A few years ago, my parents went through their whole house, ripped out pretty much all the carpet and ugly laminate floors, and installed hardwood floors. They love their wood floors, and most people would agree hardwood floors make a great addition to a home. It seems to be an increasing trend with homeowners and home buyers. However, just because it’s a trend doesn’t mean it’s automatically right for me. Before I purchase something, I like to think of the pros and cons of what I’m about to buy. Making sure I think it through and consider all the points before purchasing is important. I’ve considered putting wood floors in my future home, and the things below have crossed my mind while I try to make the best decision. They’re cold in the winter One of the things that I hated about the wood floors at my parents’ place was how cold they always felt in the winter. It sounds stupid, and maybe even a little whiny, but walking on cold wood floors right after crawling out of my warm bed sucked.

To compensate for this, I put a giant rug down in my bedroom so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. What’s the point of spending the time and money to buy them if I’ll probably cover it up with a rug anyways? Wood floors scratch easily If you don’t put felt pads on the legs of your furniture, particularly your chairs, you’ll end up scratching or creating dull spots on your floors. The wood floor my parents installed is starting to dull where the kitchen table sits, despite having felt pads on the table and chair legs. It’s simply an area that gets a lot of heavy use. If you have pets, like myself, their nails might leave scratches on your wood floor. This was a big concern of my dad’s when I moved back in with my cat. I’d say that my little 10-pound Dexter didn’t do too much damage, but I can imagine that maybe a bigger, heavier dog that has larger nails might cause a problem. They increase noise in out house The other thing I hated about wood flooring was how much noisier the house seemed.

I could hear the cat running around, his claws scratching floor as he chased after his toys, in the middle of the night. He’d let out a loud howl, too, when he slid into a cabinet or wall because he couldn’t get any traction. I also knew exactly when my dad woke up in the morning, because I could hear him traipsing around the kitchen making his coffee. Hotels With In Room Hot Tubs In MassachusettsFor the first few weeks, I didn’t get much sleep when my parents installed wood floors in their home.Hardwood Flooring Tools And Equipment Hardwood floors are aesthetically pleasingProm Dress Stores In Redondo Beach Most homeowners or potential home buyers rip out carpet and replace it with hardwood flooring.

notes that while you might not get all your money back on installing wood floors, you’ll increase the likelihood that your home will sell faster. They add that wood floors are still seen as a luxury item, despite how inexpensive wood floors have become. If you plan on selling your home soon, or just want to show off to your friends, installing wood floors in your dining area or kitchen makes a great addition. Just don’t go with something that looks cheap and poorly made. Invest a bit of money to buy a quality brand that looks more expensive than it really is. They keep your home cleaner Carpets soak up dirt, grime, allergens and who knows what else. Carpets also need a bit more TLC than wood floors. Experts recommend vacuuming at least twice a week, and almost every other day if you have a pet, to keep the carpet clean. Plus, stains gather over time and can be difficult to remove from carpeting – even with regular steam cleaning. Wood floors on the other hand don’t really harbor odors, allergens, stains or dirt as easily as carpet.

While you still have to sweep hardwood floors regularly, dirt gets ground deep down in carpet fibers further than your vacuum can reach. Wood floors also don’t stain easily – if at all. Say that one of your kids spills grape juice on your wood floor. You can easily clean it up with some paper towel and soapy water. However, if they spilled juice on the carpet, which probably isn’t the same color as grape juice, you’ll end up with huge purple blob on your carpeting. Hardwood floors are pretty easy to install My parents’ bought a floating wood flooring that basically snapped together via a tongue-and-groove notch secured with some glue. They had to leave a gap between the wall and the board that’s adjacent to the wall to allow the wood to expand and contract depending on the weather. Aside from a few cuts from a circular saw to make room for vents and corners, my parents installed the floor themselves in less than a month for their 1,500 square foot house. Based on my pro and con list for wood floors, I think that I’d put wood flooring in certain rooms of my house, but that’s just personal preference.

Adding wood floors definitely has some great benefits if you’re more concerned about the look and design of your home. However, if you’re looking at them from a functional standpoint, you might have to compensate for things like noise and wear and tear. Make sure you sit down and do research before you jump into redoing your whole home. You don’t want to get stuck with something you can’t live with. What other pros and cons can you think of when considering wood floors? Share with other Zing! When it’s cold inside your home, you turn the heat up. If it’s hot outside, you might turn on the air conditioning to cool down. But have you ever thought about how the living conditions inside your home might be affecting your Hardwood or Laminate flooring? Depending on where you live, summertime might mean more than backyard BBQs, pool parties and fun in the sun. Summer can also bring high humidity. And, with summer, there are a few things you might need to know about Hardwood, Laminate, and humidity levels to help keep your floors in good shape this summer.

Hardwood Floors and Humidity If humidity hits above 55%[1], you might be opening up a chance for moisture to seep into the wood. Too much moisture in your home, and the floor boards might begin to swell. This swelling can create pressure between the boards, which can cause the boards to warp or cup. This is true for both solid hardwoods and engineered hardwoods. Remember, while engineered hardwoods may tend to be more stable than solid hardwoods, they are still susceptible to moisture. Laminate Floors and Humidity Laminate flooring is held together by a mechanical click system made out of wood products. If this wood dries out excessively, the clicking system may fail. Humidity levels in your home are often affected by seasonal changes, and Laminate Flooring responds by expanding and contracting. During warm, humid weather, Laminate might expand to give the floor a crowned look. During dry, cold weather, laminate might shrink causing cracks to appear between each plank.

While this seasonal movement is a normal characteristic of laminate flooring, these effects can potentially be reduced by following a few guidelines. To help protect your floors from cracks, cupping, crowning, and buckling, try to follow these guidelines: Clean your Hardwood or Laminate Floor with a cloth lightly dampened by a recommended cleaning product. We recommend using the manufacturer’s directions. Do not clean your floors with water or water-based products on a daily basis—only clean when necessary and clean only the soiled areas. Never use a damp mop on a Hardwood floor, as the water may deteriorate the wood and finish. Don’t let a water spill dry on the floor—this can cause more damage to your flooring. Instead, try to clean up the spill immediately. Try to keep the relative humidity in your home between 35% and 55%1–you can measure humidity levels with a humidistat or a hydrometer. If the humidity levels go beyond this range, make adjustments, such as the use of a dehumidifier or turn your air conditioning colder.