If you’ve suffered a severe fire or mold outbreak, the chances are that your carpet will have to go. And while our mold removal and cleanup process will save many carpets, it may still be that you want to consider new flooring. Mold has an uncanny ability to attack carpets and the flooring below.
In this article, you’ll learn the benefits of hardwood flooring. We also examine the myth that hardwood floors destroy the environment. Finally, we take a look at the costs to install hardwood flooring and compare it with carpeting.
Why chose hardwood floor to replace your carpet?
Hardwood flooring is:
- Modern and stylish
- Strong, durable, and easy to clean
- Adaptable to any space
- A good long-term investment.
When you examine the range of hardwood floors available, you’ll be surprised at the choice there is today. With different colors and stains, they offer a warm, welcoming feel to any home, and they increase the perception of space. A hardwood floor really does open a room.
If you’re concerned about keeping such a floor clean, you needn’t be. Carpet needs to be vacuumed at least every other day to remain in top condition. Hardwood flooring will remain looking like new if you employ a weekly cleaning routine of vacuuming, mopping and drying. If there are any liquid spills between weekly cleaning, mop up and dry.
Modern hardwood floors are engineered for strength, with several layers glued together. Glued in a cross-grain structure, they won’t buckle, gap, or twist. These floors are more easily fitted, too, as they can be placed directly on concrete floors below.
Longer lasting, great looking, and easy to clean. It’s easy to understand why hardwood floors are such a great investment. The value of this investment really becomes apparent when you want to sell your home. Hardwood floors help the sale because of all the benefits we’ve noted above. They could even increase the value of your home in a way that other flooring can’t.
Modern hardwood floors – the environmental choice
A common myth is that hardwood floors are bad for the economy. That it takes a forest to produce the floor for a single home. The truth is far removed. Modern, multi-ply hardwood floors use half as many trees as solid wood floors. The trees used are replaced with faster-growing, renewable resource. Manufacturers and suppliers such as Mannington in New Jersey use:
- Mill waste for energy
- A formaldehyde-free adhesive system (beating most indoor air quality standards)
- Water-based finishes that contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
So, a great looking, easy-to-clean, and environmentally-friendly flooring.
A good investment, but is hardwood flooring good value for money?
Engineered hardwood flooring is more expensive than carpeting. Typically, these hardwood floors will cost around $5 to $10 per square foot, as opposed to carpet, which generally costs between $3 and $8 per square foot. Of course, depending on which hardwood or carpet you choose, costs can be much higher. When fitting carpet, don’t forget you may need to budget extra for padding.
When factoring in the cost to install hardwood floors you should budget for up to around $20 per square foot in total. Carpet is easier to install, but luxury carpet installation could also work out to around $20 per square foot with the carpet and padding included.
So, is hardwood flooring a value-for-money investment? Absolutely, and especially so if any of your home’s occupants suffer allergies – carpets collect pet hair and pests, and can aggravate allergies.
If you are considering changing your flooring, contact Porter's. We’ll help you choose the best floor for needs, tastes, and home.