Durability

If a hardwood floor is the right choice for you, then you will appreciate how the floor ages over time and will not mind the extra care it needs. To you, the dents, scratches, and changes in shade variation just make the floor more warm and beautiful. However, if you would prefer that your new floor remain looking new for a while and do mind caring for your floor daily, then another flooring option might be a better choice.

A hardwood floor is a natural product which is porous, meaning it has air pockets and small holes in the wood. The porous nature of wood means that wood has a naturally weakened structure and will dent, scratch, and change in shade variation over time. This porous nature allows water to damage the wood and so manufacturers do not recommend installing wood floors in kitchens and bathrooms.

In our showroom, we usually demonstrate this porous nature by scratching a wood sample with the plastic lid of a ball point pen. This visual aid immediately helps our customers decide if they want a hardwood floor.

Since wood is porous, you will need to care for your floor to prevent deep scratches and dents. Owners of a real wood floor should at least clean it frequently, keep their pets’ nails trimmed, put glides on the bottoms of chairs and furniture, and not allow water on their floor.

You can increase the durability of your hardwood floor by choosing a species which is naturally less porous and thus naturally more durable. The Janka Hardness test results provides a nice way to compare the durability of different species. Keep in mind that selecting a certain species does not mean you have to choose a certain stain (color). For example, maple floors do not have to be stained light blonde and cherry floors do not have to be stained cherry.

Another way to increase the durability is by the finish the manufacturer applied to the planks of wood. Manufacturers do chemically treat hardwood planks to increase their resistance to scratches and dents. However, the chemical can only increase the durability by so much.

A hardwood floor is beautiful and adds a warm look to any room. If it is the right choice for you, then your floor will only become more beautiful with time.

Come visit or call us. We’d like the chance to help you!