Trends come and go in home renovations, but wood flooring is consistently one of the most popular flooring styles. Home shoppers who purchase older homes dream about finding original hardwood floors hiding underneath layers of old shag carpeting. Those choosing to renovate the home they already own overwhelmingly choose to invest a large portion of their reno budget on upgrading to wood floors.
Today's Most Popular Flooring
To get the look of wood floors without the expense and maintenance of real wood, homeowners and builders frequently choose engineered hardwood flooring over solid wood. If you're thinking about buying a home and want the biggest bang for your buck or are planning a home renovation, read on to find out why you should consider engineered hardwood floors.
1. Lower Cost
The cost of engineered hardwood flooring starts at about $4 per square foot. Solid hardwood, on the other hand, will cost double that on average. Engineered hardwood offers an almost identical look to solid hardwood at half the price.
In addition to the expense of materials and installation, solid hardwood often needs to be sanded and sealed after being installed. This means more time and more cost to the homeowner. Conversely, you can start moving your furniture back into the room as soon as you've finished installing an engineered hardwood product.
Some handy homeowners feel comfortable installing engineered hardwood flooring on their own. Engineered flooring with the click and lock system can be DIY-friendly. However, intricate and popular flooring options such as the trendy herringbone pattern require the service of professionals like those at Blue Ridge Floors.
2. More Flexibility
As great as solid hardwood floors can be, there are some environments in which they just won't work. Solid hardwoods will warp easily in the presence of moisture, whereas engineered hardwoods can tolerate some moist environments.
Engineered hardwoods are one of the most popular flooring options in basement renovations because they can be installed directly over a cement floor. Solid hardwood floors need subflooring and underlayment, making the pre-installation more involved.
One popular trend in flooring today is wide-plank styles. Solid wood flooring comes in a variety of widths, but typically planks are about 2 1/4 inches wide. Engineered hardwood floors can have widths up to 7 inches, making them a great choice for today's most popular flooring styles.
3. Less Maintenance
Engineered hardwood flooring is often more durable than solid hardwood, which can require refinishing multiple times during its lifetime. Most engineered hardwood products are pre-finished as opposed to being finished on-site during installation. Finishes applied by the manufacturer tend to be much more durable than installation finishes because they are applied in a temperature-controlled environment.
4. Great Investment
A home with engineered hardwood floors has the same re-sell advantages as one with hardwood flooring. Real estate professionals typically estimate that wood floors not only increase the resale value of your home but offer an astounding 75% return on homeowners' investment. That's an equal or higher return on investment than a new kitchen or renovated bathroom.
As an alternative to solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwoods are growing in popularity with homeowners. Engineered hardwoods offer a similar look to solid hardwoods, with some significant advantages. They can be much less costly, they can be installed in a greater variety of environments and they can offer easier maintenance and high durability. They also match solid hardwood flooring when it comes to increasing the resale value of a home.
If you're interested in hardwood flooring for your home or office, contact the flooring experts at Blue Ridge Floors. Along with offering finely crafted flooring, we pride ourselves on personalized customer service.