Are You Actually Saving Money By Buying Cheap Wooden Flooring, Or Is It A Misconception?
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010
by Anthony Davis
So, after looking at the various options, you've come to the conclusion that the best choice for your situation is likely to be wooden flooring. But now you have to decide which of the various wooden floors you should purchase. You will be drawn to cheap wooden flooring at first, of course. After all, that's the whole reason it's cheap, because it gets your attention. Excepting any awesome wooden flooring sales, however, you'll probably end up with a product of lower quality by paying less. However, in many cases, a cheap wooden floor will really be all you need, which means there's not much point in paying more.
The fact that solid wooden floors can be sanded when they become scratched up is one of their biggest advantages. Wood floors of high quality can be sanded multiple times, if need be. This benefit is tremendous if there are kids or pets in your home. If your home has a lot of people coming in and out on a regular basis, there's a very real possibility that cheap wooden flooring will look quite ragged within only a few years. If you don't have a lot of people living with you, and don't host parties or get-togethers, then high traffic is probably not your concern.
Cheap Wooden Flooring Requires A Lot Of Protection
One of the best ways to keep a wooden floor looking nice over the years is using floor protectors under furniture feet and rugs in high traffic areas. Floor protectors can be a pain with things like chairs, though, since they move, and rugs can bunch up and have to be cleaned from time to time. Are you the type of person that waits until you absolutely have to clean? If so, cheap wooden flooring might not be your best choice since it's usually a bit more fragile than the thicker, higher quality stuff. On the other hand, if you keep rugs nice and neat, and are fanatical about things like floor protectors, then you might could go cheap without sacrificing looks.
Cheap Wooden Flooring Hates Moisture
You'll have to do a bit of forward thinking on this one. No one buys a floor while wondering what would happen if it were covered in a few feet of water. Unfortunately, especially in older homes, stuff happens. Cheap wooden flooring is extremely susceptible to warping when water is involved. Engineered wooden flooring in particular will do this. Since it's considerably thinner than hard wood, it tends to warp quickly. Finding wet spots on the floor is never a good thing, but it's even worse if your wooden floor is already warping. New homes, or homes in areas that are generally dry don't have to worry about this as much, but there's always water running through your walls, and pipes do burst.
Does Swapping A Few Boards Sound Like A Nightmare?
Do you do all your own home improvement, and plan to do the wooden flooring? No matter the damage or how it's caused, you can always put new boards in place of damaged ones. If that sounds like a horrific suggestion, then you'll probably want to avoid cheap wooden flooring. If the idea doesn't worry you, though, then you could easily save a lot using cheap wooden flooring.
For more help choosing your wooden flooring, check out Wooden Flooring Info.
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