The answer is a lot. What’s interesting about hardwood is it is both traditional and cutting edge. Hardwood is the undisputed aspirational flooring. Hardwood simply adds value to a home. Nearly 27 years ago when I bought my first home, what attracted me to it were the hardwood floors throughout the house. It made me feel as a young adult that I was buying something of value, with equity and substance.
That starter home became our forever home as we renovated, expanded and updated over the last two decades. The same hardwood floors grace the first and second floors. They’ve been refinished — we even darkened them last round — a couple of times. They are, in fact, the true foundation of our home.
Organizations such as the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) have worked towards telling hardwood’s rich story and its authentic construction. It is a story worth telling, not just for its beautiful visuals, but also for its environmental impact. Its sustainability story is unique among flooring products and today’s consumer has an affinity for things that are responsibly procured and are positive for the world we live in.
And while this category offers that confidence in a home investment, there is more to it today than there was back 20-some years ago. Innovation, technology, investment all have led to a better product. Because in addition to wanting beautiful floors, today’s customer demands more to meet their lifestyle needs. And hardwood has delivered.
Today’s flooring products are being engineered to withstand real life being lived on them — family gatherings, active children and playing pets. Afterall, a large value of the home are the people gathered within it. Makers have added properties to help hardwood withstand water, scratches, stains — all the wear and tear a home can hold.
My own floors are old school but even today, they are beautiful — even in the kitchen (where two idealistic young kids decided it belonged) long before water-resistance was a possibility for this natural flooring choice.
All of these attributes make hardwood more than just a pretty face. But it does indeed hold beauty. Just check out the Style & Design pages and you are sure to be inspired. You might think that hardwood is hardwood. The options, in fact, are many — different lengths, widths, installation options, finishes, character markings. Different style possibilities offer the customer something to fit their unique style.
The sixth Floor Covering 101 Guide to Hardwood Flooring offers so much innovation happening in the category, looking back over the years charts the transformation of this category as it marries a rich past with a forward-thinking future.