Now more than ever, people are looking for the best value for their dollar.

While carpet may have once been the floor covering of choice, more and more people are installing hardwood in their home. Although the initial cost of hardwood is greater than carpet, it offers a substantial cost savings in the long run, outlasting the life of a carpet by decades.

Once you decide to have hardwood installed in your home, whether it's choosing between solid or engineered flooring, certain grades, warranties and even manufacturers, buying a new floor can be an extremely daunting task if you don't know all the facts.

Solid hardwood flooring is a natural, living product that adds a timeless look to any room. Not only can it be refinished on site, but with the proper care and maintenance, solid hardwood can last in your home for generations.

Canadian manufacturer Satin Finish Hardwood Flooring (www.satinfinish.com) has been in the hardwood flooring business for over eighty years and offers an assortment of solid hardwood products in 3/4" as well as a more 'eco-friendly' 9/16" thickness. Solid hardwood comes in a variety of widths, species and colours for nail-down applications over plywood sub-floors.

First introduced to the marketplace in the early 1980's, engineered hardwood flooring is steadily becoming the popular choice in hardwood.

Satin Finish's 2-ply engineered, pre-finished hardwood product line provides increased stability with its hardwood to hardwood backing. And, because less wood is used, it is also more environmentally friendly. Like its solid counterpart, engineered flooring is available in various widths, species and colours. It can also be installed using glue, nail or staple down applications onto concrete or plywood sub-floors, making engineered ideal in both homes and condominiums.

Satin Finish's Eco-Last finish is allergen-free and allows for simple maintenance of your floor. It comes with a twenty- and thirty-year residential wear and lifetime structural warranty. It helps prevent scratches, stains and wear.

While this information provides you with a good head start, be sure to do your homework before making your final flooring purchase. Always research the manufacturer and ask the right questions to ensure that the hardwood flooring choice you make is the right one.

--News Canada