Hardwood floors add a luxurious touch to any contemporary or traditional decor. They can also increase the value of your home. Wood flooring comes in many different species and grain patterns. It’s also available in a variety of thicknesses and widths. Hardwood floors are one of the most attractive flooring options for a number of reasons. First, they add a sense of warmth and sophistication to any home. Hardwood Floors in Chicago also provide a great foundation for the other decorative accents in your home, such as paint, furniture, and accessories.
They also look good with almost every interior design theme. If you change your home’s mirrors, wall art, or other accents, your floors will flawlessly match without looking out of place. A variety of species and colors are available to make choosing the right flooring option for your home easy. These include oak, red oak, maple, hickory, birch wood, and walnut. These woods all have unique grain patterns, color variations, and marks that create an authentic appearance.
Another advantage of hardwood is that it never goes out of style. It has been in use for thousands of years and remains popular despite changes in design trends. It is a great choice for any home and looks particularly elegant with more traditional decor styles. It also suits more modern decorative themes like industrial, contemporary, and rustic. In addition to the aesthetics of wood, it is also an eco-friendly option. It’s one of the most abundantly renewable materials, so it is an excellent alternative to plastic and other synthetic flooring options.
Lastly, hardwood is easy to clean and maintain. Routine sweeping and damp mopping will help to keep it looking fresh and pristine. Lighter stains are more forgiving when it comes to cleaning. They tend to hide dents, scratches, and scuff marks better than darker-stained hardwood. They also show less dirt and pet hair (if you have pets) than dark-stained floors.
A lighter-colored floor will also brighten your room, making it appear larger. This can be especially helpful for rooms that don’t get as much natural light, such as smaller bedrooms. For a warm, classic look that will never go out of style, choose brown or tan hardwoods like hickory. These hardwoods have streaks of tan and darker brown, which gives them a distinctive appearance that will complement any traditional decor style. Hardwood floors are a classic choice in many homes, and for good reason. They look gorgeous, hold up well to wear and tear, and add a significant amount of value to your home when it’s time to sell.
But even the most beautiful hardwood floors need a little TLC from time to time in order to keep them looking their best and staying in good shape. Here are a few low maintenance requirements that most homeowners can follow to help their flooring last as long as possible and be as beautiful as possible at the same time.
The first and most important requirement for a truly low-maintenance floor is durability. It needs to be tough enough to handle heavy traffic, temperature fluctuations, and humidity changes so it won’t become scuffed, scratched, or warped as quickly as other materials might.
If you have pets, select flooring that can withstand their claws and nails without scuffing the surface of the wood. Choose a floor with a textured finish that can protect the hardwood from their nails, and don’t allow liquids to stand on the floors (unless you have a mop designed for this task).
Pet-friendly flooring options include engineered hardwood, bamboo, ebony planks, and some laminates. Some laminates are 100% waterproof, which means they can be installed in bathrooms and kitchens where spills and heat are a concern.
You’ll also want to choose a stain-resistant material, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom where grease and food can leave unsightly stains on your floors. For example, unfinished ebony planks are a great choice in these areas because they’re durable and able to withstand moisture and temperature.
In the same vein, you’ll also want to consider whether your new flooring will be resistant to dents and scratches. You can minimize the amount of scratches by reducing the amount of traffic in those areas, using felt pads under furniture, and making sure to keep your pets’ nails short so they don’t drag their nails through your hardwood floors.
It’s also a good idea to clean your floors regularly, keeping loose dirt, dust, and debris under control with a broom or vacuum with a hard floor attachment instead of the beater bar. Regularly cleaning your floors will keep them looking their best and help them stand up to high traffic in your home.
When it comes to wood flooring, durability is one of the most important things homeowners look for. The hardness of the wood is a major factor in how long it will last, and a higher hardness rating means that your floors will stand up to heavy traffic without much damage.
The best way to determine how hard a wood is is to use the Janka Hardness Test. This test measures the amount of force that it takes to bury a steel ball halfway into a sample plank of the floor. The number generated from this test is known as the Janka rating.
A higher Janka rating indicates that a particular floor will resist dents better than a lower hardness hardwood. It also tells you that the floor will be stronger against moisture and abrasion.
There are a lot of different species of hardwood available, and each has its own unique characteristics. These include colors, grains, and manufacturing type.
Some of the more durable types of hardwood include oak, hickory, and brazilian walnut. In addition to their durability, they also provide a lot of character to a home’s flooring.
Another consideration is the type of finish applied to your hardwood floor. Many hardwood finishes are made with a variety of additives that protect the surface from scratches and stains. These can also help reduce fading and UV damage.
The most durable hardwood floors come with high-quality finishes that are designed to saturate the surface of the wood and protect it from abrasion and moisture. They also often contain aluminum oxide, which helps prevent fading and scratches.
If you have kids or pets, you’ll want to choose a harder wood species that can withstand their wear and tear. For example, red oak will be more resistant to scratches from pet claws than pine.
You can also choose lighter colors to minimize scuff marks and dents from shoes or children’s toys. You can also choose a different color for each section of your floor, which can create a more uniform appearance.
Choosing a high-quality hardwood flooring can give your home a timeless look that will be beautiful for years to come. It’s also a great investment that will pay off in the long run.
Hardwood floors can make a major impact on your home’s resale value. In fact, a majority of real estate agents say that homes with hardwood flooring sell for more money.
This is due to a number of reasons. First, buyers prefer a house with a consistent look and feel throughout. When they see a home with carpet in one room, vinyl in another, and wood in the third, it can leave them feeling confused and less likely to buy it.
It also affects the way that the home looks in the neighborhood and how it compares to others on the market. This is especially important if it’s a large, single-family home that’s surrounded by apartments and condos.
As a result, it’s critical to keep the flooring in your home as neutral as possible. It’s best to stick with a similar color and style from room to room, which will make the house more attractive to potential buyers and boost the price of your home.
Another great way to increase the resale value of your home is by updating your floors with new ones. This can be done either through a DIY project or by hiring a professional floor refinishing company to handle the job.
If you have hardwood floors in your home, it’s a good idea to consider refinishing them to give them a fresh look. This will be a very cost-effective way to add a bit of resale value to your home.
The average cost to refinish hardwood floors ranges from about $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the condition of your floors and the work that needs to be done. It’s a good idea to hire a professional who can handle the job properly so you get the most out of your investment.
In addition to adding resale value, upgrading your floors will help you enjoy the comfort and aesthetic appeal of the wood for years to come. In addition, many homeowners find that refinishing their wood floors produces a similar amount of satisfaction as installing them for the first time.