Do Hardwood Floors Add Value to Your Home?

According to One Project Closer, hardwood floors are definitely a great investment "Hardwoods Add Appeal… and That Adds Value. Woodfloors.org (the Hardwood Flooring Association of America) reports that 90% of real estate agents surveyed indicated that hardwoods made a house sell faster, or at a premium price. While real estate agents aren’t appraisers, if 90% of them believe wood floors are a significant factor in house buying, we think that says a lot. Plus, a faster sale means more money into the pocket of a seller faster. That’s real money into the seller’s bank account earning interest."

How hard is Oak Flooring?

An important characteristic that you should take under consideration when shopping for species of hardwood flooring is the hardness factor. If you been shopping around for a wood product, you may recognize the term Janka Table. The Janka table organizes hardness data. This is not a number that is via specific data, but rather by relative data. In other words the Janka rating of unfinished hardwood flooring by itself means nothing other than to compare it to other woods. Both red and white oak are considered to be relatively hard woods. The Janka rating on red oak is 1290, while white oak rates a bit higher at 1360. Oak is considered relatively hard compared to other species, and with it's high customer demand, it's also in a cost-efficient price range.

Something to think about when choosing a stain color for your hardwood floors

When choosing a hardwood floor stain, color is important. The correct stain color will be pleasing to the eye and bring the flooring to life. The wrong color may make the room's furniture and wall colors clash with the stain. Whether you are looking for a slight change or a dramatic one, you can choose a stain color for your hardwood floor that will be right for you and the room. If time allows, make your decision as to what color stain will work best on the hardwood floor once the stain has dried. Finally, look around the room to see if the stain will look complementary to furniture, walls and accents in the room.

Hottest Trends in Hardwood Flooring

Here's what we're seeing in new flooring trends for 2011...

Ethical Floor Coverings - Now more than ever, it's easy for the average homeowner to make environmentally friendly choices when it comes to home flooring products.
Hardwood Floors - are adding old world elegance with a new twist, moving more toward distressed planks, wider widths, and the introduction of exotic woods.
Cork Flooring - Comfortable to walk on, incredibly warm underfoot, discover the beauty of cork floors.
Bamboo Floors - An environmentally friendly hardwood, bamboo is fast becoming one of the most popular flooring trends.

How often should you have your floors refinished?

The National Wood Flooring Association recommends that hardwood floors be refinished every 7-10 years depending on foot traffic. When hardwood floors are rough and damaged to the point that they are quickly deteriorating, personal taste of what is acceptable is no longer the issue. It's just time to refinish them. Floors that are no longer protected from even momentary spills or floors that are splintering and pose a hazard should be refinished right away. The floor may continue to deteriorate beyond repair, and will eventually have to be replaced if left unsealed.

Pine Floors in Older Homes

There are lots of older homes in St. Louis with original pine hardwood floors. Pine is very soft, and therefore is more time consuming and a little more expensive to refinish. It doesn't take stain well, so unless you go with a darker stain color, it may be blotchy. We recommend that if it's in decent condition, a clear sealer and urethane might be the best bet.



According to Garden Web's Old House:
Pine and hardwood are two different animals! hardwood usually has 2" wide boards, pine usually is 4" or larger. hardwood is, well, hard, it doesn't scratch as easily, so it hold up very well. pine is soft, it will scratch very easily and the covering will flake off. well done and quality are EXTREMELY important, and even then care will be needed to keep the floor looking good. rollerblades are out! ;-P use coasters under furniture and use the felt kind, not the plastic kind. hard shoes will even damage pine floors. make it a "leave shoes at door" rule and you can be very happy.



You can trust Professional Floor's 28 years of experience in refinishing your older, pine floors.

Hardwood vs Carpet for Small Children

Hardwood flooring is not only a better environment for people with allergies but it is also a safer environment for children and babies who may be crawling or walking on the carpet.

If you have children, grand children or friends that have children it is advantagious to have hardwood flooring on the floors. Even though it may seem like a better idea to have carpeting because it is soft, it's better for children to be playing on a clean floor. Children and kids will remain healthier when playing on a clean surface and a soft padded mat or blanket can always be spread underneath them if you are worried about them playing on a hard surface.