The Benefits of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood Floors or Carpeting?  Both types of flooring materials have distinct advantages and disadvantages.  Different living and working environments call for different materials, some features of carpeting and hardwoods are consistent across environments.

CARPETING

Benefits:

• Quiet and Comfortable
• One of carpets attributes is its soft and insulating.
• It naturally absorbs sound.
• It maintains heat, which is definitely a benefit in colder environments.
• It is comfortable for people regularly on their feet for extended periods of time.
• It proves priceless in the case of slips, trips and dropped items

Negatives:

• Carpeting always goes out of style, it’s difficult to catch carpeting at the “peak” of style
• You may be forced to replace carpeting several  times as trends go in and out
• New carpet smell=chemical cartel
• New carpeting can be a health hazard.  Modern manufacturing uses synthetic materials which can be hazardous.  New carpets will leak for years, and new carpet installation often uses chemicals which emit fumes.  These may not be healthy and may cause sinus or breathing problems
• High Maintenance; carpet immediately deteriorates; the more traffic it sees, the worse the effect.  Most carpets have loops That can be pulled loose, once a carpet begins unraveling it quickly gets worse and is very difficult to repair.  Replacing it completely is usually necessary
• Carpets require regular intensive cleaning, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly with expensive acids, chemicals and equipment.  Even with regular care, particles of all sorts settle near the floor.  Dampness from accidents and even carpet shampooing can cause rot and mildew.
• Allergies are a problem with carpeting.  They are a constant source of irritating dander, dust, fluff, fur, mildew, mold and pollen.  Dust mites, especially, love carpet

HARDWOOD FLOORS

Benefits:

• Safe and Clean
• Hardwood floors don’t hide harmful particulate matter, making for healthier, safer living environment, especially for allergy suffers
• Generally, hardwood floors may cost more than carpeted floors, but they require less maintenance, last longer and can be “repaired,” instead of replaced
• Sometimes in older homes hardwood floors might be draftier, but this can be resolved with a well-selected area rug
• Low maintenance; compared to carpeting hardwood floors require less maintenance –in terms of both effort and equipment.  Consider, simply, the difference in price between a mop and vacuum.
• Hardwood floors are much more resistant to spills and stains
• When a hardwood floor gets scraped, scuffed dented or damaged in anyway it can simply be sanded, smoothed and refinished.  It is rarely necessary to replace a wood floor
• Wood is a naturally occurring resource which can be reforested making hardwood floors a quality ecological choice
• Unsurpassed beauty and value; there is no question aesthetics is the number one reason to consider hardwood flooring
• Hardwood is one of the oldest flooring materials there is and it never goes out of style because of the large variety of trees and wood types, a world of colors, consistencies, designs, grain and patterns available.

HARDWOOD FLOORS WITH PROPER MAINTENANCE ARE A SOUND INVESTMENT THAT PAY OFF FOR A LIFETIME