Solid wood flooring imparts a traditional but classy look to the home. As it is made from natural wood, it imposes a unique natural feel and feel-good warmth to the atmosphere of the home, which is priceless. Solid wood flooring has several pros and cons, which a homeowner must know, before buying and installing it. Hence Gharpedia herein describes the pros and cons of solid wood flooring.
Pros/Advantages of Solid Wood Flooring
01. Solid Wood Flooring is Available in Different Varieties
It’s an exciting experience to get started with wooden flooring as there are lots of options to choose from. A variety of species, colors and patterns are available to choose from traditional woods. Each plank is distinct and has its own natural look and exquisite beauty. You can get your contractors who provide you a specific plank size, particular hue, or a specific wood texture. Here we have narrated the name of some lovely options when it comes to the selection of wood material itself:
The above listed species differ in aspect of colour, ease of installation, and susceptibility to scratches, hence these wood flooring materials are used for different look and durability.
02. Solid Wooden Floor Can be Restored Easily
Hardwood flooring is easy to work with when it comes to the matter of maintenance and repair. If a particular plank gets damaged, it can be replaced easily without removing the entire flooring. Replace the damaged areas and add a layer of fresh coat in order to recreate a new look. With the help of a professional contractor, you can do this easily. Hardwood flooring can be easily repaired by sanding and staining and you can do the makeover several times over its lifetime. Hence it is recommended for high traffic areas.
03. Solid Wood Flooring Increases the Value of Your Home
Why the use of hardwood is good in terms of the value improvisation of your home? Well, hardwood certainly helps you to enjoy a higher investment (ROI) return. It enhances the value of the property. You can sell your house faster and for a better price. The homes with solid wood floors usually propose a higher resale value. This is why if anyone intends to sell their properties anytime soon, many homeowners replace their old carpets with solid wood flooring.
04. Solid Wood Floors are Easy to Maintain
You might have heard that wood flooring is difficult to maintain. But it is not a real-life fact. We have surveyed extensively on wood flooring maintenance and we have gathered data that it’s easy to take care of hardwood flooring to preserve its elegance and cleanliness. You can easily clean it by using a vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth. To avoid dust and debris accumulation, brush it. Then immediately wipe them dry with a clean cloth. The cleaning spree will work efficiently if you spill water or coloured drinks on the floor. To get its luster back, use a tested floor or wood cleaner occasionally.
05. Solid Wooden Flooring Contributes to a Healthier Indoor Air
It is often heard that wooden flooring is advantageous. It is true: the flooring offers some unique advantages. One of the key advantages of selecting wooden floor is it ensures better indoor air quality. If any of your family members suffers from dust allergies, you’ll be happy to hear that hardwood floors do not absorb particles such as pollutants and dusts. It is hygienic as it does not trap pollutants. Carpets, including parasites, are known to harbour these harmful particles. So you may go for solid wood flooring if one of your main aims is to prevent entry of allergens in your premise.
06. Having Wood Flooring in a Home is a Long-term Investment
If a wooden floor is handled well, wood flooring may continue to last for more than a hundred years. Initially, they may seem like a huge investment, but you don’t have to replace them like the other flooring forms in every 10 or 20 years. As the value of wood flooring continues to grow over time, it also offers a strong return on investment.
07. Quality of Solid Wood Flooring is Ageless
After a certain period of time, you have to replace the carpet and vinyl flooring, but wood flooring is much durable. You don’t need replace, but time to time you have to refurbish or re-sand it. This helps to refresh the flooring, while preserving its luster and finish to its original state. Wood flooring is less susceptible to damage and with aging even; it retains its typical grace.
Wood flooring don’t look worn out or dull usually, and the wooden flooring’s timeless style means it’s still in fashion. This trend has been used for years in households, so you can be rest assured that in the future you can save an ample amount of time and money by simply maintaining this woody flooring. It has a timeless elegance.
08. Solid Wooden Floors Have Good Acoustics
You can prevent some form of vibrations with hardwood flooring. Wood flooring is a good idea; where there is likelihood of noise otherwise it would make it sound like a cafeteria. But if you enjoy music, or if your kids play any instruments, then the sound will be perfectly audible as hollow sounds are stopped.
09. Wooden Floor is Organic
Hardwood flooring has become increasingly popular because it is the organically sourced, healthiest alternative available at an affordable price. If you want biodegradable flooring, then wood is a great choice. Wooden flooring helps to reduce the effect on the environment and helps to create a healthy home. It is easy to manage and clean, as the level of toxicity is low as well.
10. Solid Wooden Floors are better for Babies
Wooden flooring is typically one of the common options for children’s rooms. For babies who have only learned to crawl, it is harmless and non-toxic, which is the best option in hand. When they are introduced to wooden flooring, there is a natural convenience to increase their motor skills.
This makes it a better choice than the others as wooden floorings are easy to clean and maintain. If there are scratches on the floor, you can also paint them or just sand them. Parents of the growing kids prefer to enjoy wooden flooring generally, as the inclination to conceal small items under the carpet is negligible.
There are some more kid-friendly flooring options available. You can know in detail from here.
Cons/Disadvantages of Solid Wood Flooring
01. The Materials & Installation Services of Solid Wooden Floor are High
Is wooden flooring costly? Yeah, because of the material quality and workmanship, it costs more than other materials. The installation of hardwood floors requires expertise on the part of professionals as it has to be nailed down to the sub floor. It costs from $8 to $14 per square foot for the most expensive wood varieties, such as cypress and walnut.
If you want to know how to install a wood floor, read this blog
02. Wooden Floors are Prone to Water Damage
It is susceptible to water damage, as wood is a natural material. If you failed to dry your floors quickly then it may lead to discoloration, raised edges, and buckling. All these effects of water damage leads to the requirement of early replacement. If your solid wooden floors get soaked in flood water, be sure to get in touch with a water damage repair professional as early as possible.
You can simply dry out the floors by vacuuming and turning your fans on full if there is no flooding. The only downside is that it is possible for the process to take time. Depending on the area which needs drying, it may take an entire day.
Besides solid wood floor pros and cons, we have gathered information regarding the pros and cons of wood flooring. Have a look.
03. Wooden Flooring Gets Scratches Easily
Scratches are one of the wooden flooring’s biggest snags. It has low resistance to scratches. If you have pets in the home, flooring can get easily scratched. Scratches hamper the flawless elegance instantly. Certain wooden floors, which are soft in nature, are more prone to retain scratches. By adding protective coatings or wax filler, you may get to deal with light and minor scratches but for deeper scratches, you should go for the professional assistance.
04. Solid Wood Floors are Prone to Termite Attack
Termites mostly feed on wood. Most modern homes are built termite-proof keeping it in mind. It is necessary, therefore, to choose the right type of wood to avoid such termite infestation problem as much as possible. Usually, termites eat the wood from the inside out, so you should keep an eagle’s eye for detecting even the slightest floor damage.
Try tapping a screwdriver on the floor and if you hear some hollow sound, the cavities created by the termites are the cause. It generally appears to creak and make a squeaky sound when the hardwood flooring becomes fragile due to termite infestation.
But you should not worry about termite attack. Here are some termite prevention tips for you.
05. Limited Usage
Hardwood flooring for all the rooms in your home is not a very viable choice. We don’t recommend that you should install it in your bathroom, laundry rooms, basements and kitchen as these are the moisture infested areas that can damage the wood because of the risk of high exposure to moisture and spills.
06. Cupping & Crowning
The problem of cupping and crowning happens when the wood board’s edges get higher than the middle, and it happens due to the moisture content intrusion. The intruded moisture compels the wood to expand gradually. As the water is readily absorbed, water spills should be avoided on the hardwood flooring. Due to the compression in the hardwood flooring, as the wood extends, and as all the boards are held close together, it damages the level consistency of the floor. Finally, the expansion results in damaging the board’s edges.
Crowning the reverse of cupping; the wood board’s core gets higher than the sides. This occurs when the moisture content is high. If you begin to sand the edges after you have found cupping, it may also occur, but if the moisture content has not dried up, it contributes to crowning. The center of the wood board will begin to grow after sanding the edges (crowning) if you do not let the wood dry up at first.
07. Moulds will appear on Solid Wooden Floor
If there is some sign of fungi or moulds, then you can look for water filtration. In humid and wet environment, solid wood-floor tends to expand although these pesky elements typically grow in the gaps between the top and the sub-layer of the floor. As they spread, you might discover moulds and the infestation starts destroying the top layer of the hardwood floor. If there is excess growth of moulds, you may have to replace the wood. Hardwood flooring needs to be carefully treated in a way so that water seepage precautions are duly taken care since they create mould breeding grounds. Additionally, it expands in summer and contracts in winter, so it is not recommended in areas where temperature changes are wide. Also, expansion joints must be arranged to accommodate the expansion feature of it.
08. Noise
When the hardwood flooring has been finished, a noise-free and stable ground will be available. But after a few decades of usage, some parts of the wood flooring can be altered by continuous wear and tear and repetitive motion. When you walk on such surface, this can trigger clicking and creaking noises. If you live in an apartment, it can create a great deal of nuisance to your neighbours living downstairs. It is noisy, so you should avoid walking with heels on the solid wood flooring.
09. High Maintenance
You need to polish them very frequently like in every 3 to 4 years gap, particularly the areas, which are frequently used. To avoid unnecessary dust and dirt, it is necessary to keep the flooring surface clean; otherwise accumulated dirt can make the surface look dull and may cause scratches. The floor must be mopped by using a micro fibre mopping cloth and sprays which are exclusively made for wooden floor cleaning.
With these little tips you can pick the right type of flooring for your home and you can manage to maintain it perfectly without any major hiccups.
Apart from the pros and cons of solid wood flooring, we have other articles on flooring as well. Do check before you leave.
Also Read:
Engineered Wood Flooring: All You Need To Know!
Top Flooring Materials to Boost Your House Value
Is Laminate Flooring an Excellent Idea for DIY Home Improvements?
Image Courtesy: Image 3, Image 19(a), Image 19(b), Image 20, Image 21