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Hardwood
A hardwood characterizes
wood from angiosperm trees. The hardwood which
comes from conifer trees. Hardwood is of higher
density and hardness than softwood, but actually
there is some variation in wood hardness in
both groups, with a large amount of overlap,
some hardwoods are softer than most softwood.
Both hardwood and softwood have broad leaves
and enclosed nuts or seeds such as acorns.
They most find in Africa and also in Europe
and other countries.
Hardwood species more diferent than softwood.
Hardwood species are hundred times more than
the softwood species.There is a considerable
variation by vessels which is basically in
size,shape of perforation plates and structure
of cell wall
Hardwoods can be used for many applications
which includes buildings, furniture, flooring,
utensils, etc.
Hardwood floors with
a carpet on it were the only options available
in the early 1900's. Hardwood flooring can
also be found now throughout the home or office
and can provide added benefits, beauty and
elegance. Hardwood floors can last for a long
time, and can be refinished or stained several
times. There are several types of wood flooring
available. The first is the original solid
wood floor with oak, pine, birch and maple
still being the most popular. These floors
are generally 3/4" thick and can be purchased
raw or pre-finished. The other style of wood
flooring which is becoming much more popular
are engineered wood floors. This flooring
has two or more layers with the top layer,
called the "wear layer", being 1/4"
to about 9/16" thick. The wear layer
is generally made of oak, cherry or maple.
Engineered wood floors is popular because
in many applications they will be more stable,
cost less, and can be refinished just like
a solid wood floor. Both varieties of hardwood
flooring have advantages over other flooring
types. Hardwood floors are both elegant and
durable. Stains can be applied to match any
decorating style. The one disadvantage is
a hardwood floor may require periodic refinishing.
The other disadvantage being the cost. It
is more expensive that the alternatives but
if one sees from a long-term perspective,
then it is very much cost effective.
| Material
|
<
square (per-unit)> |
Installation
(per square yard) |
| Hardwood |
$27 to $45 |
$18 to $45. Prefinished wood flooring
tends to cost more than unfinished,
but the total for either type is similar
because there are fewer labor costs
for installing prefinished flooring.
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