Wood floors are one of those elaborate items that add significant value to your home, along with remodeled kitchen & bath and granite countertops. Elegant look and amazingly long service life make hardwood floors and stone countertops a nice option for homeowners with a healthy budget. Consumers with modest finances can also benefit from remodeling their homes. Many material manufacturers design and create new exciting opportunities at a lower cost to suit most needs. Take a look at some of the alternative options to hardwood flooring and natural stone...

Facts

      Here are some interesting facts about hardwood flooring:

  • Homes with hardwood floors are easier and faster to sell.
    According to 99% of real estate agents participating in The National Wood Flooring Association survey. 

  • Homes with hardwood flooring sell for up to 10% more money.
     According to 88% of real estate agents participating in The National Wood Flooring Association survey

  • Wood flooring’s estimated life is 100-plus years.
           According to National Association of Home Builders.

Durability

With proper maintenance hardwood floors can last for generations. Here are the examples of original parquet floors dated 1760 :
Rundale Palace and Museum (Latvia).
Wood floors are the only flooring option that can be renewed numerous times throughout their service life. Wood floors can adapt to many different decorating styles and can even be stained, distressed or hand-scraped to change their overall appearance without replacing the original material.

Refinishing

The process of refinishing wood floors depends on the degree of damage.
If flooring itself is in good condition and only finish is worn or dull looking the process of refinishing shouldn’t take more than etching (sanding) the floor and applying a new coat of finish.
If floors are in bad shape, they may need refurbishing. This process is more involved requiring rough-sanding, fine-sanding, stain application then finishing the floor with a durable clear polyurethane. For heavy applications Spar Urethane may be the finish of choice.

Installation

Wood is a natural material. It will swell and shrink as it gains and loses moisture with the seasons. Thus close attention must be paid to moisture level of the concrete slab and subfloor preparation. It’s a good idea to leave flooring in the room or house it’s being installed to permeate with room temperatures for several days before installation. Proper nailing, staggering and installation is the guarantee of a beautiful long lasting wood floor. If your hardwood floor has big gaps between planks, squeaks or bulges then obviously a mistake was made in one of the installation steps. A properly installed floor shouldn’t make much if any noise and looks aesthetically correct.

Hard Wood Flooring