If you want ultimate luxury in a hard surface floor, hardwood is the way to go. It is offered pre-finished, ready to install or unfinished requiring a sanding and finish application. There are some drawbacks: Hardwood is beautiful to look at but it’s hard on the feet; it’s not as warm and fuzzy to walk on; and the room sounds hollow if there is a lot of hardwood surface. Area rugs can help soften the sound.

Hardwood requires a lot of care and you will eventually have to get it refinished at considerable expense. To extend the beauty of a hardwood floor, you pretty much have to take your shoes off to minimize scratching. It is very susceptible to surface damage. Dogs slip and slide on hardwood floors and their claws do tend to scratch the hardwood.

Depending on other flooring or cabinets the hardwood will abut, it is often necessary to remove a layer of sub-floor (if there are two layers) so the finished floor doesn’t end up a lot higher, thus adding to the overall project cost. It really helps to take your shoes off. Quality hardwood installed by a professional is probably the highest priced of all flooring but darn well worth it. You will never regret choosing hardwood if you are willing to take the extra steps to keep it looking like new.