Thursday, September 29, 2011

Top five Myths About Hardwood Flooring

Top five Myths About Hardwood Flooring Are you confused about the type of flooring you need for your house? Are you concerned about using hardwood-flooring because of what you've heard about it? Below are explanations on some major myths about hardwood-flooring; they will help you to understand the truth from myths, and make better decisions regarding your purchase.

• Myth 1: "Hardwood floors are very expensive to purchase and maintain."'
Fact: The initial cost to purchase and install a hardwood floor strip could be higher compared to other types of flooring but it's durable. The costs of maintenance, re-sanding and cleaning are rather low.A hardwood floor lasts over decades and loses its color very gradually. This total cost compared to the cost of purchasing and cleaning other flooring is very less. A general dusting or mopping on a daily basis and immediate mopping of spillages is enough to take care of the floor.
• Myth 2: "Hardwood flooring cannot be used in the kitchen."
Fact: Interestingly, kitchens are best suited for hardwood floors. These rooms experience very high usage and traffic, and woodenfloors are built to meet such situations. Water spills, dropping food, etc. should be cleaned promptly to avoid staining or slipping, but then this would be true of any other flooring as well.
• Myth 3: "Hardwood floors are cold and difficult to maintain."
Fact: An excellent insulator, wood keeps the warmth in and the cold out. Maintaining a hardwood floor just requires you to dust mop it regularly and use appropriate floor cleaner regularly. The floor's beauty, luster and shine will be sustained for years on end without much effort. So when you take a good look, you find that flooring is a much more inviting and appealing product compared to linoleum, tile or laminate flooring.
• Myth 4: "Hardwood floors are not eco-friendly."
Fact: In today's world, being 'green' is very important. When looking at the various materials used for flooring in green buildings, you can notice the following. Engineered flooring can be refinished and re-sanded only once or twice, reducing its lifespan and replacement time. Laminate flooring cannot be refinished if scratched or worn out and will need to be replaced. Comparatively, flooring can be re-sanded and refinished many times and if properly maintained, it need not be replaced for decades making wooden flooring more eco-friendly compared to other floorings.
• Myth 5: "Hardwood floors develop gaps in the cold and lead to defects in the wood."
Fact: During the cold season, homes are heated and air gets dry causing wood, a natural material, to lose some moisture and shrink. It separates and develops gaps between boards as a natural process. In summers, when the heat is off and air is moist again, the gaps close normally. In fact, when laying the hardwood floor in the winter season, an experienced layer will leave slight spaces between the boards to allow wood expansion.
Knowing the many advantages of wooden flooring will help you make your decision on the type of flooring to use in your home or office. It is more durable and stronger than most synthetics. Most of the times, people have heard about the various myths surrounding hardwood flooring and therefore they are indecisive. Most of these are general misconceptions and there is no truth in them.

No comments:

Post a Comment