Pros and Cons of Hardwood Floors

Whether you're remodeling and looking to install wood floors or you've recently purchased a home with wood floors and don't know whether to embrace them or cover them, among many other reasons, it can be hard to decide if wood floors are the right choice for your home. This guide will help you determine the pros and cons of having hardwood floors.

Benefits of Hardwood Flooring

Lifespan

To start, hardwood floors are likely to last longer than carpet and various other types of flooring. When well cared for, hardwood floors can last more than 100 years.

In my personal experience, the hardwood floors in our home are the original quartersawn oak hardwood floors to the home and have been here for more than 50 years. After refinishing them, they look brand new.

Allergies

If you've got issues with allergies, such as dust, hardwood floors can really help keep them under control. This is because hardwood floors do not collect dust and other allergens like carpeting might.

Cleaning

For the sake of cleaning, hardwood floors are less time consuming and easier to clean. If a dog has an accident on a hardwood floor, you can simply mop (or wipe) it up. If a dog has an accident on carpeting, you'll likely need to get out various carpet cleaners to remove the stain and maybe even a steam cleaner.

Value

Many buyers in the home market are often willing to pay more for a house with hardwood floors. Even if they do not themselves want hardwood floors, throwing down a few throw rugs and later reaping the benefits of owning a home with hardwood floors (when selling it) is extremely appealing.

Design

Last, but not least, hardwood floors have never gone out of style. While that berber carpeting may have been popular back in the 90s, it's out of style today; and that new carpet you had installed last week? Don't worry, in a few years, it too, will be out of style. While color trends of hardwood floors may change throughout the years, the floors themselves never do. Plus, you can refinish a hardwood floor and have it stained a different color if it so pleases you.

Cons of Hardwood Floors

Cost

If your home does not already have hardwood floors, they can be expensive to install. The more exotic or high quality the wood, the more expensive it will be to install.

Refinishing

Though hardwood floors last longer than certain other types of flooring, eventually wear and tear will occur and the floors will need to be refinished. Refinishing can be costly, especially if there is an excessive amount of damage present.

Surface Damage

Scratches, dents and scrapes can be visually unappealing in a hardwood floor. Soft hardwood floors may be more prone to this type of damage, though some feel that these dents and scratches give the wood 'character.'

Water damage can also be an issue. Wood floors that are damaged by water will need to be replaced.

Noise

Even the best of the best contractors cannot guarantee that noise such as creaking will not occur after hardwood floors have been installed. In fact, it is normal for there to be some noise after installing hardwood flooring.

Natural Movement

Wood floors naturally 'move' over time or through the seasons. This could mean shrinkage in the winter and swelling in the summer. A good contractor will take this into account when installing new wood floors, but some may not be able to handle the small gaps that may appear when the wood is in a period of shrinkage.

These, of course, are just a few of the many different pros and cons you may come across when debating hardwood floors. Be sure that if you decide one way or another, that your choice fits your lifestyle (and your budget.)

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Additional Information:

How to Hardwood Floors: Benefits of Hardwood Flooring

Builder Online: Product Pros and Cons: Hardwood Flooring Vs. Bamboo