WOOD FLOORING, HARDWOOD, LAMINATES, PORCELAIN
Wood floors are those that look like wood but aren't necessarily 100% natural wood. With the development of the industry and the advancement of society that is always looking for lower maintenance costs and durability, new products arose were materials that guarantee the appearance of wood with some advantages and disadvantages.
Among the most used options today is porcelain with all the advantages of porcelain in terms of maintenance, resistance, and durability, but with the disadvantages of rigid systems such as the largest complexity and delay in installation, in addition to being cold floors. Vinyl laminates have the advantages of simplicity and speed of installation of laminates in addition to being waterproof, but they have the disadvantage of being thin, which requires greater substrate flatness. Also, they have an inferior quality in terms of soundproofing for cases of rooms on the upper floors.
Hardwood floors are those developed from the bonding of transverse wooden sheets in water-resistant layers and with a surface treatment that hardens the faces creating resistance against scratches. Among the advantages are the installation speed, great homogeneity like porcelain, and thermal comfort. Although the acoustics fall short of porcelain and wood, these materials can be improved with the use of an acoustic membrane (soundproofing); however, the greatest advantage of these materials is their low prices and the main disadvantage is their fragility, especially with regard to humidity.
Don't be disappointed! If you are old school and prefer contact with real wood, hardwood floors are the best solutions. They are durable floors with the advantages of guaranteeing thermal and acoustic comfort combined with the easy installation of cheap laminates. These floors can be found in different shapes and types of wood and meet the most varied demands, which can be in long pieces, square compositions (like the old parquet floors), presenting mosaics, and even taking different finishes such as matte and glossy. The major disadvantages of this type of floor are the high costs of materials and the complex form of installation that involves gluing and pressing; however, they are clean works and the result is very long-lasting.