Oak flooring, maple flooring and cherry flooring are all good choices. Other species include bamboo (which is actually a grass), walnut, ash and mahogany. You'll pay a premium price for more exotic species, such as teak, jarrah and mesquite.

1950's and 1960's Although other products such as linoleum were starting to get popular, houses in this era still predominantly used hardwood for flooring. As a result, 1 1/2″ red and white oak strip flooring was by far the dominant trend. The floors are either strictly red or white oak or a mix of both species.