Nothing compares to the beauty, richness, and warmth of hardwood flooring. It adds more value to homes and businesses and last for decades with the proper maintenance and care. Here are some tips to help you select and maintain hardwood flooring to ensure a worthwhile investment. 

1. Understand Your Home Aesthetics 

There is hardwood flooring for every type of home décor. So you need to understand your home aesthetics and the look you are trying to achieve to choose the right hardwood flooring. For instance, hardwood flooring with fewer knots, swirls, and grain patterns, like white oak, looks extremely good in contemporary homes. Wooden species with high levels of knots and grains, like pine, oak, and maple make the perfect stand-out feature for traditional homes. Also, white oak floors with wider planks work best for modern farmhouse-style homes, and cherry and walnut for rustic-style homes. 

2. Pick the Perfect Color 

Choosing the right color is critical as it balances the overall look and makes a solid personal statement. If you have lighter walls, select dark hardwood floors for a modern look. Also, consider the lighting and size of your rooms. Light colors make the ideal choices for smaller spaces with less natural lighting. A lime-washed or light grey color goes well with modern homes, while dark colors like classic browns and reds look great on traditional homes. Glossy black is also a rich and posh color that can look beautiful in contemporary homes. If you find it tricky to choose the right color, contact a flooring specialist to help you with the choices. 

3. Select a Prefinished Hardwood Flooring 

When you choose prefinished hardwood flooring, it comes with a manufacturer's warranty, which is better than the contractor's warranty. In general, prefinished hardwood floors are more durable than traditional hardwood floors. They are finished with multiple layers of sealants and finishes through ultraviolet curing in a strict quality-controlled factory setting. So this means it is easy to maintain and, most importantly, saves time on installation. Moreover, prefinished flooring comes in various colors, designs, and finish choices, making it easier to choose one. 



4. Don’t Forget Maintenance 

Hardwood floors are easy-to-maintain floors. However when choosing hardwood flooring, you must also select the right finish, like polyurethane or lacquer sealants for easy maintenance and longevity of the floors. Sealants not only protect hardwood floors but bring out their beauty and give them a distinct look— matte, satin, or glossy. 

To maintain the floors, you must sweep daily and mop the floors once a week. Also, make sure to use cleaning products and equipment like the Bona hardwood floor cleaner and WetJet wood starter kit to avoid damaging the floor. In addition, you can protect the hardwood floors by using felt pads under furniture and avoiding shoes or high heels inside your home. Furthermore, invest in good-quality door mats at the entrance and use carpets in high-traffic areas to maintain them in good condition for years. 

Contact our team at Floors For Less if you need more help selecting and maintaining hardwood flooring https://www.floorsforless.com/contact. We can help you choose the right flooring and provide pro maintenance tips.