There is a wide selection of wood flooring options. The most famous of these is the genuine hardwood variety, and this type is generally considered the fanciest of the possibilities.
Real hardwood floors in Manhattan are often preferred for dining rooms and dancing areas, but care must be taken to maintain their good looks under such harsh conditions. Scratching and general wear can be very damaging to the floor if the proper precautions aren’t taken. This is why many dance halls insist that people take their shoes off before heading to the floor. To prevent scratches in a dining room, furniture legs must be fitted with felt or a similar material.
In homes, damage won’t pile up nearly as quickly as it can in a commercial environment. Even so, the same kind of precautions should be taken to prevent scratches or premature wearing of the finish. High-traffic household areas can be protected with rugs, too.
Cleaning must also be done with care when real wood is involved. Wet mopping will destroy the finish, so dry-mopping is used instead. Anything that remains stuck to the floor after it has been dry-mopped has to be spot-cleaned with a special cleaner that won’t damage the floor’s wax layer.
An alternative to traditional hardwood floors is laminate flooring. Some laminate hardwood floors in Manhattan use a veneer of actual hardwood over a cheaper substrate, so they must be cared for like the real thing. This type is chosen because it’s a bit more affordable than floors made of solid hardwood boards.
Other versions of laminate flooring actually use a picture of hardwood that is laminated to the substrate rather than an actual wood veneer. While these rarely look as good as a type that uses real wood, they can be easier to maintain. This is because the pictures are usually printed on a vinyl or plastic substance that can tolerate being wet mopped. The ability to handle a wet mop makes a faux wood floor good for places that are prone to becoming especially dirty, such as near entranceways or patio doors.
The appearance of laminate hardwood varies widely, and this is connected to price. Cheap versions look cheap, though they often still exceed the appeal of blatant linoleum. The highest-end versions, on the other hand, can look as good as solid hardwood.