Are you thinking about redecorating or remodeling your home? If so, you might want to consider changing up your flooring by installing hardwood floors or looking into new carpet installation. If you already have hardwood floors that are worn out or scratched, take heart; old hardwood flooring can be sanded and buffed to restore its original beauty. Unless you have professional experience, however, and know all about refinishing hardwood floors, you should leave the project to a professional. Sanding hardwood floors is a time consuming and complex process, and it would be quite easy for a novice to make significant errors.
Environmentally friendly hardwood floors have grown in popularity in recent years. The average annual net growth of hardwood flooring installation is higher than the average annual removal of hardwood floors, according to the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service. If you want to get new environmentally friendly flooring, consider taking the advice of The United States Green Building Council’s LEED program, which recommends that consumers choose bamboo flooring due to its status as a rapidly-renewable resource.
Hardwood floors have been found to positively impact indoor air quality, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency. So too is wood flooring an ecologically sound option because it lasts a long time–sometimes for centuries, as long as it is well taken care of. As well, wood floors are recyclable and thus can be made into other objects at a later time.
Should you have your heart set on carpeting, make sure you keep in mind the lifestyle of the people living in your house. If you have small children, purchasing snow white shag carpet is probably not a great idea, considering the extent to which kids are known to track in dirt and spill juice or other liquids known for staining. Carpet is usually made from widths of 12 and 15 feet in the U.S., but before you decide on which carpeting to purchase, you can take home squares of the types you like. That way, you can get a sense of what they will look like in your home.
Whether you ultimately decide on hardwood floors or carpeting, there are a variety of options available to choose from. There is no doubt that you will be able to find many different carpets and hardwood floors that you like. The hard part will be narrowing down your options to get the perfect floor or carpet for your space. References.
