Solid Ash Hardwood

Buying a home will be the largest purchase you will ever make in your life. Therefore, you would be wise to try to maximize the value of your home in any way you can. This will pay off if you should decide to sell your home at some point in the future. There are many ways you can go about increasing your home’s value. Some are more costly than others. The installation of hardwood floors is one of the most popular ways that people have been doing this. Let’s take a look at why having hardwood floors installed in your home is a good idea and what you need to know before you undertake such a project.

According to a survey that was conducted by the National Wood Flooring Association, 82 percent of real estate agents interviewed for the survey believed that homes containing hardwood floors usually sold faster and for larger amounts of money than those that did not. It is very clear that a hardwood floor is a key element in attracting the attention of potential buyers. Not only will a hardwood floor make your home more valuable, it is also easy to take care of.

When it comes to installing a new hardwood floor or refinishing an older floor, here are a few things you should keep in mind. There are many options to choose from regarding hardwood floors. These include hand-scraped, engineered, solid, prefinished, unfinished plank and many others. It is easy to become confused by all of these choices. Some of the things you will need to consider as a homeowner prior to selecting a type of flooring are issues such as your family’s lifestyle, how level your floors are, the condition of your current subfloor and humidity levels. If your basement is where you do most of your TV watching, an engineered option is recommended because of its ability to be installed over concrete. It is able to tolerate expansion and humidity better than solid hardwood.

If you want to have hardwood floors installed in your bedrooms or your main living areas, you can select either solid or engineered hardwood, prefinished or unfinished hardwood.   Installation of prefinished hardwood flooring is quicker and easier than unfinished hardwood because the finish is already applied at the factory.   It will not need to be sanded and finished on-site which eliminates noise, dust and toxic smells that go along with installation of unfinished flooring.  Once the prefinished hardwood is installed you can walk on it immediately whereas unfinished floors take about 10 hours or so to dry depending on humidity levels.  Installation costs are typically lower for prefinished hardwood versus unfinished hardwood floors.  Warranties for prefinished typically range from 25 to 30 years whereas unfinished flooring may need to be refinished more often.

Samoan Mahagany

We are now living in a world that is more conscious about protecting the environment than ever before. If you are a person who wants to go green in terms of your home improvements, you will be happy to know that there are a wide variety of eco-friendly hardwood flooring options available to you such as bamboo.  If bamboo is not an option for you look for the stamp of approval of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC is in charge of overseeing sustainable forests where the natural environment is always being supervised and trees are replanted.

There is no question that a hardwood floor is a wonderful addition to any home whether you want to sell or stay and enjoy it yourself!  It is beautiful in appearance, very easy to clean, will impress potential buyers and get you more money if you sell your home. There is really no downside to installing a hardwood floor.