Hardwood floors are one of the most important design elements in your home or business. No matter what your lifestyle, wood floors add value and comfort to any décor, but with all the choices available today, selecting the right floor can be daunting.
The following pages will help you discern the various choices available to you, and help you choose the right floor for your home or business.
•Environmental Benefits of Wood Floors
Wood flooring is the most abundantly renewable flooring material available. Sustainable forest management makes it possible to harvest wood without any serious impact on the environment, because trees are a renewable resource that can be replaced time and time again.
Check out these environmental facts about wood floors:
- Average annual net growth for hardwoods is greater than average annual removals (Source: US Department of Agriculture Forest Service)
- Indoor air quality is better with wood floors (Source: US Environmental Protection Agency)
- Wood is a carbon neutral product that produces oxygen during its growth cycle and stores carbon during its service
life (Source: University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis) - Wood floors use less water and energy to produce than other flooring options (Source: University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis)
- At the end of its service life, wood flooring can be burned as fuel or recycled (Source: University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis)
- Wood floors last hundreds of years, so won’t need to be replaced as often as other flooring options (Source: National Association of Home Builders)
- While it takes most hardwood trees 40-60 years to mature, the inventory planted today won’t be needed for 100-plus years (Source: National Wood Flooring Association)
•Species of Wood
Wood Floor Species
Wood floors come in a variety of colors that will fit any décor. Today’s wood floors come in more than 50 species, both domestic and exotic, spanning the spectrum of color options, hardness, and price ranges. No matter what the look you want to achieve, there are a variety of species to meet your needs.
