There are two main varieties of inexpensive hardwood flooring available: solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Which type you purchase will depend on several things, including the location of the flooring installation.
Solid hardwood expands and contracts in response to changes in humidity and temperature within your home. Solid hardwood is made up of planks or strips that are cut from a single piece of wood. It is therefore only advised for rooms that are ground level or higher—and only when there is a plywood subfloor.
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Guide To Cheap Wood Flooring
Easygoing
Because engineered wood flooring is composed of a thin hardwood veneer adhered to a plywood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF) substrate, it can be installed below grade (in a basement) and even on a concrete slab. This stability allows the flooring to adjust to changes in temperature and humidity. A reasonably priced alternative for engineered hardwood is ⅜x5-inch sapele wood, which costs less than $2 per square foot and is available in multiple treatments, including as deep matte mahogany.
Save Money with Unfinished Solid Hardwood
Solid hardwood is available in thicknesses of ⅜ and ¾ inches as well as a range of widths: planks commonly measure 5 to 10 inches wide, while strips are usually no wider than 3 inches. A low-cost alternative to wide-plank solid hardwood flooring is unfinished; after installation, you can sand, stain, and seal the surface to produce a unique color and a clear, smooth finish that can stop dirt from leaking in between the boards. Unfinished ¾-inch New England white pine costs $1.79 per square foot and is nearly 9 inches broad.
Easy Installation
When looking for inexpensive hardwood flooring, take into consideration engineered wood flooring goods that are easy for most do-it-yourselfers to install. These products simply click-lock together. At $1.89 per square foot, a single click-lock option is available in oak or hickory finishes.
Durability and Upkeep
Cheap solid hardwood flooring also has the added benefit of being able to be sanded and polished multiple times thanks to the thickness of the planks or strips. This is especially useful for high-traffic areas of your house where children or dogs are present. The thin veneer of engineered hardwood floors usually only has to be refinished once, if at all. At $2.99 per square foot, ¾x2-¼-inch Millrun hickory is a stunning choice for solid hardwood flooring.
Prefinished Perfection
The bother of sanding, staining, and applying clear finishes is eliminated when you purchase inexpensive engineered hardwood because it arrives prefinished. After installation, the floor is ready to use, and its surfaces—which frequently have up to eight robust layers of clear finish added by the factory—can withstand heavy use and are frequently guaranteed for many years to come.
Vintage Flair
A distressed finish on inexpensive solid hardwood floors will give it a worn-in, vintage appearance. White oak from the Appalachian Mountains is used to make oak driftwood, which costs $4.29 per square foot. Each plank has a wire-brushed surface and beveled edges with square ends for simple installation.
Color Choices
Various kinds of wood give your rooms distinctive looks. While some woods, like hickory or oak, have very noticeable grain patterns, other woods, like maple, have more subdued patterns. An engineered hardwood plank made of maple can cost as little as $3.50 per square foot.
Consider Hardness
The Janka Hardness Rating is used to rank the hardness of solid hardwood floors. Red oak is thought to be the benchmark; the higher the rating number, the more dent-resistant the wood.
While red oak has a higher Janka rating than hickory and maple, pine, walnut, and cherry have a lower value. Moroccan cherry, for instance, costs $3.89 per square foot and is valued for its rich, deep color despite being 18% softer than red oak.
Take a Test Run
It’s a good idea to bring home a sample of any cheap hardwood flooring you are considering purchasing, such as the engineered ½x5-inch natural Australian cypress flooring that costs $5.29 per square foot.
It’s easier to select paint colors, textiles, and other accessories when you can visualize how the grain and color fit into your space. Bigger samples work better, and many designers advise bringing home a 2-by-2-foot sample of the wood flooring you are thinking about.
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