Recycled flooring is trending, and has been for a long time. It is eco-conscious, looks stunning, is easier to obtain than it once was and is affordable. Affordable, that is, with one caveat. It is only inexpensive or nearly free if one gathers it for personal use, say from a gym floor or old church, and uses it as found. For reclaimed wood that has a finish that would look great in a living space, expect to pay more.
Self-reclaimed wood is not always ready to be nailed down either. Most of it comes with nicks, gouges, staples, nails, glue, screws and all the other things that originally went into making it what is once was. It takes time to clean these boards up and make them look passable enough to be used in a home as reclaimed flooring. The only way to get wood that looks good as new is to buy it from an outlet that has already done the work needed to make it acceptable for use for flooring.
Aside from reclaimed flooring, solid wood flooring, the old standby, is still a great option when upgrading. It is not laminated and is ready to be laid down right away. While somewhat expensive, much of it comes at a price that is competitive with reclaimed wood.
Engineered wood is another option, but consumers should keep in mind that it is layered plywood backing with a chosen top layer of wood, hence the lower price tag. It’s durable flooring and would suit those with a tight budget.
In general, solid wood flooring may range in price from $4 to $9 per square foot, with a higher price usually indicating a higher quality wood. Engineered flooring may range from $7 to $15 per square foot. No one should let the price of flooring be a bar to their dreams though, because even if doing a whole room in the wood of choice is out of the budget, there are certainly ways to get creative and use it just in key areas or as an accent.
Anyone on the hunt for wood flooring should sharpen a pencil and do some fancy calculating. Exercising a bit of imagination in using the chosen wood can easily yield stunning results.
