Flooring Types Tips & Guides

Choosing the right floor and installing it correctly makes all the difference. This section covers flooring types, installation direction and acclimation, and design tips.

Flooring types: engineered wood, engineered vs particle board, plywood as flooring, and wide-plank flooring.

Installation: which way planks should run, install direction, and acclimating flooring.

Design: floors with wood paneling and neutralize red tones.

For the complete flooring overview, see our wood flooring guide.

Which way should floor planks run? Generally run planks parallel to the longest wall or the main light source for the most natural, spacious look.

What is engineered wood flooring? A real-wood top layer bonded over plywood/HDF core — more stable than solid wood in humidity and often floated over subfloors.