The pros and cons of hardwood flooring

Well maintained and high-quality hardwood flooring can transform the entire look of your home's interior. Luckily, with the hardwood flooring, maintenance is usually pretty easy to keep up with and much easier to clean than alternative flooring options, such as carpet. Although the maintenance work on hardwood flooring is minimal, it can require weekly attention which may seem tedious at first. However, the work you put in will indeed be worth the effort when you can enjoy your beautiful wood flooring for years to come. Residents who are considering installing a wood floor in their home should be sure to identify all of the pros and cons to determine if the wooden flooring route is the best choice for their home.

 

Pros of Wood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is a popular flooring option because of its unique quality. Although there are many imitation wood flooring options out there, none of them can achieve the authentic and distinct quality of real wood, this was highlighted to me by some of the lovely staff at Macwoods who specialize in hardwood flooring. People are going to continually choose real wood over imitation wood just because the real wood flooring offers has such a beautiful appearance. Quality and elegant hardwood flooring can give your home an inviting and comfortable atmosphere that is unmatched by the atmosphere of imitation woods. Real hardwood flooring is also superior because of its practicality, durability, and resilience for guaranteed long-lasting use.

An example of why people love hardwood flooring!

 

A short list of positive and related things about wood flooring for you to look deeper into:

• Heated wood floors
• Renewable wood flooring
• Natural wood look
• Oil finished flooring
• Asian hardwoods
• Brazilian hardwoods
• Janka Rating (hardness test)

Although the humid environment can threaten the quality of your home's wood flooring, it can withstand these threats as long as it is properly cared for. When purchasing the wood floor, you'll want to consider how the installation process is going to be done. Proper installation is one of the essential factors in maintaining high-quality wood floor. With proper installation, hardwood floors can ensure a long life with a "like new" appearance throughout. Proper maintenance can also allow wood floors to last a lifetime and often even longer. Not only will proper maintenance benefit you while you're occupying the home, but it can also increase the value of the property. If you plan on selling your home in the future, well-maintained wood can tack on a pretty solid amount to the price of your home.

 

Cons of Hardwood Flooring

Although there are plenty of positives to investing in the wood floor, it's important to weigh the negatives as well to determine what would be the best choice for your unique situation. Moisture can pose a pretty significant threat to wood flooring because it can cause permanent water damage if it's not immediately dried. When combining the rainy weather of the Springtime and the general humidity of the city year-round, the wood flooring doesn't seem quite as appealing. Not to mention natural spills and leaks in the homes could contribute to a wet atmosphere in the home, which is not accommodating to wood flooring.

 

Heated flooring first stages

 

A few things that are not so good about hardwood flooring and related topics for you too look deeper into:

• Expensive
• Not all woods used are from renewable sources
• If damaged can be expensive to replace or difficult to colour match a patch
• Cold if not heated
• Not pet friendly (slip and slide)
• Wear and tear, scratches leading to replacement or colour matching issues

Although the weather can be a downside to having wood flooring, there are ways that owners can maintain the same quality of the wood with just a bit more work. One of the best things homeowners can do is react quickly to any water on the wood floor. If you see rainwater or snow being tracked in the house, clean it up immediately with dry towels and a vacuum. For leaks or watermarks, contact a professional to have them taken care of immediately to avoid further damage. Since moisture in the air is also a big problem, buying a humidifier can help reduce the humidity in your home to avoid contact with the wood.

The article The pros and cons of hardwood flooring was originally published to Smash Design