FAQs
Why Should I Choose Wood Floors?
Why Wood Floors?
Wood floors provide meaningful environmental advantages thanks to how they’re sourced, used, and reused. Because trees can be replanted, hardwood is a renewable material, and in the U.S. more trees are planted than harvested, leading to a larger standing forest today than in past decades. Their long lifespan means fewer raw materials are needed over time and far less waste ends up in landfills compared to shorter‑lived flooring products. Throughout their service life, wood floors also store carbon, helping reduce the amount released into the atmosphere. When they eventually reach the end of their lifespan, they can be repurposed, recycled, or even used as a clean‑burning fuel source, extending their environmental value well beyond their years in your home.
Durability
Wood floors are built to last. They handle the wear and tear of busy households and still maintain their beauty for decades. Each wood species has its own hardness rating, and the Janka Scale is a helpful guide when choosing the right fit for your lifestyle—whether you’re a quiet household or a bustling home with kids and pets. When your floors eventually start to lose a bit of their shine, they can be refreshed through recoating, which adds a new layer of finish and restores luster. For deeper wear, dents, or scratches, sanding and refinishing can bring the surface back to like‑new condition. Both options extend the life of your floors and keep them looking their best for years to come.
Competitive Advantages Over Other Flooring Surfaces
Wood floors offer strong long‑term value compared to many other surfaces. Homes with hardwood typically sell faster and often at higher prices, with some real estate professionals noting that comparable homes with wood floors can sell for up to 10% more. Their durability also means you’re investing in a surface that can last for generations. With proper care, wood floors can serve the lifetime of your home, making them a smart and lasting choice.
Dust Collection System
Our sanding process is designed to keep your home as clean and comfortable as possible. We use a high‑efficiency dust containment system that captures the vast majority of airborne dust before it ever settles in your living space. This means cleaner air, less cleanup, and a smoother overall experience while your floors are being refinished.
Environmentally Friendly, Cruelty‑Free Finishes
The finishes we use are selected with both performance and responsibility in mind. They’re low‑VOC, environmentally friendly, and cruelty‑free, giving you a durable, beautiful floor without harsh chemicals or products tested on animals. You get a long‑lasting finish that’s safer for your home, your family, and the environment. Wood floors also support healthier indoor air quality. They don’t trap allergens, dust, mold, or outdoor contaminants the way other flooring materials can, making them a cleaner, healthier choice for families and pets.
Health benefits
Wood floors improve indoor air quality. They do not harbor allergens, microorganisms or harmful pesticides that can be tracked in from outdoors. Mold, dust and animal dander is minimal as well, which makes wood floors a healthy flooring alternative.
Which Wood Floor is Right for my Home?
Which species is right for me?
The Species you select will depend on your style, budget and personal preferences. More than 50 domestic and imported species of wood flooring are available to achieve your unique look. As a general rule, light wood will make a room appear more open and airy, medium woods will make a room feel warm and cozy, and dark woods will make a room feel stately and refined.
Site finished or factory finished?
Both site-finished and factory-finished wood floors have benefits and advantages. Choosing one over the other will depend on the level of customization you want to acheive, and your personal preferance. A site finish is one that is applied on the job site, in the room where the floor is being installed. This method offers the most customization. The trade-off, however, is that you will need to allow time for the finish to dry, during which you will not be able to walk on your floor. A factory finish is one that is apllied at the factory, long before it reaches your home. This method offers the least customization. The benifit is that you will be able to walk on your floors immediately after they are installed.
Engineered or solid?
Both engineered and solid wood floors are made using real wood, but each has different uses based on where you want to install it. Solid wood floors are made using one solid piece of wood. The thickness can vary, but generally ranges from 5/16" to 3/4". Solid wood flooring can be used in any room that is above ground. One of the many benefits of solid wood flooring is that it can be sanded and refinished many times during its service life. Engineered wood floors are manufactured using multiple layers of wood veneers. The layers that you can't see can be of the same species, a composite material, or different species. The top layer, which is the only layer that is visible, uses high-quaility wood. The grain of each layer runs in perpendicular directions, which makes it very dimensionally stable. This means that the wood willl expand and contract less that solid wood floors during fluctuations in humidity and temperature. Engineered wood floors can be used in any room in a home, including those below ground.
Glossy or matte?
The sheen of your wood floor is a matter of personal preference. Gloss finishes offer the most shine and will reflect the most light, semi-gloss finishes offer some shine and will reflect some light, and matte finishes offer the least shine and will reflect the least light. The less sheen, the less you will notice small scratches and other wear that is normal with wood floors.
Strip, plank, or parquet?
Harwood floors are manufactured in three styles: strip, plank, and parquet. Each style is available in a variety of species, colors and widths, so choosing the right style simply is a matter of which look you prefer. Strip flooring is less than 3" wide, and creates a linear effect in a room, often making a room appear larger. Strip wood flooring is generally considered "traditional" wood flooring. Plank flooring is equal to or greater that 3" wide. While plank flooring is linear like strip flooring, its wider widths often create a more casual look. Parquet flooring can often vary in size, and usually generates a geometric, non-linear look. Parquet flooring can be a very simple design of complex.
How Do I Care for My Wood Floors?
Wood is natural, care includes moisture management
Wood is a natural product that resonds to its environment. It is a hygroscopic material, which means that it will lose or gain moisture until it is in equalibrium with the air surrounding it. In dry conditions, such as during winter months when heating systems are in use, wood floors will shrink, which will result in gaps between floor boards. In wet conditions, such as during summer months when humidty is higher, wood floors wil swell. This is a normal reaction of wood floors that will occur from season to season. You can minimize these changes in your wood floor by maintaining your home between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit and 30-50 percent humidity year-round.
Maintenance do's and don'ts
Wood floor maintenance is quick and easy. Routine cleaning invovles sweeping, dust mopping, or vacuuming using the bare floor setting to remove dust and dirt. Clean spill immediately with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Don't use wet mops or steam mops, shich will damage the finish or even the wood over long periods of time. To avoid scratches, place breathable throwrugs at all entrances, put floor protector pads on the bottoms of the legs of any furniture that comes in direct contact with you floors, and avoid walking on the floors with sports cleats or high-heel shoes. When the floor begins to look a little dull, use a wood floor cleaner recommended by your installer to maintain finish. Use the product as directed, and only use products reommended by your contractor, flooring manufacturer, or finish manufacturer. Using the wrond type of cleaning product could damage the finish, and possibly the wood.
Kid's, dogs, and cats
Today's wood floors are designed to withstand the traffic of a busy family life. For pets in particular, you can minimize scrathes by putting breathable rugs at all doors to minimizes dirt and debris being tracked in from outdoors. You should also trim their nail regularly, but need to understand that scrathes can and will happen with pets. When scratches do occur, they most likely will be in the floor surface only, and are easy to repair.
Troubleshooting and repair
Over time, you may experience subtle changes in your wood floors that you are not sure how to repair. These changes can include things like squeaks, gaps that don't close with seasonal changes, pet stains, or finish wear in high-traffic areas. These issues can usually be repaired by a wood flooring professional.
Recommended maintenance schedule
These maintenance recommendations are provided as a general guideline. Your personal maintenance requirements will vary depending on the wear and tear on your floors. You may need to perform maintenance more frequently, or less frequently, depending on your lifestyle. Daily Sweep or dust mop. Weekly Vacuum using the bare floor setting Monthly Clean with recommended floor cleaner Every 3-5 years or as needed Mainenance coat Every few decades or as needed Sand and refinish