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10 Reasons To Choose Wood Flooring
- Wood is a natural product in a diverse selection of colors
and grain patterns.
Who hasn’t marveled at the beauty of a home with a fine
wood floor? It’s in our nature to love trees, to harvest
them and to replant them. Wood is a part of our lives and our
homes. There are more choices now than ever before… a wood
floor for every taste.
- Wood is the easiest floor to clean, requiring far less chemicals.
Whenever someone says, “I think tile or carpet might be
easier to clean,” I point to my wood floor cleaning tools.
With only a swivel mop and sometimes a non-aerosol spray, I can
clean my wood floor in less than half the time it takes to vacuum,
scrub or shampoo other floor coverings. Wood doesn’t trap
dust and fumes like carpet and doesn’t grow mold in the
grout like tile. Best yet, fewer chemicals are needed.
- It’s the best choice for the environment. Production
is cleaner than alternatives.
Wood production is much cleaner than other building materials.
Steel manufacturing results in 40 times more pollutants than manufacturing
wood. Concrete requires 6 times more and brick four times. Steel
releases 3 times more carbon dioxide into the enviroment and concrete
even more. Wood sends less solid waste to the landfill than manufacturing
steel or concrete. Finally, wood is more energy efficient. The
cellular structure of wood traps air, giving it superior insulating
properties. It takes 15 inches of concrete to equal the insulation
qualities of just one inch of wood.
- You can redecorate by changing your wood floor with stains,
faux finishes and inlays.
You can easily and cost-efficiently change the entire look of
a wood floor from time to time with stains, paints and inlays.
- Wood is a smart investment.
There is no depreciation on a wood floor. In fact, it usually
increases the resale value of a home. Real wood floors offer beauty
for a lifetime — or longer! Every day people continue to
walk on wood floors that are as old as our nation. For example,
the floors in the White House, Washington’s Mount Vernon
and Jefferson’s Monticello are still beautiful and practical
today. Carpet is replaced 3 to 6 times before most solid wood
floors ever need repair. Thus, wood floors cost less long term
and add value to your home.
- Finishes can be easily repaired or reapplied.
As long as maintenance procedures have been followed, wood floors
can be refinished instead of adding to the landfill (as happens
with some other floor coverings). Our industry helps to preserve
what is already there… the finest form of recycling.
- Wood floors give a little on your spine and legs and are
better for your joints.
Don’t be surprised if your doctor recommends a wood floor
for your spine and joints. Wood gives a little and is easier on
your legs and feet. Have you ever noticed that your feet get tired
faster if you are standing on stone or tile than if you are standing
on wood?
- Wood is an ideal choice for people with allergies.
We spend 90 percent of our time indoors so your choice of flooring
can be important. Wood is the floor of choice for anyone with
allergies. It will not harbor dust mites or mold and does not
trap dust or fumes. Some researchers believe the dust mite could
be responsible for increasing asthma occurrence. According to
the American Lung Association, wood floors in the bedroom and
other main living areas can improve air quality.
- Wood floor sales return more money back to the wood industry
to support good forest management.
Wood floors are a high-end use of forest products and can provide
more profit, thereby ensuring the perpetuation of the forest.
Many developing countries today rely on timber for export earnings,
yet the greatest threat to primary forests in these countries
is conversion to other forms of land use. Using exotic species
for wood floors is a good way to value the wood highly and encourage
reforestation for continued income production.
- Wood is our greatest renewable resource.
North America has more than 70 percent of the forest cover that
was here in the 1600’s. Plus many exotic woods come from
certified sustainable forests.In North America we produce more
wood than any other place on the planet! According to the World
Resources Institute report, our continent was unusual in that
it increased tree cover in the 1990s. In other words, we grow
more than we cut. North America is also becoming known as a ‘carbon
sink’. Scientists have shown that young trees use more carbon
dioxide than older trees , much like younger animals need more
food.
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