Because hardwood flooring is so beautiful, timeless, and durable, it is a great addition to any home. There are two types of hardwood flooring you can choose from:
The first type of hardwood flooring you can have installed in your house is engineered flooring. This is manufactured in a manner similar to plywood, where three or five thin sheets of wood are laminated, or in other words, are glued together in a crisscross formation for strength. A top veneer of hardwood is added as a finished layer. This type of hardwood flooring is available as strips or planks, however, there are some limitations to it. For example, if you opt for strips they have to be 3" or less in width. If you want wider then opt for planks. Planks are over 3" wide.
The question becomes, if you want hardwood floors, why would you choose engineered floors over actual hard wood? For one, engineered floors are very stable and can be installed on any grade level. Also, there should not be a confusion because although engineered wood floors are manufactured through a laminating process, they are not the same as a laminate floor, they are considered hard wood. So, the plus is, you still get the look and feel of hardwood, but pay less.

Solid hardwood floors are more costly than engineered hardwood as they are cut from solid pieces of wood and milled to standard specifications. Like engineered flooring, solid hardwood flooring can be installed as planks or strips. Obviously not all trees are as long as the plants and strips of hardwood we may want in our home, but there are long strip boards available. Long strip boards are made of individual slats glued together end to end to form strips. The strips are then installed as tongue and groove.

Another form of hardwood flooring that does not have as much prestige, but still has the durability or solid hardwood is parquet flooring. This particular type of hardwood flooring is normally a 12"x 12" square consisting of narrow strips of wood. These tiles, have varying finishes, and are usually arranged in geometric patterns.

Different hardwood floorings have different options. For example, some wood flooring is pre-finished, others must be finished and sealed after it is installed. One of the great benefits of wood flooring is that if it starts looking older, most wood floors can be refinished. Basically if your wood floor has a surface stain, it can be removed and re-stained. Penetrating stains have in essence become part of the wood and are permanent, but that doesn't mean you can't stain or paint over them, you just want to check the manufacturer's specifications about refinishing.

Harwood flooring is installed in a number of ways, but it is generally one of the following:
Nail down, where it is attached to a wood subfloor with flooring nails.
Staple down , in this case it is attached to a wood subfloor with a pneumatic stapler.
Glue down, this is a typical method for engineered floors, where they are applied to the subfloor with trowel and adhesive.
Floating, this is quickly becoming a popular method, it is a system of tongue and groove floor planks that are glued together. So, rather than being fastened to the subfloor, the floor rests on a pad between the floor and subfloor.

One thing to understand about hardwood flooring is that although installing a wood floor can be a larger investment than other flooring options, if it is properly cared for and maintained it will last significantly longer and add resale value to your home.