Wooden flooring has stood the test of time, giving a timeless elegance to homes after homes around the world, across cultures. The natural, eco-friendly, and extremely long-lasting material has excited interior designers for ages with its charm.
Wooden flooring is arguably one of the most sophisticated and sustainable flooring options for Mumbai homeowners. Whether you live in a flat or a bungalow, wooden flooring can cast its magic.
A solid wood floor has the potential to last for hundreds of years if maintained properly. Let us explain some of the most popular types of wooden floors that probably your contractor will recommend for your home.
Type, Cost, Pros & Cons of Different Wooden Flooring in India
Contractors usually have an opinion on the types of wooden flooring options for apartments in Mumbai. Engineered, solid, laminated, oak, walnut, etc., are some types of wooden flooring options mostly recommended by home decorators in Mumbai.
Although all wooden floors look sophisticated and timeless, you must choose the correct one by weighing the pros and cons, costs, and sustainability per your house's space requirements. The below points will help you to get the hang of nuances related to wooden flooring most commonly used in homes:
1. Solid Hardwood Floor
As the name suggests, solid hardwood is extremely durable and strong and is a result of complicated wood engineering. This type of material is made by infusing adhesive and fibres of a variety of species of wood into one solid plank.
Living rooms, bedrooms, lobbies, and dining rooms are the principal rooms for which contractors prefer solid hardwood flooring. While solid wood flooring is best avoided in kitchens, it can be installed if waterproof mats are placed near the sink or dishwasher. The solid hardwood flooring would cost you up to Rs. 650 to Rs. 1500 per square foot, depending on the quality of wood you choose.
However, it is labour-intensive since it requires the solid slabs of wood to be nailed or stapled down for reliable support. So, make sure you have some backup money if you need to pay for the extra labour cost.
Word of advice: solid hardwood is a good investment. It's ideal for those who want something that will last a long time but don't mind using different types of flooring in other places of the house.
Oakwood is by far the most preferred and trusted solid hardwood flooring. There are two types of oak flooring: red oak and the other is white oak. They differ in terms of colour; while red oak gives a pinkish finish, white oak, on the other hand, provides a grey-green surface (has minor character than red oak) to the floor.
2. Laminate Wood Floor
Perstorp, a Swedish business, invented laminate flooring in 1977. This company came up with the notion of repurposing waste wood projects by exposing them to extremely high pressure, heat, and binding chemicals, and then turning the results into useful floor coverings.
As long as the location is not exposed to moisture, laminate wood can be a pretty, sturdy option. A laminated wood floor can look gorgeous and give your home a rustic feel. However, you must treat it carefully to ensure that it looks as beautiful as new in a few years. If you are on a limited budget but still want to finish a solid wood floor, then laminated wooden flooring should work perfectly for you.
However, laminated floors are not very resistant to scratches, so make sure you use soft brooms and mops for cleaning.
Laminated wooden flooring starts from Rs. 120 per square feet and can go up to Rs. 1200 per square feet depending on the quality and finish. Make sure you hire a trusted and knowledgeable contractor to guide you through the same.
Ash flooring is considered the most contemporary laminated wooden flooring option and is also recommended by contractors. It works super well with modern design homes and is easy to maintain as well.
3. Engineered Wooden Flooring
There's a lot of misconception about engineered wood out there, and we're here to dispel it. Anything with a natural wood wear layer (the top surface is actual wood) is engineered wood. Unlike laminated wooden floors where the top layer is artificial, engineered wood has the top and decorative layer made from original woods, while the bottom portion is artificial.
An engineered floor will be more resilient from the season and changing climate. The flooring is often subjected to excessive humidity in the summer and monsoon seasons and we do have insane humidity in Mumbai!
So, for all Mumbai homeowners, if you are looking for a budget-friendly yet climate-friendly wooden flooring, then you should opt for engineered wood. The cost for engineered wood can fall under Rs. 200 to Rs. 900 per square foot.
4. Reclaimed Wooden Flooring
While reclaimed wood is still solid, it is a distinct, unique substance that deserves its own category. Anything that has been used more than once is reclaimed. Reclaimed wood should not be confused with salvaged wood. Such type of wood has been cut and kept for several years but has never been used for any type of building.
For instance, antique salvaged wood is sourced from historic structures dating back at least 100 to 200 years. Unfortunately, antique reclaimed wood is more expensive than the other options, so it can often be double the most prominent solid wood price.
Mahogany wood is one of the examples of expensive reclaimed wood. Only the rich preferred the "exotic" and imported mahogany wood for furnishing and flooring. Another example of reclaimed wood is the heart cypress, which is usually 800-2000-years old whenever you buy it. It is legendary for its durability, and resistance to fungus, termites, water and time.
The tremendous amount of labour that goes into the process is one of the reasons why some sort of reclaimed wood is so expensive. In addition, the wood often has a more attractive texture and tighter growth rings.
So, you see, wooden flooring does not always have to be high-maintenance and super expensive every time! There are hundreds of options to choose from that are inexpensive yet good-looking and durable.
Although it is better you get in touch with an experienced and trusted contractor like Hipcouch who can help you navigate the choices when it comes to choosing wooden flooring for a home in Mumbai.