From heavy usage to domestic accidents, wooden floors can often suffer from decay over a long period time and may either be renovated or completely remodelled. Here, we explore 5 reasons why you should consider ripping out your wooden floor and starting all over again.
Improve your indoor hygiene
Excessive water is one of the most common causes of irreparable damage to wooden floors. Leakages or mopping your timber with too much water will cause warping and peeling, which will make your floor boards uneven and subject them to erosion. This can also lead to the accumulation of dirt and debris, which can be hazardous for occupants with allergies or health conditions such as asthma. Pet urine stains can also be particularly problematic for wooden floors and may be impossible to remove with most floor sanding applications.
Raise the value of your home
If most of your timber floor boards have deteriorated beyond the point of repair, you will need to refurbish them from scratch. Although this may seem like a costly investment at first, it will provide plenty of financial benefits in the long term. For example, a brand new wooden floor can add thousands of pounds to the value of your home. However, a poorly maintained, deteriorating timber floor can deter prospective buyers and force you to sell your property for a much lower price. If you are planning your home soon, now might be the perfect time to regenerate your wooden floors and enjoy a faster, more profitable sale in the future.
Fill in the gaps, make your floors the new focal point of your home
One of the most common causes of gaps in wooden floor boards is high moisture levels, which may be due to excessive condensation or poor insulation in your home. Over many years, untreated spillages will also penetrate into your wood and cause large gaps and irreversible discolouration. If gaps are a universal feature in your wooden floors, it may be much more economical and time-efficient to simply replace them altogether rather than attempt to repair them yourself.
Boost your interior insulation
Gaps in your wooden flooring also lose significantly more heat, which means you can end up spending more money on heating your home. By replacing your floors, you could maximise your energy efficiency and enjoy the financial rewards of lower energy bills for many years to come. If your home still has suspended timber floors, it may also be a wise investment to consider replacing your floor boards and insulating them with mineral wool to reduce your heating costs.
‘Reinvent’ your interior
High heel shoes and furniture are another common cause of wooden floor erosion because they can cause numerous scratches and dents, which may be expensive to repair over time. Without the expert skills of a professional team, floor sanding can also be a difficult DIY task and can result in irreversible damage to your wood if not performed correctly. Therefore, consider an investment in a beaming new wooden floor as an opportunity to ‘reinvent’ your living area and transform your home environment into a new, contemporary indoor space.
Jake Coombes works as a flooring specialist for UK-based company which makes it easy for customers to buy hardwood floors online. When he’s not spending time with his family at his home in rural Essex, he’s working on renovating properties for friends and family.