Hardwood floors are one of the most in-demand flooring options, and with good reason. Nothing is as beautiful as well maintained hardwood, but in many cases, it takes work to ensure it looks great all the time.

Before you install hardwoods in a room or throughout your home, it’s important to understand how to maintain them long before the first plank is installed. You’ll ensure a better quality, better looking flooring option with just a little knowledge going into the process.

Plank Width
Hardwood contracts and expands with the changing seasons. The wider the plank, the more pronounced the effects of swelling and shrinking will be during changes in temperature and humidity. If you will be installing a wider plank in your home, just be aware that gaps between the planks will be a common characteristic of this type of flooring.

Dents
When a homeowner chooses hardwoods for the first time, it usually comes with some expectations. Maybe you’ve seen it in other homes, or have admired it in home renovation magazines. Living with it can be different if you’ve never experienced it before. Hardwoods come in a variety of wood grades, each with their own character. Some are softer than others, meaning it will wear differently than other types of wood. Some will show dents easier, giving it a more rustic and worn appearance. Make sure you understand what characteristics will follow your final hardwood choice.

Smudges
It’s easy to be seduced by the high-gloss look you’ll see in many hardwood advertisements.Highly polished flooring requires constant care and attention. If you desire a high sheen hardwood floor, it requires consistent cleaning, washing and waxing to maintain its sheen.

Oxidation
During the first year, your hardwood floor will go through a process of oxidation. The more your floor is exposed to strong sunlight, the darker the wood will become. Problems can arise in a room if it is filled with intense sunshine, and then you decide to move the furniture around, only to discover a lighter discolored area beneath. In many cases, this new area will also darken up once it’s exposed to sunlight too. And if you want to avoid strong oxidation throughout your home, protect your floors from direct sunlight as much as possible.

What other questions do you have about installing hardwood floors?

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