Most people considering hardwood flooring for their kitchen, living room or bedroom focus on the common options of oak, pine and birch.  Now, however, there are more options than ever before.  More unusual choices of wood can be highly positive for homeowners, who often see a significant return on investment when their homes are sold.

Another reason to use wood is the growing popularity of “open” floor plans in which the kitchen, living room, and perhaps the dining room as well, are all combined into a contiguous whole that is sometimes called a “great room.”

A great room can be an excellent home design not only because it will appear fresh and contemporary to home buyers, but also because it avoids the problem of isolating one member of the family in the kitchen to prepare meals.  Now, whoever is cooking can also interact with other members of the family.  This can mean everything from talking with children about their homework as they work to complete it at the dining room table to enjoying a film being shown on TV.

An open floor plan, however, requires careful thought as to the flooring that will cover the large expanse of rooms folded into one large space.  Most great rooms appear better if the same flooring is used throughout, but that more or less rules out carpet, which is highly disadvantageous in a food preparation area and not much better in a dining area.  Wood truly is the best choice and has another advantage: after years of use, it can be made to look new again through floor sanding and finishing.

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