How Long Do Hardwood Floors Last?
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Hardwood flooring is one of the most popular flooring options for professional, commercial, and residential properties. It is preferred by property owners from all areas. Providing a wonderful, elegant, and long-lasting solution, hardwood is easy for the owners to maintain and care for.
Available in a variety of colors, finishes, and patterns, it dramatically increases the value of the area. There isn’t anything to dislike about the hardwood flooring. However, new property owners or the ones looking to renovate their homes often are concerned about their longevity.
Seeking the worth of their investment and trying to avoid the pain of changing floors, the lifespan of wood floor frets them.
Aiming to provide you with the right solutions, we have compiled this blog to answer all your queries about hardwood flooring.
Let’s learn about this flooring option and know if it is the right choice for your home.
In this blog, we cover all the aspects of hardwood flooring and shed light on its care and maintenance that would increase its longevity.
Hardwood floors, as the name indicates, are made of solid wood from the hardwood species like Maple, Oak, or Walnut. Adding a traditional yet classy look to the interior, it is loved for its overall features and great appearance.
Another core benefit of hardwood floors is their long-lasting nature. With proper installation and maintenance, these floors can last a lifetime and beyond. The solid flooring planks are milled through the tongue and groove on the edges to fit together.
Red and white oak, ash, walnut, and maple are some of the favorite US hardwood flooring options. Its versatility, function, and design offer a natural charm, adding a unique personality and beauty you can ever imagine.
The hardwood floor lifespan is influenced by various factors. For a perfect return on your investment, you ought to maintain your hardwood floor in its perfect condition. Proper maintenance and care are crucial for extending the lifespan of the floor.
How long do hardwood floors last? It is a question we often come across. People are always pleased with the wood flooring options but remain skeptical about its longevity.
To help them, we share the wooden floor longevity tips and inform them about the wood flooring lifespan factors they should consider.
Here, we have compiled a list of the key factors you should look at to ensure the extended life of your flooring:
High-quality hardwood will last longer. There is no surprise here. Considering your flooring should be a one-time investment, we suggest installing high-quality floors. Otherwise, you might get the flooring done at a below-the-budget rate, but its lifespan and quality won’t be impactful.
Before planning to install the hardwood floor, do your research about its species. You will get to know there are plenty of hardwood species available. Some come with the promise of better durability than others. It means it can withstand wear and tear better.
Not everyone pays attention to this factor. It is one of the crucial factors impacting the wood floor’s longevity.
Your floor installation is not a DIY project, so don’t even try it. Professionals install wood floors perfectly. They are the experts and ensure to curb all problems like cupping, warping, etc.
High humidity can cause the hardwood to expand. Low humidity causes it to contract. As you can understand, both are not good for your floor. Maintain a consistent temperature and relative humidity level to avoid affecting the longevity of hardwood flooring.
Keeping a check on the temperature and moisture level is essential. It helps in maintaining the structural integrity of the wood floors. Fluctuation in the moisture and temperature is responsible for warping, cracking, and other issues in the flooring.
We know it is tough to believe, but exposure to sunlight affects the durability of hardwood floors. Direct and prolonged exposure causes your beautiful flooring to fade. It is also responsible for bleaching and discoloration. The UV rays from the sun break down the chemical bonds in wood causing a negative impact.
When assessing the factors affecting wooden floor durability, foot traffic stands at the top. It can significantly impact the hardwood floor’s longevity. Dull and poor flooring are often seen near the entryways or hallways. We always advise our clients to use a rug or mat in high foot traffic areas to reduce its impact.
Lack of regular cleaning and upkeep tear down the luster of the floor. Regular cleaning helps the floor from getting damaged and helps in its overall durability. It also guarantees that dust particles won’t leave a mark or sit on your floor permanently.
Moving your heavy furniture and appliances without affecting the wood floor’s durability, requires proper measures. Use equipment and tools for shifting to avoid making any marks on the floor and shorten its lifespan.
No, we aren’t advising you to get rid of them for your hardwood floors. We understand your furry friend is a part of your family. But remember their claws do scratch the flooring.
Trim their claws and use carpets and rugs wherever possible to avoid any such damage. In case of urine or pet-related spills on the floors, cleaning up right away helps extend hardwood floor life.
Your hardwood floor’s lifespan is impacted by several variables. We’ve mentioned the most prominent ones here. Keep these factors in mind, and you can check the overall well-being of your floor, giving a reason for its durability.
Flooring is one of the most important investments you make for your property. Hence, there are many aspects that you need to consider. It enhances the aesthetic appeal and value of your home.
Being something that will lure your eyes and keep them engaged, it has to be beautiful. And since it involves a great amount of effort and money, you would want long-term enjoyment.
Among the various flooring options available in the market, hardwood floors have proven their worth. The average hardwood floor lifespan ranges between 30 to 100 years. Yes, it is true.
For this reason, you can still see some houses with extraordinary wooden floors from the 1850s. The floors remain intact, and so does the beauty of the interior.
The prolonged wood floor lifespan helps you leave a legacy for future generations to cherish and enjoy!
Having planned for a wonderful interior, every homeowner desires to ensure a long-lasting hardwood floor. The warmth, beauty, and natural charm it adds to the aesthetics are unmatchable. Hence, the need for extending hardwood floor life is immense.
With proper maintenance and care steps, the wooden floor will maintain its beauty even after reaching 100 years and beyond.
Understanding your concern, we have compiled a list of ways through which you can prevent hardwood floor damage and maintain its appeal.
Our top wood floor durability tips include the cleanliness factor. It might sound too basic for you to be here, but we have found it extremely essential. Talking about floor cleaning is not just about how often you clean your floors, but “how” you clean your floors.
Keep your floor clean of grime, dust, or debris to protect its luster and beauty.
When you can, try using preventive measures to protect your flooring. Put mats at the entryways to prevent the grime from entering your doorway.
High-heeled footwear can cause more damage than you can imagine. Preferably ask your guests and maintain the habit of removing your shoes before entering the house.
Poor installation might come cheaper but, in the long run, ruins your floor’s lifespan. It is advisable to call in professional hardwood flooring contractors for a quality installation process. Poor-quality installations are among the leading wood floor lifespan factors.
Connecting with professionals is the perfect way to deal with your worries regarding the floor’s longevity.
Water may prove immensely helpful for cleaning various items around your home. However, we can blatantly vouch for its ineffectiveness in hardwood floor cleaning. It does no good to your wooden floors rather causes significant damage to them.
Standing water on the floor because of spills or leaks to be cleaned immediately. When left unhandled, it can lead to slip, trip, and fall and might also cause the floor to lose its strength and show cracks.
For people looking for sophistication in their space, hardwood flooring is a great option. However, over time, it may lose its stunning beauty and appear less shiny and lively.
Before losing its luster and fine beauty, your floors give you significant signs. You might want to be careful about it and pay attention to increasing your hardwood floor’s lifespan.
Below are the top signs of word hardwood floors to look for:
The major sign that your wood floors need your attention is its squeaking and creaking sound. It’s the ultimate indication of the restoration process. Ask a professional hardwood floor contractor to inspect the flooring and find out the reason behind the noise.
With proper hardwood flooring maintenance by experts, you can strengthen your floor’s overall beauty and longevity.
The dents and wood splits in your floor is also major sign that indicates the poor health and decreased lifespan of solid hardwood floors. Connecting with an expert helps you get rid of the dents and splits.
Coming up with a permanent fix, they ensure to put your wooden floor back on track, maintaining the perfect glam look you adore.
Look carefully, is the color of your wooden flooring fading gradually? The reasons for the discoloration can be many. However, time and excessive usage are the prime culprits. So, if you are facing the issue, it’s a sign of worn hardwood floors.
Refinishing and sanding are required in this stage. It brings back the luster and beauty of your floor and makes it as charming as new.
When your hardwood floors are exposed to water for an extended period, they become warped and damaged. For hardwood flooring, these damages are almost irreversible. It leaves you with no choice but to replace the entire flooring.
If you see water damage, it’s time to focus on your flooring. Start considering the consequences and make the right decision for a cost-effective solution.
Do you have flooring with too many scratches?
That’s a significant sign you should be aware of. When the scratches become too excessive, it might affect your floor’s overall health and beauty.
Hardwood surfaces with multiple scratches might lead to trips and falls. We advise our clients to hire hardwood floor repair services and bring back the liveliness of their floors.
Too many layers of refinishing can destroy the structural composition of the flooring. The refinishing process usually involves staining and sanding the floor. Over time, if you do the process often, the wood gets thinned out, making it more prone to scratch.
It is one of the major signs of worn hardwood floors you should look for. And consider a replacement now over refinishing.
When exactly should you start finding the wood floor contractors? There isn’t any particular time for it. However, there are a few signs that you might be aware of. One of these signs is the nails sticking out of the flooring.
These exposed nails can majorly be seen in high-activity areas of your home. If you are experiencing such a flooring issue, it’s time to think of a replacement.
Molds are often invisible to the naked eye. It can hide in your subfloor, within walls, or in the attics. If the mold hasn’t spread far and wide, it can be handled by professionals. However, you have to be on your toes to stay aware of its presence and spreading.
If your family members are falling ill often without any particular reason, it might be because of the mold. Get it treated right on time, or replace the hardwood flooring.
You might be wondering about the relation between the ceiling and flooring. Well, there is a significant one. A leaking ceiling might incur some damage to the subfloor. Constant exposure to the leaked ceiling might cause severe damage to your subflooring.
It poses a great threat to your hardwood flooring and makes them exposed to moisture during rainfall.
Okay, so one of the major reasons you might consider replacing your hardwood flooring is that you want something new. You are tired of the same look of your floor and want to add a refreshing look.
Your local hardwood floor experts will be of immense help here. They can assure you of the quality and help you choose from many varieties. You can plan on your new interior and pick a hardwood floor that suits your style and personality.
Wood is a sustainable material. The carbon sequestration potential and offset value of the timber trees make it a preferred flooring material. However, not every wood is for flooring.
Some wood flooring options are better for your home, and some might not just fit inside. The woods that make up your flooring have to go through five stages of the cycle. These cycles determine its worth as a sustainable and eco-friendly flooring option.
To give you a clear idea of the best sustainable wooden flooring options, we have compiled a list below.
Let’s dive in.
Reclaimed wood is the best option for sustainable wood flooring. There is no argument about this. It is referred to the woods previously used in construction. When the old structures are torn down, the materials are repurposed, hence the birth of reclaimed wood.
The age and previous experience of the wood give it an unobtainable character to any other wood species. Some people prefer the use of these woods solely because it has a unique personality and rich history to flaunt.
Many people think Salvaged and Reclaimed wood are the same. But they are not.
Reclaimed wood has a history before making its way to the flooring industry; salvaged wood has no such background. These are new wood you obtain for your flooring without cutting down any trees.
These woods are found at the back of a warehouse or collected from fallen trees. It makes a sustainable option for flooring.
Maple trees are in abundance in North America, and hence make a great option for sustainable wood flooring. These woods are available in hard and soft varieties. It gives you the liberty to create beautiful items out of them.
It is widely popular for its clean and contemporary floor patterns. It is a great choice for a Scandinavian and mid-century-inspired modern interior.
You might wonder what makes bamboo find its place in sustainable wood flooring options. Well, the fact that it grows faster and requires a short time of maturity and self-propagation makes it stand tall in this list.
Bamboo has often proven to be a more durable option than traditional hardwoods. Considering the bamboo wood floor lifespan statistics, we can easily say it lasts longer than many other flooring options.
The palm trees that no longer produce coconuts are used as a floor-building material. It is a great eco-friendly option. This wood floor offers beautiful, rich, and elegant color flooring with a unique texture. The features make it the center of attention in any area.
It is dense and a perfect option for heavy foot traffic areas. If you are concerned about longevity and sustainability, this flooring is your answer.
Oak wood is a popular North American wood species. It is yet another, and we must add, a significant sustainable wood flooring choice.
Oak is one of the most popular wood floor types in the USA. This wood option can be recycled at the end of its life. The feature makes it worth considering.
Another major reason behind the popularity of oak wood flooring is the wide options, patterns, and distinctive flooring styles created out of it.
Cork is derived from the bark of the cork oak tree. It is easily harvested without harming the tree. And the bark redevelops within three years.
Hence, it is the best renewable and eco-friendly option. Cork is dense and a little spongy, which makes it ideal for rooms that need noise absorption.
The homeowners can also install this flooring without any professional help if they buy the peel-and-stick cork carpet tiles.
The list of sustainable flooring options will be incomplete if we do not mention Hickory. It is one of the hardest and strongest hardwoods available in the USA. It is a durable flooring material, available in various patterns and styles to suit your taste and preference.
Hickory is a brilliant flooring option and is widely popular too. It adds a glam factor to the interior and gives a mesmerizing beauty for you to flaunt all around.
Hardwood flooring installation gives your home a stunning and elegant look but is a costly affair. Buying hardwood floor products and hiring experts to bring out the best in your home improvement project is a task.
Before getting involved in it all, you need to learn about the hardwood flooring costs. Here, we present a brief guide about the factors that impact your hardwood flooring costs. It plays a significant role in transforming the beauty of your home.
The professionals specialize in hardwood flooring installation. They understand the process and have in-depth experience to ensure a smooth and perfect installation process. Hiring professional contractors for hardwood floor installation ensures the perfect finish application. They lay the plank ideally in place.
They navigate through the tough areas and angles using the right tools and their skills. With proper installation, you are also assured of durable results. It guarantees the long-lasting charm of your home.
People often ask us about the cost of hardwood flooring and its installation process. If you are planning to install hardwood floors within your home, keep reading the details below.
The total cost or expenditure you need to meet for your hardwood flooring is based on various factors. It includes area size, chosen wood, and the type of installation, you have selected.
Hardwood floor refinishing cost depends on the size of the area where it is to be installed. Although the cost varies from region to region, we can give you a basic idea about the average cost.
For a 500 square feet area, the average hardwood flooring cost will be around $3,000 to $11,500. And a 3,000 square feet area might require you to spend around $18,000 to $69,000. You can ask different flooring contractors to share their approx. cost for your flooring space, and choose accordingly.
The cost of a hardwood floor also depends on its type. The hardwood flooring you choose makes your budget go high or low.
On average, we have seen the hardwood flooring types lay to the variation of cost per square foot:
Never thought the thickness of the plank would be a factor affecting your budget. Well, that’s true. It does create a major impact on your budget. Thinner boards are less expensive and won’t even last long as they cannot sand and refinish several times.
For a 5/16” thickness board, the cost would be around $2-$5/sq. ft. It changes to $3-$10/sq. ft. and around $5-$15/sq. ft. for 3/4″ and 7/8” thick boards.
Other than the costs mentioned above, professional hardwood flooring and installation services are also influenced by other factors. The above-mentioned are the greatest determinants of hardwood flooring costs, however, other factors include the following points:
The type of installation impacts your project’s cost. The cost of the glue-down installation is more expensive for wood flooring than a nail-down process. Also, replacing hardwood floors will affect the cost of your project, than installing new hardwood floors.
You need to pay extra if you desire any kind of additional flooring services. It may include removing old flooring, replacing underlayment, reinstalling subfloors, and the like. These additional services decide the overall cost you need to pay for the hardwood flooring.
If the installation is complex, you need to pay extra labor costs. The installation complexity and the installer’s experience define your overall budget for the entire process.
Your professional hardwood contractor might charge you extra for dust control. To control the dust, they need to use plastic sheets, air scrubbers, filters, and other elements, which increase the additional costs. It may not be in your up-front quote, but during installation or site visit, this might be included.
Multiple coats of quality hardwood floor finish enhance the entire beauty of the area. If you need several coatings, you have to pay extra. Be transparent about your needs with your contractor, and you might get the right coat at the initial stage.
Another major factor influencing the overall cost of hardwood flooring is the subfloor. It increases labor and material expenses and also requires extra time. You need to bear the cost of all these.
Wood floor care and maintenance need your ultimate focus for maximizing hardwood floor lifespan. It is essential to extend the life of your floor and keep it in its best health and appearance.
Our experts have compiled this list of hardwood floor maintenance, which we have mentioned below. Regular cleaning and care shared by our experts help you to protect your investment and get the most out of it.
Keep reading to learn more and stay updated.
Cleaning your hardwood floor isn’t a single-time task. You need to maintain its beauty throughout. Seasonal changes, dirt accumulation, rain, mud, and other factors cause your wooden floors to look dull and uninteresting.
Follow a schedule of regular maintenance and stick to it. Maintaining a routine helps you to make the floor look great.
Although not everyone would agree with this step, our experts are hell-bent on following this step to maintain the floor’s beauty. Regular dusting keeps the dust and dirt off the floor. It prevents scratches and extends the beauty of your floor.
Daily dusting and mopping will reduce the allergens in your home. It is an underestimated yet one of the most effective tips for floor maintenance.
Even though you dust daily, the debris builds up on hardwood floors. Weekly cleaning also helps in maintaining the beauty of the floor. We advise using the best hardwood floor cleaners made of pH-neutral and biodegradable formulas. It ensures a safe and clean home.
Sweeping your floor is not advised. It spreads the dust around the floor and into the air. Using a washable microfiber pad to clean effectively is necessary and recommended.
For restoring the shine and finish of your floors, try using liquid concealers and wood floor polish. It revitalizes your floor and gives you the perfect finish that revives the glory and glam of the flooring.
Restoring the shine and covering the wear and tear of the floor is necessary. It maintains the beauty and restores the wood’s natural charm and appearance.
For wooden flooring, scratches appear to be a major problem. Some scratches are inevitable, but you can prevent some. Use furniture pads on the legs of your sofa, chair, tables, etc.
It helps you to move the furniture without leaving any mark on the floor. The furniture pads are also essential for cleaning beneath them and maintaining the floor’s beauty.
If you have a spill on your floor, use a dry or slightly damp cloth to immediately wipe up. Avoid using any kind of wet or steam mops as it can cause more damage to the floor. Clean the spills as soon as they occur and maintain the humidity level.
Keeping the moisture and humidity levels in check is essential to avoid cupping, splitting, and wood gapping.
Hardwood floor restoration and maintenance tips
Get in touch with the experts of European Flooring and keep your investment in flooring well protected. We believe proper installation and care for hardwood flooring helps in maintaining wood floor lifespan.
Amongst the various flooring options available, hardwood is one of the most expensive types. With our assistance, we promise to make it the best investment for your home. Our support enhances the overall value and appeal of your floor.
How to make hardwood floors last for a lifetime? To answer this question, our expert team offers relevant floor care tips that prevent your floor from damage.
Plan your home with the stunning, always-in-style hardwood flooring option and give your space the life it deserves.