solid hardwood flooring installed on a good sub floor is the best wood floor. You can get some awfully gorgeous woods like oak, cherry, maple, pine, hickory, bamboo and the exotic woods from all over the world. The only limit is your budget. It's vital to get a top grade of wood without defects or crooked boards.

Next, get an installer who comes suggested by the supplier or builder, and get a guarantee of satisfaction from him. Ensure the supplier stands behind their product and the installer. That being said, a solid hardwood floor installed in your home and finished on site should last for the life of the house. If the finish becomes damaged or worn, a solid wood floor can be screened and refinished to appear like new again.

The second best hardwood flooring is one that is pre-finished and installed over a good sub floor. You have fewer decisions in finishes, and the flooring is sometimes not as thick as unfinished wooden floors, but that helps when you are installing it in an existing home where the thicker flooring will not work. This flooring - as well as the unfinished wooden floors - is installed with nails and is an everlasting floor. You get real wood and can potentially refinish it once if you want to. The woods and finishes available give you a wide range of choices and save time and money on installation.

Next in line is the engineered wood flooring that has a layer of real wood on top of a plywood or made wood substrate. You're still looking at real wood, but in a thinner layer that's pre-finished. This type of wooden floors can not be sanded and refinished if it is getting that worn look, in which case you may end up wanting to cover it with area rugs or a bound piece of carpet.

Finally, in terms of wooden floors, there is laminate wood floors. This gives you the outward appearance of wood floors, but is a photograph of wood layered on top of a manufactured wood substrate and covered by a thick, clear protective layer. The layers are laminated along with adhesive, heat and pressure to give a robust product that looks and even feels like wood.

These laminate floors are built to be put together without nails in what is referred to as a floating floor. This flooring is the one which is simplest for homeowners to install themselves. It's also the cheapest to buy next to carpet.