For centuries wooden floors were the preferred choice for homeowners. Then a few decades ago wall-to-wall carpeting took over as the favourite. Many homeowners covered over their wooden flooring with carpeting, others installed carpet in new homes. Now, however, many local homeowners are pulling up their worn, faded and dirty carpets in favour of wooden floors. In installing hardwood flooring home owners are adding a new dimension to their homes that they realize, as it grows in popularity, hardwood is likely best flooring to increase value of your home.
Indeed, potential buyers are likely to pay more for a house with hardwood flooring than for one without that asset and the house is likely to sell more quickly than otherwise would have been the case. Often homeowners sell their homes with old carpets that have become dirty, worn and stained. Although they suggest that the new owner can replace the carpet, possibly with wooden flooring, the impression given is already enough to put off buyers. On the other hand, hardwood flooring already installed helps a home to show well and increases its value, bringing with it a higher sale price.
Why Hardwood is the Best Flooring to Increase Value of Your Home
The value it adds to the price of a house is likely to exceed the cost of the installation of the floors.
There are many reasons installing a hardwood floor attracts buyers and boosts the value of a home. Here are some of them.
Wooden Flooring Is Timeless
Wood has a classic look that does not change as fleeting fashions change. Offered in a wide range of colors and finishes, wooden floors will fit in with any decor, providing a timeless base even when the furniture and fittings change.
If it is cared for, hardwood flooring lasts a lifetime. Other floors are likely to start showing wear and tear over time, but hardwood flooring will continue to display its classic finish for generations. Indeed, wooden floors have been around since the Middle Ages in Europe. Not only does wood outlast most other floor coverings, wood often improves in appearance as it ages.
It’s also worth remembering that even flooring that was installed decades ago can be revived and look as good as new with refinishing.
Wooden flooring accords, too, with today’s trend toward natural beauty and is viewed as eco-friendly. Unlike stone and tiling, wood has a natural warmth that darkens back over time, creating a feeling of enduring stability and dependability.
Hardwood flooring also adds a degree of spaciousness when it is installed in a home. It is therefore ideal for smaller spaces or any area that will be improved if it looks larger.
Hardwood Flooring Is Hygienic
Carpets and even the grout in tiles can gather all kinds of particles, dirt and grime over time that becomes ingrained. Even though they might be cleaned often, these types of floor covering still manage to trap pollen, dust, and animal dander.
Grime or dust that gathers on hardwood flooring surface can be quickly and easily removed, making any build-up unlikely.
Hardwood is affordable
In installing hardwood flooring home owners will find the floor is not only affordable, but also pays for itself over time. When considered how long they last and compared with other floor coverings, hardwood floors are more than worth the money that is put into them.
Over its long life, a quality wood finish will require little in the way of maintenance whereas other floor coverings will need to be deep cleaned regularly, repaired at times, and eventually replaced. Over the same time, a wooden floor will remain in place and continue to look great, proving itself to be great value for money.
Modern manufacturing methods have brought down the price of wooden flooring to such an extent that it is now available to almost anyone. In addition, wooden flooring is a great long-term investment, adding to the value of a home.
A hardwood floor can be customized to fit most budgets, too. In addition to a wide variety of flooring types and costs from which to choose, home owners have other ways to suit their flooring to their budgets. For example, wider floor boards tend to be more costly than narrower ones, so some owners select the narrower boards for areas that are likely to be covered up by beds or furniture.
They also might select less expensive oak hardwood flooring as opposed to dark hardwood floors, some of which can be more expensive. They might also use differently priced flooring in different parts of the house, depending on how often the rooms are used and the way in which they relate to each other.
Hardwood Flooring Is Strong and Resilient
Quality wooden flooring has stood the test of time and will continue to do so in the years to come. Manufactured to strict standards and installed correctly, quality wooden flooring will last for decades. Hardwood can withstand a considerable amount of heavy foot traffic without showing any effect, unlike a carpet that would show wear and tear in heavily used areas.
Should a wood floor become damaged or badly scratched due to exceptionally heavy traffic, it can be restored to its original beauty by sanding and sealing, which would be less expensive than installing a new carpet should it suffer similar damage.
It Cleans Easily
Sweeping and light vacuuming can keep a wooden floor clean of dirt and debris. Should pets and children dirty the floor it can be easily mopped and kept looking good. Similar dirt on a carpet cannot always be easily cleaned and can leave stains that last for the rest of the carpet’s life.
Wood Floor Is Available In Many Styles
Hardwood flooring comes in many different colours, styles and widths. Maple hardwood flooring, for example, comes in a range of colours from light to dark, with many shades between. Oak hardwood flooring and hickory hardwood flooring also provide many choices, as do finished and unfinished surfaces.
These colours, stains and styles make it possible to blend in with any decor, adding a richness that is difficult to beat.
Other floor coverings offer patterns and colours that tend to come and go with the latest fashions. In the 70s, for example, popular colours for carpets were far different than those that are popular today. But the styles of wooden flooring do not come and go in the same way. The appeal of wood is as great today as it has ever been.
Another attractive feature of wooden flooring is that it can be complemented with rugs to add to its versatility and appeal.
It Is Easily Installed
Installing hardwood floors has become relatively easy as a result of today’s quality milling that ensures a stable and uniform fit.