Hardwood floors are attractive, durable and comfortable, and can add to your home's value, as well as appeal to prospective buyers. With so many available options for flooring, You need facts when shopping for U.S. Hardwoods and hardwood flooring.

Shop with confidence. A solid hardwood floor will provide decades of beauty, durable service and flexibility. Solid hardwood flooring can be refinished for changing tastes or excessive wear.

It might initially cost a little more, but as trends evolve, it can evolve too. Hardwood floors are non-toxic and don't trap allergens, such as mold spores and dust. Simple maintenance -- dust mopping, sweeping or vacuuming -- will keep hardwood floors looking great and allergen-free.

U.S. Hardwoods are sustainable. The U.S. Forest Service, in a 2008 report, stated that the average annual net growth for hardwoods is greater than average annual removals. The volume of U.S. Hardwood timberland in U.S. Forests is almost double that of 50 years ago. When considering a particular U.S. Hardwood species, pay attention to it's hardness-rating scale, known as the Janka Scale.

Choosing a style. Pre-finished hardwood flooring is already sanded and sealed by the manufacturer with at least 4 coats of ultraviolet-cured urethane resin. It offers consistent quality, quicker installation and immediate satisfaction, meaning you can walk on it as soon as it is laid. Unfinished hardwood flooring must be sanded and sealed on-site. While it does offer more color choices, it requires extensive preparation. The initial cost is cheaper than pre-finished, however, remember the additional finishing cost. Engineered flooring, consisting of a plywood base that is covered by thin hardwood outer, works well in bathrooms and basements, where light moisture might be a concern. Because the top layer is so thin, it can't be sanded more than 1 to 3 times.

Beware of lookalikes. The least expensive flooring option is laminate. It looks like wood, but it's printed on paper that's affixed to a wood-chip base or high density fiberboard, covered with a clear surface layer to absorb daily impact. It can't be repaired or sanded when scratches or dings occur.

Bamboo flooring is being called hardwood but is a grass typically grown in tropical regions of the world, and it's not carbon negative; due to the glue content used to press the grass under tremendous pressure into flooring.