Thinking about installing a hard wood floor at the office? Wise choice. Wood floors are said to add not only beauty but value to your office space. They also provide an allergy-free environment.

Need even more benefits? Count easy care and cleaning, durability and an eco-friendly, natural and safe alternative to other flooring options. The range of options in quality, style, color and price makes hardwood flooring attractive to those who want a customized look.

With so many products on the market, and technology bringing constant options, choosing the wood flooring solution that is best for your office can be tricky. When choosing wooden flooring, take these factors into consideration:

1. Selecting wooden floors depends largely on the size of the room or rooms you'll be working with.

2. Color and design in a hard wood floor can coordinate with and complement existing styles.

3. Choices in custom wood floors should take into account traffic and lighting.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research wood flooring options

When it comes to purchasing a wood floor, there are so many decisions to make: species, finish and color, just to name a few. It's important for you to nail down all the decisions before making your final order. You may want to request samples.

I recommend: From hardwood floors to laminate wood floors, bamboo, hand scraped, exotic and cork, find a variety of wood flooring choices from Simple Floors. See how different types of wood look in real rooms at Floormall.com.

Hire a professional for hardwood floor installation

Several different types of wood flooring installation can be performed, including floating, pre-finish, subfloor, glue down, nail down and wood inlays. While some flooring comes with how-to instructions for installing it yourself, it may be best to hire an expert. That's because installation requires that each element to be laid in a certain sequence and meet a particular standard. Look for licensed installers of hardwood flooring.

I recommend: Check out Dave's Wood Floors of Sioux City, Iowa, and then call for a free estimate appointment. Prestige Wood Flooring, based in New Jersey, offers installation, refinishing and clean-up services.

Keep wood floor products on hand to finish and maintain your floor

Now that the floor has been installed, don't forget the finishing touches such as vents and medallions you may need. Remember to pick up some maintenance supplies, too, to keep your floor looking its best.

I recommend: Check out additional wood flooring products from Wood Floors Unlimited, including products for wood floor care. The Oak Floors of Greenbank offers a variety of products including floor inlays, medallions, borders, patterns, base moulding, fillers, finishes and adhesives, among others.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Moisture and extreme temperature fluctuations can pose problems by warping wood flooring, so choose another flooring alternative if climate and moisture control aren't possible in your workplace.
• •  You can install wood floors directly over concrete; however, a thinner prefloor of wood is best.
• •  Wood refinishing, such as sanding, can be done as needed. Flooring with a urethane coat can be re-coated as needed and is more economical than uncoated floors that need constant waxing.