The ultimate dream, a cabin in the woods, in a remote area, close by the water, accessible regardless of the season. If you’re planning on buying one, or building it from scratch, one of the most important parts of every house is the flooring. For one, looks are important. Secondly, it needs to be durable, able to handle moisture and high temperatures alike. Not all wooden floors are the same, especially if you’re looking for a place where there are temperature swings.
Also, wear and tear need to be taken into account. Flooring is an important investment. Before we move onto suggestions, let’s talk a bit about things you need to have in mind when choosing your remote home, and consequently the suitable flooring.
What Matters in Remote Locations
The landscapes, gorgeous views, and fresh air are all important when buying a remote getaway, but practicality matters too. You need to take a peek into your new home, and have its surroundings in the view too. When you’re buying a new home in remote areas, or building from the ground up, you need to pay good attention to the local climate. It makes all the difference if the climate is steady or it has temperature shifts all year long. The second most important issue is moisture. If it is high in the area you’ll need moisture resistant wood. When you know this, it will lead you directly to another issue you must not neglect access to materials. The wood deliveries, in some areas, are neither easy nor cheap, so you need to have the financial aspect of your pick, in addition to practical use.
Lastly, if you plan on having the same floors during your entire stay, not to say lifetime, you need to think of durability. If your new home/cabin is going to be used for camping trips, barbecuing with friends and families, hunting and fishing, durability needs to be paramount due to wear and tear. With everything we’ve said so far, the picks below are top notch. If we were making a bet on any of the betting sites USA has these days, the first pick would come with lowest odds, and the last with the highest. So pick your favourite, but have in mind that even an underdog can surprise even in the wooden flooring domain.
White Oak
When we think about a strong and durable wood, we think of white oak first. A dense wood in its core, white oak can handle any level of moisture. Due to its tight grain it reacts to water much better than any of the other suggestions we have on this list. Even the temperature hikes of the highest degree will not do too much swelling and shrinking to the white oak. So, if your location is in a place that is humid during the summer, but cold during the winter, white oak needs to be your go-to option. The best part about white oak is that its use is widespread, and it is widely available regardless of your location. So, whether you’re getting a new floor, or fixing/re[lacing old one, finding white oak should not be an issue. With all of its positives, we need to state that the only downside to white oak is that it is not cheap by any means. So, depending on your budget and floor size, it might not be an affordable option.
Hickory
While you might not think of hickory as a hardwood, let us tell you it is. As far as domestic trees go, it is one of the most durable ones. So, no matter the amount of traffic you expect at your new residence, it will stand to the test of both time and durability. The one issue hickory has is that it is so hard that it can be hard to handle if you’re not an expert, or if the work isn’t done by professionals. Yet, upon installation, it can serve you for a lifetime, and we’re sorry to tell you, but even after that. Aesthetically, it comes in different grain and color patterns, so you can experiment with it in that domain too. If white oak is not your go-to choice, choosing hickory is a viable option too. The same goes for our next pick.
Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir is an interesting pick, there’s no arguing it. It is nowhere as hard as white oak or hickory, but it has its good sides too. What most people love about it is the straight grain it comes with, which adds a worm look to any space. Also, for handlers and installers it is one of the easiest woods to work with. Its flaw is that it is a soft tree, so the floors made out of Douglas fir are easier to dent or damage. At the same time it is what makes it easier to refinish and sand. So, if you want a clean look that can be altered in a few years time, Douglas fir needs to be your first pick, even if it wasn’t for us. The one thing you need to have in mind when installing Douglas fir floors is that it expands and contracts quite a lot depending on the weather conditions, so you need to allow it space to breed, as you do not want it cracking during the shift of seasons.
Cypress
Cypress is a cure for moisture and insects. If you get a property in a humid area, rich in insects, do not think farther than cypress. Swampy areas, and lake houses, need to have cypress flooring. We admit that it is nowhere near as hard as oak, but in terms of rot and pest resistance, it is without a peer. Wet climates require cypress flooring, but do not think that it can’t be used in other climates. Even in hot/cold climates, it can do the work, for a fair price. Heart Pine
An exotic choice. Heart pine is quite a lot harder than regular pine, as it is sourced from the tree hearts of older pines. Its reddish/brown tone is what makes it ideal for people who want to add that rustic feel to their new floors. The downside is its price, as it is not harvested widely. Most heart pine wood comes from reclaimed sources. With that added price factor comes unparalleled stability and dryness some other wood can’t achieve. If it is in your price range, go for it, as it is not only hard, and durable but also quite aesthetically pleasing.
Picking the right wood for your floors, when you want to build or have bought a property in remote areas, where temperatures and weather conditions can be wary, is not an easy task. With the few recommendations we made above, we hope that now you are closer to making that hard decision. There are more than a few things to have in mind when making a new floor, but even with high humidity, coldness, warmness, and insect presence, any of the examples listed above should do the trick.
