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You'd be challenging-pressed to discover a homeowner who does not want hardwood floors. Wall-to-wall carpeting is out, and hardwood floors are in. But are they worth the value? Let's face it: at $8-$ten per square foot (installed), wood flooring is far more pricey than carpeting or the increasingly common laminates that offer a similar appear.

If you happen to be on the fence and can't choose whether to set up hardwood floors (or maybe peel back your old carpeting and refinish the wood underneath), this list may be in a position to support. We're going to take a appear at some of the rewards of hardwoods:

1. Longevity

Thanks to tough finishes that are straightforward to repair, solid-wood floors can final for a hundred years or far more. There are very couple of flooring materials that have been around as extended as wood. More than the centuries, it has shown itself to be a lovely and tough floor decision. Other newer materials have however to prove themselves.

two. Coziness and Warmth

Not only is hardwood more pleasant to stroll on than laminate (which usually really feel cold and a little "plastic" underfoot), but it is naturally warm. Wood is an superb insulator, thanks to its thousands of tiny air chambers per cubic inch, which hold in heat.

three. Hypoallergenic

Got allergies? As opposed to carpets (read: breeding grounds for mold, mildew, and dust mites, all of which can be challenging on anybody with allergies), wood floors don't give pollen, animal dander, mold, etc. any spot to hide and thrive. Even when you steam clean carpets, it is not possible to get them completely clean. In fact, finding them wet just tends to make things worse. Hardwood flooring is an excellent choice for any person with any sort of environmental allergies. (And it tends to make very good sense for everybody else too--who wants to lie down on a floor that is hiding mold?)

four. Effortless to Clean

A little sweeping and a small mopping, and your hardwood floors will keep looking nice for a extended time to come. Even families with dogs and youngsters are realizing that it really is easier to mop a hardwood floor than try to spray/scrub/wash grape Kool-Help out of a carpet. Another perk is that a scratch right here or a gouge there truly just adds character to wood floors (of course, you can often have them refinished if you prefer perfection).

five. Improve Property Value

Unless you are going to be residing in the same property for the rest of your life, you ought to consider about how the flooring options you make right now will have an effect on the cost you can get for your home when you sell it. Carpet will appear old and utilized in just a handful of years, whereas wood floors last a long time and add worth to a house (if you've ever watched these house hunter shows on television, you have doubtlessly seen just about every single prospective purchaser searching about hopefully for hardwood floors). Even laminate flooring, which looks like wood flooring, is a distant second decision for homebuyers. It just does not have the exact same warmth and really feel.

These are just a handful of of the rewards of hardwood floors. We did not even mention the aesthetic value: at the end of the day, they just appear greater than the options. If you can afford to pay an extra couple dollars per square foot, go with hardwood. If you have hardwoods hiding beneath your current carpets, tear those suckers up and get the wood refinished.

If you settle for laminate or just replacing the carpeting, you may possibly regret it down the road.

For far more information, go to the Hardwood Flooring section of the author's House Improvement website. click here