Hardwood Flooring Installation Archives

A home can undergo renovation for multiple reasons – an important event, a plan to sell your house, a much-needed makeover, or a routine health check. However, it is no secret that if left unregulated, house renovation can end up being a costly affair. Prudent planning is crucial if you want to renovate your home on a budget.

1. Set a budget for your house renovation

The best way to start is by figuring out a budget – an amount that you feel is expendable considering your needs and goals. It will help you pick between home renovation contractors or do-it-yourself renovation. Make sure to research costs for house painting services, hardwood flooring installation, hardwood flooring cost, and so on. You might want to renovate your entire house, but it is smarter to prioritise specific elements that can amp up the look and feel of your house.

2. Try doing it yourself

A lot of elements in a house renovation project can be easily switched to a DIY project. While carpentry work may or may not be your cup of tea, painting the walls, adding in furniture pieces and other decor elements, or sprucing up (or creating!) your garden can be. The ideas are all yours and you can be absolutely creative while renovating your home exactly the way you want to. Many home renovation ideas can be easily executed without outside professional help.

3. Flip your kitchen’s look to Renovate Your Home

A thorough kitchen renovation can cut a hole in your pocket. To economically liven up your cooking space, consider redoing just the countertops, backsplash, and lighting. Swapping these elements can magically give your kitchen a whole new looking while helping you cut costs. You can also install locally sourced stone countertops to reduce your expenses further. Similarly, a funky backsplash in tile, stone, ceramic, or glass creates a sublime and visually pleasing vibe. You can pick the material that best suits your budget for house renovation. Adding a standalone table with a couple of aesthetic lights is another budget-friendly way to beautify your kitchen.

4. Don’t Change Your Solid Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring can cost an arm and a leg if you want to replace them completely. They are durable, sturdy, and more often can be easily refinished for a new look. A more budget-friendly option would be to add peeling stickers in color or gradient that aligns with your decor. If you really have to change the flooring then prioritize that and plan your budget around it.

5. Be Thrifty With Your Furniture While Renovate Your Home

Your furniture does not need to be expensive for it to look good. A lot of sustainable shopping practices such as thrifting have made their way into the home decor market as well. Take a walk through the local markets or flea markets, and consider renting furniture instead of buying it. This way, you can swap it in the future without having to reconsider the expenses. Most flea markets are bound to throw some really unique pieces your way too.

6. Beautify Your Living Room

Your living room can be retouched by simply replacing the curtains, adding wallpapers, undertaking a DIY paint project, installing new lights, or switching small pieces of furniture. While curtains can also be a DIY project, you can also ask a local tailor to put together something fresh and unique. Your little wallpaper or paint project can be limited to just one or two walls that stand out while seamlessly holding together the entire look of the space.

7. De-clutter Efficiently By Optimising Storage

If you are renovating to optimize storage in your home, DIY projects, recycling or thrifting are some budget-friendly options. Try stacking in hardwood shelves or nailing together simple trunks. Apart from that, laundry bags, foldable furniture, and locally sourced handcrafted baskets are perfect space (and money) savers.

8. Fix What Needs Fixing

Decor aside, renovations also include a lot of fixing and repairing. Center your budget around this and make a list. Try to sort out the small fixes from the larger repairs. See what needs to be prioritized and do it accordingly. If the big fixes can wait, like a leaking roof at the beginning of summer can wait for a few months.

9. Let Nature Into Your Home

People tend to underestimate the benefits of a well-lit and well-ventilated home. It can easily help you avoid expenses on lighting fixtures and air conditioning costs. Add some plants to your home to keep it cooler during summers. A fun idea would be to create an outdoor dining area with simple weatherproof furniture and awnings.

10. Don’t Forget To Renovate Your Bathroom

Scourge the internet to find budget-friendly bathroom replacements. There are several gorgeous brands that sell bathroom accessories for great prices. If changing the toilet seat or reworking the plumbing is avoidable, you can opt for flooring and cabinet renovations. Add new tiles, change the showerhead, redecorate your cabinet or add baskets to amp up your bathroom’s look.

11. Try These Bedroom Renovation Hacks

Headboards and wallpapers are great ways to renovate your bedroom. You could take on a DIY paint project or get wallpapers in your favorite pattern on color. There are plenty of ways to install a DIY headboard. Asking your local finish carpenter is the best way to go about it.

12. Give Your Door Some Attention

One of the most economical ways to renovate your home’s look is by redesigning the door. Depending on your door’s condition and your budget, you can either choose to refinish it, give it a fresh coat of paint or change it completely. Add charming doorknobs to really bring together a traditional or contemporary look.

13. Reupholster Precious Furniture

You might have a fancy headboard or that gorgeous armchair that you put away. A budget-friendly idea to renovate your home would be to reupholster old furniture in different materials and fresh colours. Research with different upholsterers to find materials that fit your budget best.

Should You Renovate Your Home Before Selling It?

Renovating your home can add a refreshed look to your living spaces. It helps the residents feel more cheerful and also raises your home’s prices in the market. Renovating your home before selling it can work in your favor. It shows buyers that the house has been in good care and in tune with the current home decor trend. This can help you get a good price for your home in the market.

Conclusion

Home renovations can be undertaken for multiple reasons. However, they need not be an expensive affair if planned carefully. You can budget, prioritize, and thrift wherever possible. Choosing to upholster, paint, or wallpaper furniture, walls, and floors respectively can also help you save some bucks. The best way to redecorate or optimize storage is to find alternative solutions that can fit your budget better. Lastly, DIY projects are easy and can also save you the extra costs of labor. It is not impossible to renovate your home on a budget if you know how to utilize the resources around you prudently.

What is Hardwood flooring?

Since the dawn of time, hardwood flooring installation has been preferred by both businesses and homeowners, as their go-to floor surface covering. This elegant and versatile flooring is made from trees that take longer to grow and mature making the result sturdier and more durable than softwood or laminate flooring.

The wood is cut into planks that may vary in size and thickness depending on the functional and aesthetic needs of a space. These hardwood planks are then either used individually or stuck together to create a robust hardwood floor surface covering. Apart from being strong and dependable, hardwood flooring also adds a mod yet vintage look to any living space.

Types of Hardwood flooring

There are several ways to categories hardwood flooring to help you understand and choose better:

1. Solid vs Engineered Hardwood flooring

To start with, hardwood flooring can be broadly categorized into two types – solid and engineered. While solid hardwood floors are made of single planks, the engineered ones are made by pressing together several layers of wood.

2. Type of Hardwood

Apart from this, hardwood floors can also be categorised based on the type of wood used to make them. Oak, Ash, Teak, Maple, Hickory, Mahogany, American Walnut, Ebony, Brazilian Cherry, and Brazilian Chestnut are some of the more popular choices for hardwood floorings.

While each of these has a distinct and gorgeous colour, their grade, age, and stain (if you choose to add one), will determine the final flooring colour. The best hardwood flooring is made from readily available and durable wood such as Oak, Cherry, and Maple.

3. Strips vs Planks

Lastly, with a little customisation, engineered hardwood flooring is also made available in different types based on the dimensions of the planks used. While strips are thinner (usually less than 3 inches wide), planks use thicker wooden boards (usually more than 3 inches).

When deciding on hardwood flooring, it is important to consider all of the above categories. In order to effectively pick the most functional, easy-to-manage flooring that also complements the decor, it would be wise to speak with your carpenter/decorator.

Benefits of Hardware Flooring

1. Hardwood floors are water-resistance

One of the biggest benefits of hardwood flooring is its durability and water resistance. In this regard, layered engineered hardwood is better than solid floors. Unlike laminate flooring, it does not expand and contract due to changes in weather conditions, especially in regions prone to humidity.

2. Hardwood floors are durable

Moreover, as opposed to softwood flooring, it is less likely to go through wear and tear caused by long-term use. Added to that you can always choose to get a hardwood floor refinishing done if you are looking for some change over time.

3. Hardwood floors are versatile

Apart from their functional value, hardwood floors are versatile and timelessly classy. They can easily enhance the look and designs of all kinds of spaces – traditional, rustic and even contemporary – by easily complementing the decor with their grandeur.

4. Hardwood floors are customisable

You also get to pick the style and colour of the hardwood. That way, your floors can be lighter in shade by having them sanded or stained to create dark hardwood floors as per your preference.

5. Hardwood flooring are sustainable and biophilic

Lastly, hardwood floors are sustainable, biophilic and can adjust to any kind of climate and weather changes. Their biophilic properties are crucial in today’s day and age where cities are creating a disconnect between humans and nature. Hardwood floors help bring nature into your homes and create a sense of calm and connection with it.

Who can install Hardwood Flooring?

Hardwood floor installation is best done by a professional carpenter who knows their way around wood types and their compatibility with climatic changes. Ideally, narrowing down on a finish carpentery increases your chances of finding a high-quality hardwood floor and getting it installed perfectly.

Moreover, a reliable finish carpenter will also get custom hardwood flooring refinishing installation done for you over time whenever you might need it.

Can Hardwood flooring Last a long time?

A well-maintained hardwood floor can last for a very long time i.e., for at least 20 years or more. Some traditional homes have hardwood that is as old as 90-100 years old. However, hardwood flooring needs to be refinished or recoated to increase its lifespan and retain its quality. Moreover, hardwood floor water damage is a real predicament for most hardwood floor owners. Letting water seep in for even a couple of hours can cause damage. Hence, it is important to regularly clean and maintain your hardwood floors using the right methods.

How can Hardwood Flooring be Cleaned and Maintained?

Hardwood floors can be effectively cleaned by sweeping or cleaning them with a special hardwood floor mop. It is important that the mop is not soaking wet, does not leave any standing water and you aren’t using vinegar or other harsh detergents.
A weekly vacuum (set to a “hardwood” setting) should further take off any other hard-to-get grime and dust.
Avoid anything that could scratch your floors. Use liquid scratch concealers, wood floor polish, floor wax and light sanding for occasional maintenance and revitalization of the wooden surface.
If you want to know how to get paint off the hardwood floor, the best way is to scrape the top layers (of the paint) off lightly. The remaining can then be cleaned with a mix of rubbing alcohol and lemon juice.

The same methods of cleaning and maintenance can be applied to both solid and engineered hardwood floors.

Health Benefits of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors offer the following benefits:

1. Inculcate nature

Hardwood floorings are known to be biophilic i.e. they inculcate elements and energies of nature and introduce them into your home or office space. Biophilic elements are known to be great mood and productivity boosters and help encourage enhanced overall mental well-being.

2. Free of allergens

Apart from that, hardwood floors stay free of allergens (such as dust, mites, pollen, and pet dander), which greatly improves the air quality. This also makes them easier to clean and sanitise, thus leading to a healthier living space.

Popular Flooring Trends

Home decor trends are always evolving with time to infuse newer styles and tastes into designs from the past.

One of the most popular flooring trends has to be the return of brown shades. Dark hardwood floors make living spaces look bigger, cosier and more luxurious.
To cut down on the faux look created by excessive layering of hardwood floors, oil finishes are making a reappearance. While creating a more rustic and classier look, they also allow the floors to age beautifully.
White oak for its versatility is here to stay for a while. It adds a touch of grace and makes any living space look more cohesive.
Ultra-matte finishes for hardwood floors are being preferred by homeowners over a glossier look. They do add a different kind of charm to any home.
Bamboo floors are gaining popularity for their luxurious look and sustainable composition.
Stained floors especially in greys, whites and blacks are also seeing a higher demand in the home decor/ finish carpentry space.

Conclusion:

Hardwood flooring has become popular because of its versatility, class, sturdiness and biophilic design. If kept safe from wear and tear, it can last for a long, long time. They can also be sanded, stained and given different finishes to further enhance their look. They can make a home look super trendy while also giving it a minimalistic look. With proper care and a dependable design, hardwood floors can really keep your home aesthetic for a long time.

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