If you still have carpet in some rooms in your house and are sick of looking at it, try upgrading to oak flooring.
Carpet is nice when it’s new. Over time, however, it becomes a place where all kinds of weird things hang out in the fibers; things you might not really want to know about. Also, if you have cats or dogs, the little gifts left behind on the carpet do not do anything to enhance its beauty and longevity. So, if you want to upgrade, consider oak flooring.
Certainly, hardwood floors are elegant, even attractive, but with animals and kids, they may not hold up to the paws, claws, spills and thrills of the traffic. Oak flooring, on the other hand, looks good and wears well. Here’s a hint, try the wide plank look. Nice! This will be a conversation piece for years to come.
There is a long history of using hardwood. It was once considered to be the standard thing to include in a new home. Depending on your age, you will probably remember growing up with hardwood floors, but over time, trends changed, new Tampa flooring came out and nicer carpets were the “in” thing. The trend to put carpet over the hardwood caught on like wildfire. A bit of a shame, but if you find hardwood under your carpet when you go to renovate or upgrade, you at least have options these days. One of them is to replace the carpet and hardwood with oak flooring.
If you’re around long enough, you tend to see trends repeat themselves roughly every 20 years or so, and the same can be said about floor coverings. The younger generation loves wood flooring and thinks it’s the best thing to have in their homes. For the older generation, they’ve been there and done that and just want something different, durable, appealing and reasonable – like oak flooring. And the interesting thing is, since we’re talking about trends, is that wide planks are all the latest rage.
You can DIY your oak flooring if you have the skills to do so. If not, no big deal, you can hire it out. You’ll be really pleased with the results, as the look will be very appealing and add an air of authenticity to your home. Solid wood floors just add that certain touch of quiet elegance that many find very attractive. If you’re going to DIY, and want it to look superior, give some thought to engineered oak flooring. It’s real, it’s just that it’s finished already and you only have to install it. And, get this, for the thick boards, you just have to glue them down, not nail them.
Dean Dupre is with Champion Tile, a Clearwater Flooring, Tampa Flooring, and tile installation company. To learn more, visit Champtile.com.
