Hardwood has established itself as a classic flooring choice for homes everywhere with over a century’s worth of pedigree behind it. People around the world appreciate its timeless elegance and have used it to decorate their homes expressing their own unique taste.
Whether you are building a new house or renovating, you can never go wrong with choosing hardwood flooring. It has a variety of other benefits that can enhance the look, feel, and value of your home.
What Is Hardwood Flooring?
Hardwood flooring is made from wooden planks milled from a single piece of timber. In addition to countries like Germany which supplies the popular beech trees used in European hardwood flooring, basic raw materials that are used for these types of floors can also come from Canada and the United States.
Hardwood flooring from Toronto is especially popular since the climate and soil in the area is suitable for the species of trees that make quality material. Here are examples of domestic trees that are highly valued for their flooring potential:
- Red Oak
- White Oak
- Maple
- Hickory
- Black Walnut
- Cherry
- Beech
- Ash
Why Choose Hardwood Flooring?
Hardwood floors are functional, versatile, and aesthetically pleasing, making them a worthwhile investment. Here’s a list of other qualities that make hardwood floors a mainstay in homes and commercial buildings alike:
Tough and Long-lasting
One of the best selling points for hardwood flooring is that they are extremely durable. Unlike other floor types such as vinyl, linoleum, and tiles that can crack or peel when under duress, hardwoods have relatively high compression and bending strength, which allows them to withstand heavy foot traffic.
In addition, physical damage such as scuffs, scratches, and general wear and tear can be easily removed or repaired without replacement. This is because hardwood can be sanded down and refinished multiple times during its lifetime with barely any impact to its structural integrity.
Furthermore, with proper care and maintenance, hardwood floors can last over 100 years.
Easy to Clean and Maintain
Hardwood floors are extremely easy to clean and maintain. They can simply be vacuumed, swept, and dry-mopped. In addition, the flooring is significantly more stain-resistant than carpets. Spills and stains can simply be wiped clean using a dry cloth.
In order to keep your hardwood floors well-maintained, here are some simple tips you can follow:
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- Use a microfiber cloth and mop to get rid of small debris and dust.
- Vacuum your hardwood floor at least once a week.
- Apply hardwood floor polish once a month to fill in those microscopic scratches and evens out a floor’s protective surface.
- Sand and finish your floors every 3 to 5 years to smoothen out physical damage like dents.
Reduced the Risk of Allergies
Carpeting is notorious for collecting dust, dirt, and tiny particles of debris. Even flooring like tiles and laminate have lines and grout in which dirt can settle into and cannot be easily cleaned. If left alone, these can lead to health issues, like allergies.
Solid hardwood flooring is extremely resistant to dust and dirt accumulation. Moreover, harmful allergens such as pollen, pet dander, and dust mites cannot settle deeply on the surface, so they can safely be vacuumed away. This results in healthier indoor air and home environment.
Suitable With Any Home Décor
Most interior designers agree that hardwood flooring is an elegant replacement for conventional floors regardless if your home is styled to look more traditional or modern. This is because the hardwood flooring can add a touch of class to your home décor and compliments any furnishing in your house.
The natural grain and colours of hardwood floors make them adaptable. Even if you decide to change décor from time to time, they will still look great. Moreover, these floorings come in a variety of styles and shades to fit your desired theme, especially if you choose to opt for customized flooring services.
Enhanced Look and Comfort of Your Home
Hardwood flooring is popular for its high-end aesthetic which gives any room an elegant but cozy appeal. Moreover, the warmth of the natural beauty of hardwood flooring can make a room look bigger and more comfortable.
When your home meets the balance between comfort and style, you’ll feel more at ease and rest better while indulging in your house’s beauty and atmosphere.
Better Acoustics
Floorings such as tiles and stone floors transmit sound easily. Any noise made by impact and footfall can carry throughout different parts of the house. This can disturb other members of the household, especially light sleepers.
Hardwood flooring, on the other hand, is a natural sound insulator. Because the flooring is installed over a subfloor, any sound that is produced by hard-soled shoes, dropped objects, and impact are considerably quieter.
Furthermore, hardwood flooring can also improve the acoustics within the room. It reduces hollow sounds or vibrations produced by certain appliances and machines.
Increased the Resale Value of Your House
When you choose to install hardwood floors, not only do you create a unique and elegant look for you interiors, you also increase the resale value of your house. Most houses with hardwood floors sell faster compared to their counterparts on the market.
Since solid hardwood floors are known for their high quality, durability and low-maintenance, they are quite attractive to buyers, especially to millennials and Gen X’ers. Moreover, hardwood flooring can easily add as much as 3% to 5% of the total sale value.
Decreased Risk of Discolouration and Staining
One of the biggest problems with carpets, tiles, and vinyl floorings is that their colours tend to fade over time, especially with wear and tear. When this happens, they can become unsightly.
While hardwood flooring does fade, the discolouration only affects its shade. The wood can turn lighter or darker over time, but the flooring still retains its natural beauty. Most people rarely have problems with colours fading from hardwood floors.
Environment-Friendly
If you prioritize sustainable and eco-friendly materials, then hardwood flooring is the right option for you. Other flooring options, such as linoleum, are generally made from vinyl, which is both synthetic and non-biodegradable. This is the same thing for most carpets which use artificial fibres. They are generally more difficult to dispose of and the act of doing so will add the landfill problems.
However, hardwood flooring is made from all-natural materials and renewable resources. Harvesting trees needed for hardwood production is also strictly regulated so it does not result in deforestation.
There are plenty of benefits that you can get from hardwood flooring. Not only does it give your home a timeless, elegant look, its durability and ease of maintenance also gives you peace of mind as well as full satisfaction from your investment.
For professional solid hardwood flooring services in the Toronto area, call Capital Hardwood Flooring at (416) 536-2200 today. We’ll be happy to provide you with the best service possible.