Hardwood Flooring

Floors impact your life. Whether you're doing yoga in the den, hosting a dinner party in the dining room, or entertaining the neighborhood kids in your kitchen, you need a surface underfoot that's comfortable and durable. Since the floor is usually the largest surface in a room, it lays the foundation for the entire look of the space—color, style, texture, and pattern. And a new floor can be a big investment, so you want a surface that will last for years. Your floor choice is about balancing your needs with your style. Here are some considerations to help you pick your flooring.

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring isn’t just popular because of how versatile it is, it’s popular because it’s also super durable.

When properly maintained, these floors can last decades upon decades. Although they’re susceptible to water damage and cracking, hardwood floors are easy to clean and provide a stunning foundation for any style.

When choosing hardwood floors for your home, it’s important to keep the following in mind:

Wood Hardness

If durability is what you’re after, then it’s important that you choose the right species of wood for your home.

For example, pine wood can dent easily, whereas Brazilian redwood is extremely durable.

Tough Finish

Regardless of the type of wood you choose, you want to make sure that you choose the right finish, as this plays a huge role in the overall durability of the wood.

If your hardwood floor starts to look shabby after a while, you can always restain it and refinish it, which is one of the main reasons hardwood floors can last so long.

Care and Maintenance

All flooring needs care and maintenance, but this is especially so with hardwood floors. Try to keep pets and high heels off of your hardwood floors, and put area rugs down in high traffic areas.