Installing wooden floors adds ambience to any room without the need for carpeting. They are easier to clean than carpets and look warmer than tiles. Nowadays many tropical woods are used as flooring material, and can add an exotic look to your home.
If you choose parquet, plank flooring, or strip flooring, you can match the style of your hardwood floor to additional design essentials in your home. The two most popular modern finishes for wood flooring are oil and polyurethane.
For kitchen, go with the water-resistant, slip-free dark shade of wooden floor. For the living room, select a wooden floor which is compatible with the furniture colour. Don’t select the exact shade of the flooring matching with your furniture colour but a lighter or darker colour of furniture shade will gel well in your living area and give your room a breathing space as well.
While selecting the floor always remember that some darker colours make rooms look smaller. Lighter or natural colour (oak and maple being the most popular) of wood floor species can give an open, airy feeling, making the room appear larger.
You need to maintain your wooden floor with care. Proper vacuuming, sweeping and damp mopping is usually all that is required to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of a wood floor. Oil soaps should not be used to clean the floors. Like tile floors, excessive grit and foot traffic will affect the appearance.

The writer is the MD of IDUS