Hardwood floors are one of the most commonly used surfaces in our homes. Yet often, when building or renovating their homes, home owners leave their floor purchasing decisions to the last stages of construction or renovation.
By then, their budgets are restricted, and they resort to purchasing discontinued products, the quality of which are compromised, or having to choose cheaper laminated floors over a hardwood floors.
The discounted price is often attractive enough to convince the customer to make the purchase, without giving much consideration to the availability of the flooring, should it become damaged. The uniformity of the colour and the wood species become compromised, and they are left with no other option but to replace the damaged area with a new pre-finished floor of a different colour, or with an unfinished floor that would have to be installed, stained and finished to match the existing floor. Either method would require replacement of the hardwood floors in their entirety.
Buying hardwood floors that are readily available will limit the repair to the damaged area only, will be much quicker, and at a fraction of the cost. There are various options to choose from for hardwood floors – solid, solid sawn, engineered, laminate, or cork. If your budget allows, always choose hardwood floors over artificial laminate, vinyl or ceramics. Solid hardwood floors are a long-term investment that will repay with years of beautiful appearance and longevity. These floors can also be refinished many times over the life of the flooring. Some engineered flooring can also be refinished (if permanently glued to the sub-floor). However, a floated textured engineered floor cannot be refinished. In the former case, the vibration of the sanding equipment will prevent a smooth finish, and in the latter, the sanding would strip the top layer of the textured finish and the floor would lose retention.
See some of our other posts on this issue.
Contact us for expert advice on your flooring replacement needs.