Why choose hardwood flooring over some other floor covering? Here is a list of 10 reasons I think hardwood floors are a great choice for any home.
Uniqueness: No two floors are identical
Wood is a natural product and thus no two boards are exactly identical therefore, no two floors are identical. Each floor has its own unique beauty and character.
Resell Value:
According to a survey conducted in 2011 by the National Wood Flooring Association, 90 percent of realtors said that homes with hardwood floors sell faster & for higher prices than homes without hardwood floors.
Improved Air Quality:
The American Lung Association advises against using wall-to-wall carpeting due to the fact that carpets collect and hold dirt, pollen and other particles that can have harmful effects on your respiratory system.
The average person spends 12-15 hours in their home every day. If you’re an allergy sufferer, it’s important that your home be as contaminant-free as possible to reduce the amount of time you spend sneezing and sniffling.
Studies show that 90% of the people who have allergies and/or asthma are very sensitive to dust mites – tiny insects who like to dwell in carpet and on cloth surfaces. Installing hardwood flooring will greatly reduce the overall impurities in your home’s air.
Longevity:
It is not unreasonable to expect that, properly cared for, a typical 3/4 inch solid hardwood floor can last from 35 to 100+ years.
By comparison, one estimate puts the service life of linoleum to be around 18 years. Carpet has an average life of 5-15 years and laminate 7-20 years. These floor coverings have to be thrown out in a landfill when they reached the end of their life where as wood flooring can be refinished, repaired, or recycled.
You can visit buildings on the east coast and in Europe where wood floors are hundreds of years old.
Customization:
Wood floors are among one of the most customizable products in your home. For starters there are hundreds of species and grades to choose from. You can stain your floors to change the tone and color. Being a product of nature every board is unique to itself, no two boards are identical.
There are numerous designs and patterns you can use. You can add custom made medallions or even border out rooms or fireplaces.
You have the option to have your floor reflect your own unique style and taste that cannot be duplicated in the exact same way making your floor very special to your home.
Ease of Maintenance:
Hardwood flooring is among the easiest of floor coverings to maintain. Basically, dust mop on a regular basis is all you have to do with an occasional use of an approved cleaner. About every 5-10 years simply add a maintenance coat to your floor and you shouldn’t have to resand your floors, giving you a lifetime of ease and enjoyment.
Quality Hardwood Flooring fits easily into any décor.
Most interior designers agree that hardwood flooring accentuates any décor and adds a special touch of elegance whether your style is contemporary or traditional. The timeless appeal and beauty of quality hardwood floors enhances your furnishings and allows you to create the ambiance you desire whether you’re going for a warm comfortable atmosphere or a smooth contemporary feeling.
Natural Insulator:
Hardwood flooring provides high insulation properties. It stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. One inch of hardwood has the same insulation factor as 15 inches of concrete.
Hardwood floor sales support good forest management.
Wood floors are a high-end use for forest products and can involve better margins, thereby ensuring the perpetuation of the forest. Many developing countries today rely on timber for export earnings, yet the greatest threat to primary forests in these countries is conversion to other forms of land use. Using exotic species for wood floors is a good way to give a high value to the wood and encourage reforestation for continued income production.
Hardwood is our greatest renewable resource.
North America has more than 70 percent of the forest cover that was here in the 1600s, and many exotic woods come from certified sustainable forests. North America produces more wood than any other place on the planet! We plant about 1.6 trees for every one that is harvested.