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When redoing the floors in your home, there are three basic choices: carpet, laminate, and wood. While there are laminate options that are engineered to mimic the look of hardwood flooring, true hardwood is a basic industry standard for a high-end, finished look. Changes in the hardwood flooring industry now allow you to choose prefinished hardwood floor installation, which cuts down on both the amount of time and mess of having your new floors installed. Durability Hardwood flooring comes in many different wood options. Oak, Maple, and Ash are the three most common, with Oak flooring being the most popular. There are other exotic wood options for your floors, but the more exotic woods cost more for both the wood itself and the installation. The distinctive grain in Oak makes a bold statement that can work with any style of furniture. It’s quite durable, and with minimal maintenance, can last for decades. This is in stark contrast to carpeting, which generally needs to be replaced every 3-5 years. Easy Cleaning The simple cleaning routine for hardwood floors sets it apart from carpeting as well. A quick mop, sweep or vacuum can clean up most messes on hardwood flooring while carpeting can be much more difficult to keep cleaned up, especially if your dog or children run through with muddy feet! Spills on carpeting can leave odors behind, and can be especially difficult to get truly clean. In contrast, freshly polished hardwood flooring can leave you breathing deeply, enjoying the fresh sent and clean flooring. Caring for hardwood is simple. To prevent your furniture from scratching it, you should put soft felt or other padding on the bottom of each leg or support piece. Remember that when moving furniture you need to pick it up and not drag it along the floor. A throw rug can be helpful to catch dirt from shoes as you enter the door of your home, and can help reduce wear on the floor in high traffic areas. To prevent spills from damaging the floor, you simply need to ensure that you clean it up promptly. To clean dirt, you can use your preferred choice of vacuum, dry mopping, or sweeping. Polishing with a fine wax cleaner can help remove stains and return the original shine to your floor. Fewer Allergens Carpeting can be a nightmare for those who suffer from allergies. Dust mites, pollen, and pet dander are only a few of the common allergens that can settle into carpeting and wreak havoc on your sinuses. Carpeting can suck those allergens, making it nearly impossible to clean them away entirely. Hardwood floors, on the other hand, can be easily wiped clean of all allergens. This can be a lifesaver, literally, if your allergies cause an asthmatic reaction. Lasting Style If you look at pictures of carpeting or tile patterns from decades gone by, you may cringe and breathe a sigh of relief that these styles are in the past! Hardwood flooring, though, never goes out of style. The various shades of finishing make no difference, nor does the wood grain, plank size, or direction that it is installed in your room. Choosing to have wood floors installed in your home is a choice for timeless style. Wood floors will have a positive impact on your home’s resale value as well. In fact, some real estate agents will say that it is much easier to sell a home that has hardwood floors than one with carpeting. The early methods of installing wood floors and then sanding and polishing them to a finish are over. Now you can take advantage of prefinished hardwood floor installation. This means the wood pieces were sanded and polished to a finish prior to being installed in your home, which can reduce the time needed for installation.
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