• Hardwood flooring comes in several patterns beside planks that reveal the wood's grain.Wood image by Alexander Sabilin from Fotolia.com
  
  Hardwood flooring is a resilient and durable material that is as much at home in a Manhattan penthouse or Malibu beach house as it is in a cookie cutter ranch house in the suburbs. One of the primary advantages of hardwood flooring is that it can be installed by the homeowner in many cases. A beautiful warmth is instantly added to any room that sports bare hardwood flooring.
  
  

Application Types

• One useful characteristic of hardwood flooring is the variety of application types. Hardwood can be bought and installed as strips that come in narrow widths that can be laid either parallel or diagonal to the wall. Random-width planks are another option, and they can be purchased with square or beveled edges. Parquet wood flooring is available as individual pieces joined together to form a vast array of patterns.
  
  

Versatility

• The versatility of hardwood flooring makes it an ideal choice for those planning on living with this flooring for decades. Hardwood has never gone out of style and is not subject to the vagaries of faddish flooring. Put down a hardwood floor today as part of a modern décor and it will still fit into a modern décor 30 years from now.
  
  

Durability

• The durability of wood is characteristic and makes it a good choice for growing families. Wood can stand up to the heavy traffic of normal family life without needing constant or expensive repairs.
  
  

Quiet

• Place some carpeting over the most heavily trafficked areas of your hardwood floors and you can create solid sound insulation. Most homes can still show off a good amount of their hardwood flooring while covering up those areas subject to heaviest footfall and receive both the aesthetic benefits and the benefits of easy soundproofing.
  
  

Decoration

• Hardwood can be painted with decorative effects like stenciling or faux tiles. A more elegant look can be achieved by choosing from a variety of stains. Wear and tear is more easily maintained with hardwood floors by staining and refinishing the material, according to "1001 Ideas for Floors."
  
  

Expense

• One of the least enjoyable characteristics of hardwood flooring is that it is expensive. That's because the trees used to produce hardwood flooring---mahogany, ash, oak and maple---take so long to grow to maturity. Demand consistently outruns supply, and the result is that enjoying the benefits of hardwood flooring comes at a premium price.