Timber flooring is a very popular option for homes today, as it's durable and solid and won't hold all the dust and dirt that gets trapped in carpet fibres. In some cases, timber flooring can even add to a home's value, if you should ever decide to sell it. However, many homeowners still have some misconceptions and wrong ideas about timber flooring; note a few of those here, so you can determine if timber flooring is the best choice for your home.
Surface temperature
Some people think that the surface of timber floors is cold in wintertime and then very warm, if not downright hot, in summertime. This is rarely true, as the timber used for flooring is typically too dense to hold extreme temperatures. Your home itself might seem a bit cooler if you select timber flooring rather than carpeting, since carpeting does help to trap heat, but putting down a few area rugs and hanging curtains rather than shades can help to keep your home comfortable during winter.
Maintenance
Timber flooring does need maintenance over time; this would include occasional sanding and buffing, or even a fresh coat of paint. This removes dents, dings, scuff marks, stains, and other damage, and also allows you to change the colour of the floors, if desired. While this refinishing may typically be more expensive than the cost of having carpets shampooed or tile floors cleaned, consider that timber floors need refinishing very rarely, depending on the type of wood you choose and your everyday care of the floors. Carpeting and laminate tile, on the other hand, may need professional cleaning much more often, even annually. Over the years, it may be no more costly to maintain wood floors than it is to have carpets and tiles cleaned as often as needed.
Appearance
You may assume that timber slats all look alike so that your floors will seem very artificial, or may assume that there are so many grain patterns and knots in timber floors that they look very rustic. In truth, you can actually have either look; some species of timber and varieties of slats will be without much grain and without any knots, so that the boards offer a uniform look. On the other hand, some species may naturally show more grain to the wood when cut, or boards may be cut in a way that shows off that grain pattern, for those who do want lots of character to their flooring.