4 Reasons Why You Need to Invest in Quality Hardwood Floors

Increasing a property’s value is usually on the minds of homeowners when thinking about home improvement projects. Unfortunately, it’s not always that all the money spent on home improvement can be recouped when it is time to resell. For this reason, it is important to make smart decisions when remodeling parts of your home, especially if you want to have the greatest return on your investment.

The choice of flooring, in particular, can be a difficult one to make for many homeowners. Looking for the best type of floor to cover your home can be overwhelming just for the sheer number of options available to you. If you are still shopping around and looking at different flooring materials, why not consider hardwood floors?

Hardwood floors have always been some of the more expensive options available in the market. Many homeowners may not be as keen to spend money on hardwood flooring’s initial cost. However, the benefits of hardwood flooring vastly outweigh this initial investment, especially when you consider its durability and timeless style.

If you are still on the fence about getting this flooring material, here are some of the reasons why quality hardwood floors are a worthy investment.

1. High resale value

Many homebuyers today prefer hardwood floors because they add an elegant and natural element to the home. As one of the oldest flooring materials, hardwood never goes out of style, giving a timeless look to a home no matter how trends change over time. And with the large variety of wood types under the hardwood category, homeowners will not have any shortage of colors, designs, grain patterns, and consistencies to choose from that will improve property value.

Because hardwood flooring is an attractive amenity for potential homebuyers, it provides a hefty return on investment for homeowners. On average, the return on investment for installing hardwood floors can go as high as 70% to 80% of its total cost.

2. Durability and lower maintenance costs

More often than not, you will see old houses still having their original hardwood flooring. That is because hardwood floors are so durable that they can potentially last more than a hundred years if they are cared for properly. For this reason, you will not need to replace hardwood flooring as often as other flooring options. Technological advances in the treatment of hardwood have also led to this flooring material lasting longer and looking better than ever before.

Hardwood flooring is also low-maintenance. Modern hardwood flooring is finished and sealed in a way that lets it withstand heat and moisture conditions that are higher than the average. It can also carry a lot of weight and will not gather scratches or denting as much as its softer wood counterparts. Finishes are also now more durable than they were in the past, so your floor can maintain its luster for many years. Because of this, maintaining a hardwood floor is quite easy. Just simply sweep or use a dry mop or duster and you are done.

3. Savings from installation costs

Installing hardwood floors is actually fairly simple compared to other flooring options. For instance, installation does not require grout as floor tiles do. If you hire a trained professional to install hardwood, they can accomplish several rooms in just a short amount of time. This easy installation can help you save on installation labor and equipment cost.

For even more savings, you can even do the installation yourself. The usual method of installing hardwood can be quite difficult for an average DIYer. Without the proper tools, equipment, and technical know-how, you may end up installing the hardwood planks the wrong way and end up getting higher expenses. Fortunately, new techniques such as the use of clips instead of glue, nails or screws have been developed to aid DIYers in installing hardwood floors, leading to more savings.

4. Environmental- friendliness

Another reason why hardwood floors are worth the investment is their minimal impact on the environment. Hardwood is one of the few flooring materials that are harvested from a sustainable and renewable source. Most of the timber that is cut and processed today comes from more than 100 million acres of forests that are held to an environmentally friendly standard by the Forest Stewardship Council.

In addition, wood floors also take fewer resources and less energy to produce compared to carpets, which use more synthetic materials and get treated with more chemicals. Finally, hardwood flooring can easily be disposed of or recycled. Hardwood is biodegradable, which adds to a sustainable lifestyle. Planks and scraps of hardwood that didn’t make the cut can be stored and used later if you need to replace a plank. You may even use them as materials for your next DIY project.

Hardwood flooring may require a significant initial investment on your part. But with the added benefits of increased property value, high durability, low maintenance costs, and potential savings, not to mention its sustainability, getting quality hardwood floors is well worth it.

About the Author

Patrick Hogan

Avatar Patrick Hogan is the CEO of Handle.com, where they build software that helps contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers with late payments. Handle.com also provides funding for construction businesses in the form of invoice factoring, material supply trade credit, and mechanics lien purchasing.