How To Tell If Floor Is Real Hard Wood

Surface test with steel wool.

How to tell if floor is real hard wood.

The hardwood floor can t hide the scratches and stains as easily as a laminate floor. If it stands for 5 minutes without soaking in your hardwood floors are sealed. It is cut down into planks that vary in hue and pattern as the log is cut into long layers. Get a small glass of water.

If the homeowner is not spending the money to maintain a hardwood floor signs of age are even more obvious. Shine the flashlight between the basement ceiling joists and inspect the grain of the wood and width of the floor boards. Hardwood flooring is softer and more prone to dents and scratches. Hardwood is milled from a single piece of wood.

Traditionally hardwood floors were made of lumber from regional species. Laminate doesn t stain the way natural wood does so if you see water rings random splotches or discolorations on the floor it is. Look for water marks stains and faded areas on the floorboards. Pour a small amount on the wood.

The average wear and tear. If it simply sits there and stares you in the face congrats your floor is a finished one. Locate an out of the way area that is not on a seam for the hardwood boards. Today hardwood flooring options include engineered wood that looks a lot like the real thing but at a lower cost.

This is an area where the carpet isn t tacked down so it s easily accessible. Hardwood floors are commonly 4 inches wide while softwood flooring is. 3 look for staples. If the room has a floor vent remove it they re rarely screwed in carefully push your fingers under the pad to lift reveal.

If it touches a seam try again with a smaller amount in another area. Any little dings in the wood are a dead giveaway the floor is natural wood. So how do i know if my hardwood floors are sealed. Even if it s a new hardwood floor there s a chance you can find a dent or a natural indentation.

If you hit laminate hard enough with something a chip could fly off but you re going to have to hit it really hard.