If you’re a mom, you’ve probably suffered through your fair share of not-so-great Mother’s Day presents. Like macaroni art, already-half-eaten boxes of chocolates, and those oh-so-impersonal gift cards. And don’t get us started on vacuum cleaner bags.

Fortunately, here’s a present that you and your family will all truly love for literally years to come. Simply put, hardwood flooring looks gorgeous. Whether you choose natural hickory flooring, maple hardwood, oak wood flooring, or another species of natural wood flooring, each will bring elegance and warmth into your home.

Since hardwood actually does grow on trees, you might presume that all the best wood flooring is pretty much the same. Today, that’s no longer true. Depending on how modern manufacturers create and process their hardwood planks, each delivers different distinctive qualities. So in addition to visual appeal, you may end up selecting your hardwood flooring based on how well it dovetails with your particular lifestyle.

Let’s take a quick look at a few noteworthy examples.

Perhaps the hardest hardwood of them all: Robbins ArmorWood.

If you have the pitter patter of little feet in your home, which includes those with claws on their paws, you might want to consider a very popular Robbins hardwood flooring that’s aptly named ArmorWood.

All real wood flooring, every plank of the Robbins ArmorWood Densified Hardwood Collection undergoes a rigorous proprietary process. By applying heat and pressure, this densified wood becomes far harder than ordinary natural wood. In fact, ArmorWood is delightfully six times more dent resistant and four times more scratch resistant than traditional hardwood, laminate or luxury vinyl.

It also looks amazing. Which could make this unique hardwood flooring hard to pass up.

Make a big splash with utterly waterproof Mohawk UltraWood.

Here’s a Mohawk engineered hardwood that takes waterproofing to new heights thanks to an incredible new technology called WetProtect. Which is why this life-changing Mohawk hardwood can offer you complete waterproof protection.

UltraWood features watertight joints to successfully trap spills on the surface. An impressively ingrained seal also protects that surface from the intrusion of H2O. And finally, you can even protect your walls with Mohawk’s waterproof quarter round if you want.

It all adds up to complete waterproof protection backed by a lifetime surface and subfloor warranty.

Have a bone to pick with boring? Pick Karastan herringbone.

Karastan has long been lauded for it’s exceptional flooring across a wide array of different categories including hardwood. In order to create clean designs, subtle grain movements, and truly livable luxury, the artisans at Karastan undertake a painstaking 100-step process.

While the resultant look is beyond beautiful, you may be one of those individuals who like to zig while everyone else is zagging. Which is why Karastan also offers several options that make installing your new hardwood floor in a striking herringbone pattern possible. Plus, this distinctive white oak flooring features a lightly brushed texture and high shade variation.

These are but a few of the superb hardwood flooring offerings you’ll find at Carpet Exchange. As a matter of fact, we have a veritable forest of options for you to choose from. And since Mother’s Day is what prompted this discussion in the first place, you have our complete permission. This is one gift it’s okay to give to yourself.