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Think back to ancient times: what kind of flooring was used? If you guessed dirt floors you would be correct. Hardwood flooring, although it has been with us for a while, is a relatively new development in the history of the human race. In the past, when floors had to be constructed, they had to be made by hand - a very time-intensive process, to be sure! Modern technology has largely replaced the labor-intensive work, and you, the modern homeowner, reap the benefit: beautiful hardwood floors that are easy to install and easy to maintain! Choices: you have many of them when it comes to flooring in your home: wood, linoleum, tile, cement. Why then choose hardwood floors? What makes them preferred? Simply put, hardwood floors are very durable and versatile. Unlike many synthetic flooring materials, hardwood floors will last decades - some last as long as the home itself. And there are very few rooms that cannot be floored with wood. Speaking of versatility, did you know that hardwood floors can be installed in almost any room in your home? Yes, whether it's in the bedroom, den, home office, kitchen - or in busy areas like hallways and stairways - there is a hardwood flooring product that will look great. And with the proper installation, there are even hardwood flooring products that can be installed in your basement. Perhaps you are objecting that hardwood flooring is much more expensive to purchase and install than other flooring materials. While that is certainly true, you need to look at the bigger picture. Once your hardwood flooring is installed, and your overall home value increases in price, so will the value of your flooring. And, as many homeowners have themselves discovered, if you take care of your hardwood floors, they can raise the value of your home property significantly! What types of hardwood flooring are available? Well, there are two basic types: solid wood and engineered wood floors. The engineered hardwood floor is a multi-layered, manufactured flooring product that minimizes shrinkage. Solid wood flooring products, on the other hand, are made from a single piece of wood. Check with your home decorating professional on which is best for your location. When you go to purchase your hardwood flooring, you will notice that you can purchase it in 3 ways: in the traditional thin strip, in plank form (which is longer) and the parquet, a very popular choice because the wood pieces are arranged in a very eye-pleasing design Another set of choices you will need to make is whether to choose prefinished or unfinished hardwood floors. The unfinished flooring will require sanding and staining after it is laid. (Tip: let a pro do all this work.) The prefinished type of hardwood floor requires no sanding or staining - you simply install the flooring and you are done! A few words to those of you installing hardwood floors in high-traffic areas - areas which will receive a lot of foot traffic, such as in hallways, stairways, and door entrances. Did you know that lighter woods will not show foot-traffic wear as much as darker wood colors? If you can, try to put down some mats and rugs in the areas receiving the highest amount of foot traffic. Also, higher density woods (hickory, oak, maple) are better for these high-traffic areas in your home than lower density woods (like pine).
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The author of this article, Simon Harris writes about home repair issues and Repairing Hardwood Floors Learn more about how toRefinish Hardwood Floors by visiting his website. You can get a unique content version of this article.
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