Welcome to Maxx Home Guides: Interiors
Flooring Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
How Much Do Hardwood Floors Cost?
from: Maxx Home GuidesHardwood floors are available everywhere, but few people understand how much effort and time it takes to prepare each plank until it's fit for use in building. Since trees are an exhaustible resource, which means they're not simply manufactured in factories, but must grown over a considerable period of time before they can be used. For example, oak hardwood takes as long as a hundred years to mature.
Therefore, this means that hardwood is comparatively expensive. Standard hardwood floors cost about $4 per square foot -- and that's the unfinished version. Prefinished hardwood floors cost a bit more, about $5 per square foot.
When buying unfinished hardwood flooring, however, you're not really saving lot since unfinished hardwood, of course, still has to be finished and stained before it can used for flooring which adds an extra expense.
If your budget is limited, you're better off purchasing prefinished boards since they're less costly in the long run and more convenient to install. You won't have be concerned about stains, polish and finishings once they're in place.
If you plan to install flooring for an entire house or a large space, you can save on costs by buying hardwood wholesale. You can also reduce your expenses by purchasing on discount through hardware store sales or used wood showrooms. Of course, whenever you buy with a discount, make sure you check the entire woodwork for signs of wear and decay.
Though buying and installing hardwood floors is expensive, the benefits certainly outweigh the costs. Hardwood can last generations so you won't have to worry as long as it's properly and regularly maintained and protected. While concrete also has a similar life, or longer, nothing beats the natural feel real hardwood adds to your home.
Flooring News