Expectations are incredibly important with large purchase stuff like flooring. This really is especially true with hardwood floors. There is no question that a new hardwood floor will add a dimension of beauty and warmth to your home. Many consumers don’t understand that wood flooring has some unique characteristics making it not an ideal selection for everyone. This short article is in no way designed to discourage you from purchasing a hardwood floor, however, you do need certainly to take into consideration these four little known details about wood floors before building a purchase:

1) Wood Floors are Guaranteed to Scratch

There are many finishes that manufacturers wear wood flooring to produce them more scratch resistant. The most used finish nowadays is Aluminum Oxide. Wood flooring also typically comes with a wear warranty from 5 to 50 years in length. Wear warranties, however, usually only guarantee that a wood’s veneer won’t wear completely through. There are no anti-scratch warranties in the wood flooring business. All wood floors, irrespective of the finish treatment or quality of the wood, will be prone to surface scratching. With however, make sure you prepare your home for a wood floor ahead of the installation. It’s recommended to make use of furniture protectors, floor mats, and area rugs to guard your wood floors from scratches. Also, you may want to consider installing tile in your entry ways, since it’s the location where in actuality the heaviest traffic usually occurs. If you will find large pets or children in the house, you might want to take into account taking a look at a laminate floor, that will be a whole lot more resistant to scratches.

2) Wood Floors are Guaranteed to Indent

Wood floors are in no way a soft product, but they might be prone to denting from heavy use or drops. No wood flooring is dent-proof, but different species of wood do have different quantities of hardness. The Janka Test is used to measure the hardness of a species of wood. Applying this test, wood species are shown a score based on the force required to embed a material ball to the wood. It is said that the bigger the score, the higher the species of wood are at withstanding denting and wear. Northern Red Oak, the most frequent species of wood used in flooring, is the standard to which all other species are measured against. carpet tools  It includes a score of 1290. There are species of wood that score over 3000 on this test, and while they could wear better with everyday use, they still will probably dent if something heavy like a hammer or can of food is dropped on the wood. If you should be really concerned together with your floors power to withstand indentations, you do have other options. There are “wood-look” high-pressure laminate and porcelain products which can be a whole lot more resistant to pressure and wear. Additionally, a distressed or hand scraped wood floor can do a better job at hiding dents and other wear on your own floor.

3) Wood Floors are Guaranteed to Age

Aging with most floor coverings typically pertains to how a floor loses its luster with time due to wear and tear on the floor. If I were to state, “Your carpet has aged”, you would think it had been time to get new carpet. However, one of most unique attributes of wood flooring is its ability to truly look better with age. Wood floors already come with a lot of natural character and beauty. With proper maintenance, normal use and traffic should just raise the beautiful character of one’s wood floor. An actual wood floor can be refinished to revive its original luster and shine. This really is something that can’t be achieved on wood-look products like laminate, vinyl and porcelain.

These are all nice attributes, but what I actually want to touch on in this section could be the photo-sensitivity of wood flooring. Wood tends to improve color with time when exposed to sunlight. In reality, some wood floors can take up to year and a half to mature into full color. Other floor coverings, on another hand, may be vulnerable to fading or discoloring when exposed to prolonged sunlight. So while sunlight makes other floor coverings look older overtime, it beautifies wood floors, allowing them to reach their true color. This really is an essential attribute for consumers to know, just because a freshly-laid wood floor might not always seem like the sample you saw in the showroom, which includes been allowed to reach its full color.

Consumers also must be conscientious about moving their area rugs and furniture periodically to prevent discolorations. Exotic hardwoods and hardwoods with a natural finish in it tend to be probably the most photosensitive. Most hardwoods darken and become bolder with time, however, many woods like Santos Mahogany actually get lighter from sunlight. If you should be really worried about sunlight’s affect on your own floor, purchase a hardwood that’s been colored with a deeper stain or purchase a species like Northern Red Oak which really is a less photosensitive species.