The pros and cons of oak wood flooring

Wood floors have come a long way from first being delegated to the upper floors while the ground floor was literally ground in the early 1600s, to becoming the beautiful and intricate Marquetry and Parquetry floors of the Baroque. You also have the plain plank floors of Colonial America, the tongue and groove of the 1800s, the mass produced floors of the Industrial Revolution, and the polyurethane finishes of the 1930s. Oak wood floors are beautiful and long-lasting. Are they for you? Find out in this article.

Pros

Hardwood flooring, including oak flooring, is beautiful, and it adds value to any room. When you wish to sell the house, you will find that people will be happy to pay what you wish - in fact, houses that have hardwood floors sell more quickly than those with wall-to-wall carpeting. According to Phil Spencer, "Wooden flooring is one of those features that appeals to just about everyone when it comes time to sell as well." Long-lasting Hardwood floors are durable and long-lasting. Some floors have lasted for a hundred years or more, with the proper care. Real oak flooring does not require much maintenance. All they require is to swept regularly, vacuumed if your vacuum has a bare floor setting, as well as occasionally cleaning it with a wood cleaner. Oak flooring can come in different styles, such as wide plank boards, tongue and groove, and parquet. The style of finish that you choose can add even more beauty to your home.

Cons

The initial cost of natural flooring, and oak flooring, is more expensive initially than the installation of wall-to-wall carpeting. The installation requires more work than that of hardwood flooring, in that a sub floor must be installed first to ensure the integrity of the wood floor. The oak floors will need to be refinished occasionally as they will show wear with time. This process can be expensive. The cost of refinishing creates dust which can, if not properly controlled, get into the rest of the house. If you live in an upper floor apartment with a wood floor, it can be noisy for those beneath you. An area rug or more placed strategically, will help to keep the noise down.