Floored by the Choices
by Kristine Hughes

   Floor coverings are essential to the character and comfort of our homes. Now, in the 21st century, we have a host of flooring options to choose from. Centuries ago, however, the first floors were simply made from dirt, which was strewn with either sand or sawdust and topped with mint leaves. As these were walked upon, the mint leaves emitted a clean, fresh scent – the first room freshener. Hardwood flooring dates back hundreds of years, when it was determined that the harder and denser the wood, the longer a floor would last. In the United States, it has been common practice to use white ash, maple, white oak and red oak, all of which are hardwoods. Over the past decade, exotic woods have gained in popularity as they became more affordable and readily available. Some exotic species, Brazilian cherry in particular, are now the same price as domestic oak.
   There are three basic types of wood floors: solid, engineered and laminated. The most costly, solid hardwood flooring is made from a single ply of hardwood. Engineered hardwood floors are made from layers of both hard and soft woods and feature a veneer stock over a wood core. Lastly, high-performance laminated floors are precision engineered. The layers are fused together using intense heat and pressure to form a single unit known for its strength and stability.
   “No matter which type of floor you choose,” advises Steve Haber, owner of G. Fried Flooring, “the better the flooring quality, the more uniform the color will be. And it will have less color variation, since it will have less mineral lines. Also, all grades of flooring will show indentation marks from heels, especially ladies’ high heels.”
   A recent trend is hand-sculptured hardwood floors, where the surface texture is sculpted into each board by hand to create a time-worn appearance. Patina Floors’ Relics Collection is comprised of distressed, hand-scraped walnut and Brazilian cherry. Carlisle Wide Plank Floors supplies flooring for historic restoration and reproduction, offering wide plank wood floors in four species including red and white pine, hickory, maple, cherry, birch, walnut, chestnut, and more. “People love these floors, especially those who are retrofitting older homes,” says Michael Rankin, division manager of Home Carpet One.
   Engineered or pre-finished, laminated hardwood flooring is a growing alternative to solid hardwood flooring because of its many benefits, including moisture resistance, low maintenance and the fact that the same floor, if finished on site, would typically take three to four days to finish, while an engineered floor can achieve the same look immediately upon installation.
   “Keep in mind,” advises Rankin, “that with our climate, laying wood floors directly on a slab foundation can cause moisture problems. We always suggest a plywood subfloor, or floating the floor, especially on ground-floor installations.”
   The oldest woven rug so far discovered is the Pazyryk carpet, which was found in Siberia and dates back to around 400 B.C. While many civilizations wove woolen carpets, it was the Persians who raised the task to an artform beginning in the 16th century. In the United States, the first carpet loom was constructed in 1791 in Philadelphia. However, in 1839 Erastus Bigelow revolutionized the industry by inventing the power loom, which by 1850 had tripled the numbers for annual carpet production.
   Today, wool is still the fiber of choice in both hand-made rugs and carpeting. Because pure wool rugs are expensive, wool is often mixed with an average of 20 percent nylon, acrylic or polyester, all of which promote durability. Nylon is very durable and is often used in mixes. Acrylic is similar to wool in appearance but is more difficult to clean. Polyester is inexpensive and is often used to make shag pile carpet. “A recent innovation,” says Rankin, “is that all the major carpet manufacturers have learned to make a softer carpet nylon, such as DuPont’s Tactess. These, blended with the wool, give carpeting the feel of a soft, cotton sweater.”
   Different grades of carpet are suitable for different locations. A light-use carpeting might be right for bedrooms, but a heavy-duty variety should be considered for stairs and entries. Factors that affect a carpet’s durability are density and weight of the pile. Short, dense pile carpets are the hardest-wearing type and are used in carpet tiles: squares of carpet with sealed edges, available in different sizes, colors, patterns and fibers and with different backings, including PVC, rubber and felt. These are typically used in high-traffic areas, as damaged squares can be easily removed and replaced, or tiles can be moved regularly to distribute wear evenly.
   The first cork tile floor was introduced in 1904 and became the most popular type of resilient flooring in the 1920s. It was available in a limited range of colors and designs, but was expensive and porous.Today, cork flooring is made to resemble marble, bamboo and other exotic materials and comes in a wide range of colors, from honey tones to green, red and black. “Some people prefer using cork floors because they’re kinder to the environment,” says Dave Gruber, owner of Floors by Design. “Cork trees are not harvested for the manufacture of floors. Only the bark is used and this is peeled without destroying the tree and will grow back within nine years, ready to be harvested again. And cork flooring has its own distinctive, unique look. We’re using them a lot in wine cellars, living rooms and we just installed them in a unit at the Ritz-Carlton.”
   Resilient floor covering is a fairly new term, which encompasses vinyl, linoleum and laminate flooring. Linoleum was invented and patented in 1845 and the first U.S. plant was built in 1872. Linoleum remained popular until after World War II when easy-to-maintain and durable vinyl flooring was introduced. Because of the scarcity of vinyl during the war years, vinyl flooring was not widely marketed until the late 1940s but then quickly challenged its competitors. Originally used only in high-traffic areas, vinyl flooring eventually became the most popular choice for flooring in just about any hardsurface application.
   Today, resilient flooring is second only to carpet in floor covering sales in the United States. Resilient flooring continues to be a popular choice due to durability, ease of maintenance and the fact that it is now available in literally hundreds of color and pattern combinations.