What are the benefits of switching to hardwood floors throughout your home? They are both decorative and practical. For one thing, hardwood floors increase the resale value of your home and make it easier to sell. Aside from the dollar figures involved, hardwood floors hold a special charm that’s timeless and rustically captivating.

Lasting Durability

Hardwood floors can last for 100 years or more with the proper care. Wood floors are the most durable flooring there is. Grape juice can easily be washed up. Cats can’t tear them up. Hardwood floors maintain their charm and classic grace for centuries. What carpet can say that?

Warmer than laminated floors

Hardwood floors are also much warmer than laminate, which can be cold to the bare feet. Hardwood has a natural warmth. With its thousands of pores, wood has a natural ability to retain heat, especially in the winter. Plastic laminate simply doesn’t last, cracking and falling apart after only a few years.

Cleaner than Carpet

Carpet can grow mold and mildew. Carpet is a virtual breeding ground for dust mites and sucks up animal dander, pollen and other harmful allergens that can antagonize sensitive noses. Unlike carpeting, hardwood floors can be easily cleaned with a mop, clearing out any contaminants. Hardwood floors are especially great for people with allergies because they don’t absorb the things we are allergic too.

All it takes is the occasional sweeping and mopping to keep hardwood floors continually clean. It’s a lot easier to mop a hardwood floor than spraying and cleaning a carpet, which makes hardwood ideal for people with pets and kids. Once a carpet is peed on or stained upon, even carpet cleaner is only so effective as the carpet often carries some sort of permanent stain or odor. Kids and pets may scratch or gouge a hardwood floor, but you’ll actually find this gives character to the floor. If smoothness is a big issue for you, the hardwood floors can always be sanded for a cleanly smooth surface. You can refinish hardwood floors for the perfection you seek.

Carpet is also made of chemicals and plastics, which can be a health hazard for pets, babies and small children. The carpet can be accidentally eaten, causing bad health problems. Sometimes, even breathing in the plastic carpet fumes and sitting on the carpet can cause a small percentage of ingestion. Incremental amounts of the chemicals used to make carpets have been found in the cells of people.

Hardwood Floors match everything

Hardwood flooring easily accentuates any décor, whether your house is contemporary or traditional. They have a timeless appeal and a beauty that never goes out of style. You can’t say the same about 1970s shag carpeting. Great for living rooms, dining rooms or bedrooms, hardwood floors look great in any room in the house. You can even use them in kitchens and bathrooms for a classical appeal, although you might want to choose a special wood for high moisture areas. Talk with your seller for special, non-absorbent wood for areas that might receive a high amount of water.

Add a Throw Rug for Comfort

If you really like the feeling of carpet and spend a lot of time sitting or lying on the floor, you can always decorate the hardwood floor with a rug. A nice throw rug can add the charm and comfort-level of carpet, but are easier to clean. They also contain fewer chemical contaminants. You can get rugs especially designed for people with allergies.

Classical charm is always in style

Above all, hardwood floors present a historical charm that never goes out of style. There’s a warm feeling to the classical appeal of wood, and it’s easier to maintain than a carpet. If you have an older home that already has carpet, it may be worth tearing it up and refinishing the hardwood floor. It can add value to your home as well as personable charm. You’d be surprised by the low cost maintenance, and you’ll never have to worry about stains again.