Chances are if you live in a home built around the 1950’s and have never looked underneath the carpeting, you’re in for a pleasant surprise: Hardwood flooring! You might not know that a majority of the homes built before and after World War II still contain the fabulous original wooden flooring just below the carpet’s surface. In many cases, this hidden wooden treasure will still be in great shape after being protected under countless new carpets and padding over the years, and ready for exposure.

An added bonus to finding your own "buried treasure" is that if you are not satisfied with its color, you or a professional can sand, stain, refinish and coat the floor to get the desired look you want. Best of all, these techniques will enable you to introduce your own style into one of the original (and we think finest) attributes of your home.

Although carpeting remains today as the most popular floor covering in American homes, wood floors are gaining back their popularity, particularly in newly constructed, high-end, very large-scale homes. Because of the size of these homes, wooden floors help add a much needed contrast to the vast areas of square footage.

In addition to their natural beauty, and no matter what the dimensions of your room, wooden floors can easily be complemented with a gorgeous area rug. Even though the cost of refinishing a wooden floor is similar to the cost of a quality high-end, wall-to-wall carpet, just keep in mind that area rugs will add to the total cost of the room project.

Advantages of Hardwood

Photo: Flooring by Bruce® American OriginalsTM Grand Canyon, 5-inch plank Photo: Flooring by Bruce® Liberty PlainsTM Natural, 5-inch plank

Hardwood floors offer warmth, charm and an increased value to existing or new homes. Nothing surpasses the natural beauty of wood floors. Their cost is comparable to other high quality floor coverings, but can also last a lifetime if properly cared for and maintained.

With that in mind, it is important to choose your hardwood floor very carefully. This large investment is one that should be carefully thought out before a final decision is made. You’ll probably purchase one type of floor in your home, due to the cost, so choose wisely.

Wood flooring will enhance the décor of any room and a home’s desirability. According to the National Wood Flooring Association, or NWFA, 90% of real estate agents polled in a national survey stated that a house with wood flooring would sell faster and for a higher price than a similar house without wood flooring.

New technology has helped control the time involved with the maintenance of today’s wood floors. The new finishes and stains call for minor cleaning, involving only minimal time and effort. These products offered by many different flooring manufacturers are easily available, economical and work well.

Many experts claim that natural wood floors are economically sound and are easily sustainable. Today, most timber is cut from forests that are carefully managed and cared for. As a result, our national forests are no longer in jeopardy of diminishing as they were in the past. According to U.S. Forest Service statistics, almost twice as much hardwood timber is added, rather than harvested, every year due to new growth. In fact, there is more standing hardwood timber today than there was 50 years ago.

Wood floors also help contribute to a healthy living environment. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that poor indoor air quality is one of our top health threats. Hard surface flooring does not harbor dust mites or mold, which can escape into and pollute the air. This is good news to the estimated 35 million Americans who suffer from allergies. The hard surface also helps reduce the build-up of artificial substances, such as pesticides, toxins and other foreign objects that can accumulate over time in other types of floor coverings.

Related Links

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |