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A Case For Real Wood

Whether you are renovating a well loved home or building new one, your choice of flooring is one of the most important decisions you will make. Flooring underpins everything in your design and should be one of the first items on your checklist. Sadly, it is often overlooked or hastily decided on at the end of the process.

While there are many products to choose from – quality hardwood flooring is still the gold standard in homes.

Good quality hardwood products, whether solid or engineered can usually be repaired when damaged, refinished when you want a change of colour palette, or even have new areas added seamlessly. Have a character home? Even narrow strip hardwood may be rejuvenated, repaired, and made to look new again. It is very important to discuss hardwood services with someone who has technical know how and training in hardwood installation and refinishing, and certainly choose a company that has a portfolio of work behind them.

Hardwood is a natural product and comes with a wide range of benefits and disadvantages that are best explained by a retailer that understands natural products. Unfortunately over the past few decades with the shift back to hardwood, big box stores and manufacturers of carpeting have ventured into the hardwood industry. They wanted back that “piece of pie” in order to reclaim profits lost to hardwood sales. Unfortunately this has flooded the market with products that are cheap and inferior compared to those that are produced by quality hardwood mills.

So why are so many new homes still being built with carpet or laminate throughout? The simple answer is cost. On the surface, carpet is far less costly to install than hardwood. However, the upfront savings of carpet and laminate is quickly diminished when it becomes worn, damaged or stained and eventually needs to be replaced. Even the best quality carpet now only has a life span of 10 to 15 years, while hardwood floors can last for generations.

Hardwood flooring is an investment that will retain it’s value when purchased responsibly and installed with care – but that does not mean it has to break the bank.

Choosing the most knowledgeable and experienced company is an important first step to enjoying your hardwood floor for years to come.

Melissa Turner is the manager of Turner Floors, Manitoba’s only National Wood Flooring Association accredited flooring store. Her husband Paul, has over 20 years experience in the flooring business and is an NWFA certified Installer, Refinisher and Inspector.

By Melissa Turner

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