Hardwood is a popular flooring option for homeowners but it is seen less often in commercial buildings. When remodeling your own commercial space, why not consider professionally installing hardwood flooring? We’ve put together some helpful information that may help your decision.
Hardwood flooring is a classic flooring option for many commercial facilities. Its natural, timeless beauty can match many different styles of decor, from ritzy and formal to cozy and comfy.
Hardwood flooring and engineered wood flooring are both made completely from real wood, but differ significantly in their construction. Solid hardwood flooring is manufactured from a single piece of lumber and cut into planks, which are sized to fit the room. Engineered wood flooring is constructed with multi-layered plywood and topped with a solid wood veneer.
Both can come in a wide variety of appearances, with endless options for stain and texture. If you can’t decide which look is right for you, contact our flooring specialists to get professional insight.
Hardwood Flooring Vs. Engineered Wood Flooring
These two flooring options both create a beautiful and welcoming atmosphere for your facility, but they do have several pros and cons that set them apart from each other. Once you understand their differences, you’ll be better prepared to know which option is right for your application.
Solid hardwood flooring can be ⅝ – ¾ of an inch thick, enough to sand down and refinish when its surface gets scratched or worn. These floors can be refinished many times, depending on the thickness of the original boards, sometimes even up to 10 times. Hardwood floors can last 25-50 years, depending on:
- • The quality of the initial installation
- • Regular cleaning and maintenance
- • The level of traffic
- • The type of hardwood selected for the flooring
- • The initial thickness of the hardwood before any refinishing is done
Engineered wood flooring is more resilient than hardwood flooring, lasting anywhere from 20 to 100 years, depending on the aforementioned factors. Because the surface contains a thin veneer, it can be refinished only once or twice during its lifetime.
Hardwood Flooring Pros and Cons
1. Appearance
Pros: Hardwood flooring looks elegant and inviting, which is especially beneficial for certain types of businesses, including anything in the service industry.
Cons: Some hardwood flooring can acquire dents and scratches, which can lessen its visual appeal. However, with proper care, hardwood can retain its appearance for decades.
2. Maintenance
Pros: It is easy to maintain hardwood flooring, especially when compared to other types of materials. Simple spills can be easily wiped up, and if your floors get cleaned and polished once a month, they really glow.
Cons: About every ten years or so, you may need to sand and refinish your hardwood floors. However, doing so can make them look as good as new again, as you’ll sand away any scratches and imperfections.
3. Décor
Pros: Hardwood flooring works for just about any type of interior design scheme. This means you won’t have to match the look of your furnishings to your floor, or vice versa. You can also alter the color of the wood in order to increase its compatibility even further. Bruce Hardwood, one of our brand providers, stocks a large inventory of woods, which means we can offer a huge selection of styles and shades to our customers.
Cons: If you’re going for a purely industrial look, hardwood flooring might not convey that tone as strongly.
4. Durability
Pros: Hardwood flooring is extremely durable and can withstand a large amount of foot traffic. This is especially true when you purchase the hardest woods, such as red oak. You can expect your hardwood flooring to last for centuries.
Cons: There are certain conditions in which hardwood flooring can become damaged. Unfixed leaks can penetrate the space in between the subfloor and the boards, so it’s important to fix any water-related issues in your piping. Hardwood floors also aren’t the best option for rooms with high humidity, such as bathrooms and laundry rooms.
Additional Pros of Hardwood Floors
There are numerous advantages to using hardwood. First, it is easy to install in most buildings. Many buildings have concrete as a base, so it’s simple to install wood over it. Hardwood is also better for your building’s air quality. Certain types of flooring are more likely to capture allergens and dander, but hardwood is simple to clean, which is one quality your janitorial staff is sure to enjoy.
Hardwood is an extremely durable material. It becomes even more durable when you get a good finish to go along with it. We recommend an acrylic impregnated finish for your hardwood flooring to extend its longevity.
More → The Best Hardwood Flooring Options
Additional Cons of Hardwood Floors
There are not many downsides to installing hardwood flooring. However, it does tend to cost more than other options. It is much more upscale than other floors. While you will spend more money upfront, you can expect to get more out of your investment because hardwood is so resilient.
Hardwood floors also tend to be a bit noisier. Fortunately, rugs can dampen this sound to make sound quality more pleasant around the office. Additionally, you should not have to worry about the noise as long as employees are not stomping around in boots.
Instructions for Maintaining Hardwood Flooring
There are various steps for keeping your hardwood flooring in pristine condition. First, inform all of your workers to avoid wearing shoes that could damage the floors. You should also never scrub the floor with an item containing metal, which means scouring pads are out of the question. You should avoid using any products that contain:
- • Silicon
- • Tung oil
- • Citrus
- • Lemon
As long as you follow all these instructions, there is no reason why your hardwood flooring cannot last 25 years or longer. It may last even longer if you refinish floors often. Get a superb product from the experts at Greenwood Flooring. We have clients in Rochester, NY who have enjoyed our hardwood flooring and your commercial building can be next. Call us at 585-444-0105 to get started. If hardwood does not seem right for you, look at other options of flooring.
Why Should I Hire a Professional to Refinish Hardwood Floors?
There may be some home renovation projects you could do on your own. However, hardwood floor refinishing is not one of them. This job requires a lot of precision and attention to detail to ensure it is done exactly right. A hardwood floor is a beautiful addition to any home. You need to keep it maintained by talented professionals in your area to keep it that way.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing Takes a While to Complete
It usually takes between three and five days to refinish hardwood floors. If you attempt to do it yourself, then it could take even longer because you have to schedule the work around your job and familial responsibilities. Doing it over the course of several weekends means your house will be in a state of disarray for a couple weeks. It is simply more efficient to have a professional come throughout the week to get the job done as quickly as possible.
Refinishing Requires a Lot of Tools
It may seem more affordable to refinish floors yourself until you look at all the tools and equipment you need to purchase. You will need a power sander, varnish and various other odds and ends that all quickly add up. Additionally, you need a way to keep dust under control. It becomes a health hazard when too much dust enters the air. Hiring an expert who already has all the necessary tools is a lot easier to deal with. Even if you acquired all the tools yourself, you may not know how to use them properly.
It Benefits From Years of Industry Experience
You can easily find an expert in your area with years of hardwood floor refinishing experience. Part of this experience means knowing all hardwood floors are different and require distinctive services. You may have watched an online tutorial, but that does not mean you will know what to do for your specific flooring. Professionals also know how to do this work without damaging adjacent surfaces. You could end up spending more money in the long run if you have to pay someone else to fix a mistake you made.
Why Should I Hire a Professional to Install My Hardwood Flooring?
Hardwood flooring is an attractive flooring choice for the home or workplace. It is durable and allows you to create a space that is both stylish and functional.
At first, you might think that you can “DIY” your hardwood floor and save a few bucks. However, hardwood flooring installation is a job best reserved for a professional installer.
You want your flooring to last: it needs to withstand both the test of time and the test of daily usage.
Here are three reasons that hiring a professional is the best way to ensure that your new hardwood floor is as strong as it is beautiful.
1) Proper Preparation
Preparing to install hardwood flooring is, in many ways, more essential to a successful job than the installation itself.
Before you even purchase your flooring, you have to make decisions about the space. A professional can draw from his or her experience to help you make the right choices when it comes to aesthetics, materials, and measurements. Having someone with experience to offer guidance can be invaluable.
Additionally, taking a few preparation steps can make your floor sturdier. One of the most significant risks for a new wood floor is humidity. Professionals will acclimate your flooring to the space, allowing it to expand and shrink in the new space before installing it. This will help to prevent future cracking and warping, meaning your new floor will last longer.
2) Disposing of the Old Hardwood Flooring
Sometimes hardwood flooring is installed over the existing floor, but other times the old flooring should be removed. A professional can help you make this choice and will provide effective removal of the previous floor if needed. Professional removal will minimize any damage caused to your floor by the removal process.
Additionally, if the original floor needs to be removed, a professional can ensure that your subfloor is ready for your new hardwood. They will prepare the existing subfloor or install a new one if needed, and their experience will help determine which is the right course for your situation.
3) Experienced Installation
Of course, the installation is where the whole job comes together.
If it’s your first time, it can be challenging to install flooring even in a rectangular room. Rarely are rooms so evenly shaped. Hiring a professional will help you avoid the struggle and frustration of lining up all the panels correctly, resulting in a more attractive end product.
Get Help From a Professional
Enlisting the help of a professional installer can ensure that the new hardwood floor in your home or workplace is as sturdy as it is attractive. Get the best hardwood flooring Rochester, New York has to offer by contacting Greenfield Flooring.
