Hardwood floor can be less expensive
The Star - 9 January 2008

Homeowners love everything about hardwood floors except the cost, Yet according to industry experts, if homeowners consider other factors beyond initial purchase price and installation they will find that hardwoods are actually less expensive over than sheet vinyl, linoleum, carpet and other alternatives.

In fact once you figure in maintenance useful life expectancy and disposal of old materials, hardwoods are a more economical choice than other popular flooring materials. And here’s a bonus: they’re earth-friendly and naturally abundant,too.One of the original free building materials today’s hardwood forest grow far more wood than is harvested from them every year, says the American Hardwood Information Centre at www.hardwoodinfo.com.At current volumes that ensures American hardwoods will be around for generation to come.

What hardwood floors really cost
Sue Tartaglio, interior designer at Burt Hill, an architecture firm in south-western Pennsylvania, recently developed a life-cycle cost comparison of a dozen frequently used synthetic and natural flooring products. Her study based on maintenance and life-cycle costs published by flooring manufacturers and conversation with their representatives shows that in facilities with a life use of more than 15 years – hardwood flooring has significantly lower life-cycle costs than other plooring materials despite higher upfront costs. According to Tartaglio’s study, the average installed cost for common types of flooring range from $1.45 per square foot for vinyl composition tile to $12 per square foot for bamboo and hardwood. Cost for linoleum, cork, rubber, sheet.vinyl.carpet and ceramic tile fall in between.

Since the comparison consider useable products life, replacement, cleaning and labour costs over 15 years, products with some of the lowest initials costs wind up having the highest total life-cycle costs. In fact among the dozen flooring materials compared, hardwood, rubber and bamboo flooring have the lowest total cost at 15 years

Replacement and Renewability

Beside its warmth, beauty and authenticity. American hardwoods come out ahead in two significant ways: replacement cost and renewability.Hardwood floors can last 25,30 even 50 years--or more .Broadloom and tile carpeting, on the other hand, because of its four –to six-year life span, needs to be replaced three times more frequently over 15 year life span than a hardwood floor. After 15 to 20 years of use. Hardwood flooring can gain a fresh .new appearance with refinishing for roughly half the cost of replacing carpet or other flooring options.
A well-manage and renewable resource. American hardwoods grow abundantly in North American forests. In fact, nearly twice as much hardwood grows each year is harvest in the U.S and the volume of hardwood today is 90 percent larger than it was 50 years ago.

After its useful life over
In choosing an environmentally friendly flooring material, consumers should consider what happens to old building materials after their useful life. Many end up in landfills where they can sit for
Literally hundreds of years hardwood floors however, are reusable recyclable and biodegradable.

Indoor air quality and well being

In addition to being more economical over the long run, hardwoods add a natural warmth and character and are a natural choice for a healthy home.
Hardwoods are easily cleaned with non-toxic products and do not trap allergens like mold spores, bacteria and dust mites after embedded in other flooring products. For this reason. they are recommended for chemically sensitive individuals or those who suffer from allergies or asthma. Simple regular maintenance such as dust mopping, sweeping and vacuuming keeps the environment allergen-free .Hardwood flooring adds considerably to a home’s resale value too
Its variety of protective surface finishes from oil and water-based urethane to acrylic impregnated woods not only enhance colour texture and grain pattern but add exceptional durability and moisture resistance. And hardwood is a versatile sustainable option in more location than ever: in places with rigorous maintenance and health requirements such as hospital and health care facilities to retail commercial and institutional setting as consumers focus more on using natural earth friendly materials in their homes. American hardwoods are the natural choice for: health and sustainability

Its variety of protective surface finishes from oil water based urethane to acrylic impregnate woods not only enhance colour texture and grain pattern but add exceptional durability.

Touch wood
SA Home Owner article, August 2008

THE BEAUTY OF NATURAL WOOD IS UNMATCHED – DISCOVER WHAT MAKES IT SUCH A GREAT FLOORING OPTION.

The look and feel of a natural wooden floor always exudes feelings of warm, organic beauty with a design appeal that will enhance any home. Tielman Malherbe of Malco Flooring goes on to add “Solid wood floors have been around for centuries and will never go out of fashion. A solid wood floor lasts the lifetime of your house and should therefore be considered a wise investment. Add to this the variety of colours, the different grains and finishes, the ease of maintenance and you will know why it is considered the stylish alternative.”

Besides aesthetic appeal, a wooden floor is ideal for people with allergies, as it does not trap dust or fumes and is also a natural insulator. Like a good wine wood matures with age and develops character, enhancing the home's re-sale value. Adding to its allure is the fact that it cannot be reproduced in manmade form.

Tony Mendes, of tree-Mendes Wooden Flooring explains: “A solid wooden floor consists of raw timber, which is bought from a wood merchant, after it has been kiln dried to specifications, machined into tongue and groove floor boards and installed through various techniques.”

Although laminate is an affordable alternative, experts from Flooring Depot note that laminate is a pressed wood board on which a printed surface and clear scratch-resistant coating are heat pressed together.

Anders Ekdahl, managing director of Interior Wooden Floors, the sole importer of Swedish-manufacturer Kahrs Genuine Wooden Floors, ads that “laminate flooring may have a look similar to genuine wooden flooring, but in actual fact has very little, if anything, in common with a real wood.” If you look at a piece of solid flooring, you may see growth rings or striations, but there are no layers or ply.

Professionals from Barrow Flooring comment that there is a wide range of woods that are used from the classics like Oak, Ash, Beech or Maple, to the more exotic Hevea, Merbau, Walnut, Jatoba and Saligna, to name but a few.

“Most woods can be used for flooring. However, hardwoods are recommended. A measurement scale has been developed known as the Janka Hardness Scale which provides the buyer with a direct comparison for most species of wood in the world in order to determine their hardness. This provides a direct indication of the durability of a particular species of wood which in turn relates to its suitability as a floor covering”.

Maintenance

Today, the maintenance of wood is really simple – a good sweep or vacuum is usually sufficient for everyday dust and dirt. Wet spills must be dried immediately to avoid staining. When necessary a light damp mop can be used, as opposed to a soaking wet one which should be avoided as it causes damage to the wood.

Solid wood floors are more durable and scratch – resistant than ever before, however, should your floor be damaged or scratched it can be sanded down and resealed to restore its original beauty.

Anders concludes: “Installing a wooden floor is almost like investing in eternal beauty. It demands centuries of growth and deserves to be chosen with care.”