If you’re thinking about installing a new floor and are looking for wood flooring information, you’ve come to the right place. Installing wood floors can have a huge advantage, despite its cost. There are ways to decrease the cost (looking at vinyl imitation flooring, bamboo, etc.,) and once they’re installed, you have them for life. Hardwood floors can increase the resale value of your home, improve your help, and be environmentally friendly, all at the same time. Hopefully this wood flooring information will help you make an informed choice on choosing a wood floor over carpet or linoleum.
Wood Flooring
To start off, here’s a fun tidbit of wood flooring information. Historically, wood flooring came in two different kinds: plank flooring (boards that were 8 inches or wider) and strip (narrower boards, between 2 and 4 inches). Plank floors were a sign of lower class and rural areas, while strip floors were more prevalent in the middle and upper class. Both of these kinds are now the standard for wood flooring.
Environmental Impact
If you’re worried about having an impact on the environment, good news! Per the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, more hardwoods are being grown than removed. The best hardwood floors can last for up to hundreds of years, which also makes them environmentally friendly. If they get too old, they can be recycled into brand new materials .Additionally, you can use reclaimed wood flooring or bamboo to make your floors even more “green.” In fact, did you know that bamboo is a highly renewable source of material? Since it’s a grass, it grows rapidly–up to 47 inches in a day. Recent technology has refined bamboo to make it a beautiful source of flooring for your home. Bamboo can bring down the cost of hardwood floors, while still giving you a great look.
Health
Recently, the US Environmental Protection Agency stated that indoor air quality was higher in buildings with wood floors, compared to buildings with carpets or other materials. This is most likely due to the fact that cleaning hardwood floors is easier to manage than with carpet. Carpets can often get dust or other allergens stuck in them, while hardwood floors can easily be swept, mopped, or vacuumed.
Aesthetic
Hardwood floors always give an air of sophistication and old-world class. People find them more aesthetically pleasing and they usually increase your property value. If you have an older house that has old, scuffed wood floors, consider refinishing or re-sanding them, as a way to restore its natural beauty. This can also improve the value of your home!