Wood floors have been a great choice for many homeowners for centuries. They are beautiful and very durable. In the course of the years, a lot of myths have cropped up about hardwood floors and they have become so popular to the point of becoming “facts”. There are many homeowners that have refused to installed wood floors in their homes simply because of these misconceptions. In this article, we will be debunking 14 misconceptions and learn the actual facts about wood floors.
Regular maintenance for hardwood floor is quite easy. All you need to do is sweep, vacuum or dust mop the floor to remove grit and dirt from the floorboards. Steam mops and wet mops should not be used on wood floors because too much water and steam can make the finish lose its luster over time and can even damage the hardwood in the process. When there is a spill, the floor should be cleaned immediately with a slightly damp or dry cloth. When the floor starts to look dull, use wood floor cleaner suggested by your floor installer to help renew the luster. In case you are not sure of the cleaner to use, check a reliable floor maintenance store and get a recommendation.
The wood floor is actually the most environment-friendly option of flooring available in the market. With sustainable forest management, hardwoods are harvested with negligible impact on the environment. This is because trees are renewable natural resources. According to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, each cubic foot of wood harvested in the United States gets another 1.66 cubic feet gets planted in its place. Based on this initiative, there is about 90% increase in the volume of standing hardwood in the United States since the year 1953. Moreover, due to the fact that wood floor remains durable for hundreds of years, less raw materials, natural resources, and energy are required.
Wood floors add remarkable value to your home which increases the sales price. According to a review of real estate agents in the United States, it was revealed that about 99% are of the opinion that houses with wood floors are much easier to sell. About 82% of the real estate agents believe that wood floor houses sell faster and about 90% believe that the houses sell for 10% more. The implication of this is that a home that is placed at $250,000 value will sell for 10% more if the homeowner were to invest about $12,500 in wood flooring. With an increase of 10%, the house would sell for $275,000 which is double the initial investment in the wood floor.
This is no more required. Over the years, there have been great evolvements in floor finishes which make wax quite unnecessary. Earlier in the 20th century, tung oil was used for floor finishes which were not really durable. A lot of evolution has taken place since then leading to the 1930s when polyurethane finishes came into the scene to produce the first non-wax floors. Today, the finishes on wood floors are more durable and do not require wax at all.
Yes, you can rent floor sanders from tool rental shops to refinish your wood floor but these are not the best choice of equipment. You need professional grade equipment. Furthermore, the hardwood floor has a specific wear layer that can be smoothed over the service life of the wood floor. However, when you engage in DIY, you are likely to take off more wood than required which will greatly reduce the lifespan of your life and possibly damage your floor.
