Every business or home owner wants their house to look great. Of course, the best way to go about that varies from area to area and person to person. However, your flooring and area rugs are an integral part of the look of your home or office. While hardwood flooring is an increasingly popular choice, there are many myths surrounding the selection and installation process. Unmasking these common misconceptions can help you make a more informed choice.

1. Homeowners are limited to the areas that hardwood flooring can be installed.

Most people have heard that hardwood is sensitive to fluctuations in moisture and temperature. If exposes to varying conditions, damage can occur to the floor. For this reason, installation has traditionally been limited to main living areas in the house that sit above grade. However, new advances have been made in the manufacturing process that allow this choice to be used in more areas, including the basement. By choosing the right product, you can install virtually anywhere in your home.

2. There are only a few choices.

Unlike laminate flooring, hardwood is certainly limited to the naturally available woods. However, there are many more choices than the average person might expect. There are actually six main types of hardwood flooring: cherry, maple, pecan, hickory, beech and walnut. In addition, there are other choices that are labeled as exotic woods. Cut and finish can also be varied greatly to get even more differences in the final look.

3. Brand doesn’t matter.

When you are working with hardwood flooring, brand absolutely matters. Known companies produce products that are of higher quality, in general. They also almost always have a better service system in place and offer extensive warranties with the support to back it up. Finally, you can expect more information about the products and the installation.

4. The lowest price is the most important factor.

When you are looking at a particular line, you may notice that products that seem the same vary in price. Don’t just automatically select the cheapest option. The variation is almost always based upon the strength and wear rating of the particular product. Cheaper choices have a low rating for traffic. This means that if the area gets walked on a lot, it won’t stand up to the abuse. Higher ratings are recommended for main living areas, while low ratings are suitable for places that only occasionally see foot traffic. Pay attention to this factor, along with price.

5. Hardwood is difficult to install.

Hardwood flooring has a reputation for being more challenging to install than other choices. While the process was more complicated with older systems, newer products are much more user friendly. Most can be easily snapped together using a tongue in groove method. The floating floors sit above the subfloor on padding without being firmly attached with glue or fasteners. The process is so simple that many ambitious homeowners can figure it out without the help of a professional contractor.

Using hardwood flooring has many advantages. It is stronger and longer lasting than most synthetics. Generally, people are indecisive because of the many myths. However, most of these are misconceptions and not true at all.