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WHY REAL WOOD FLOORS?

How does real wood flooring compare to other types of floor coverings?

	Real Wood	Plastic laminate	Carpet	Vinly	Ceramic Tile
Adds Iong-term value for your home
Ability to be recooted
Resistant to staining
Hypoallergenic (no molds or dust)
Environmentally sound
Adds Structural Strength

Why not a fake wood floor? They look like wood, don't they?
The countertop industry has entered the world of floor covering with a product called plastic laminate flooring. While these floors have the appearance of wood, upon closer inspection they can be seen to be more closely related to cardboard. The printed wood image can be as thin as a human hair and when chipped it exposes the fiberboard core of the panel. The visual appearance of the printed wood pattern may look great in a small sample, but in a large area you will notice how the pattern of the flooring panel repeats-usually about every five boards. Also, when you walk upon a plastic laminate floor your footsteps make a sound like tapping a tinny drum. All floor covering wears and when plastic laminates chip, or when they loose their gloss due to wear, they must be thrown away. Real wood floors can be renewed by applying additional coats of urethane and they are backed by a lifetime structural warranty. So why "fake it" when you can have real wood floors that add real value to your home?

Why shouldn't I just install carpeting? It's economical, right?
Carpeting lasts between seven and ten years under normal residential use. Hardwood floors can last a life-time and are always in style. There's a 30-year comparison test you might want to consider. Say you installed a hardwood floor. It would certainly last for 30 years. During that same period you would probably have to install new carpeting three or four times. At that rate, the hardwood flooring actually costs less than the cumulative cost of all the carpeting you would have installed. Another thing to consider is cleanliness in your home. A large American company that recycles old carpeting has stated that most used carpeting it receives for pro-cessing contains at least 35% of its weight in house-hold dirt. The families who owned this old carpeting were actually walking or crawling on dirt. Hardwood flooring is simply cleaner. If it is dirty, the dirt is plainly visible to your eye, not hidden within car-pet fibers. Hardwood flooring may be your best buy and your most solid investment.

Are real wood floors a good financial investment?
Unlike any of our other basic needs, such as food and clothing, the homes we use for shelter tend to be the only purchase that appreciates in value with proper care and thoughtful improvements. Studies show the majority of American Realtors® believe wood flooring is one of the best investments a homeowner can make.

Will it be easy to decorate my home using real wood floors?
Real wood floors allow you to decorate your way That's because hardwood flooring's natural colors blend with any decor to meet your distinctive tastes It's usually a good idea to bring along a few color swatches or photographs of your existing decor when shopping for a new floor. If you are totally redecorating, you should have a particular style in mind to help guide your purchase; for example, country, modern, neo traditional, etc. Real hardwood floors enhance the "flow" of your design from room to room. And coordinating colors couldn't be easier thanks to the many natural hardwood hues. It is also easy to let the texture and patterns of real hardwood floors define space within your home. Real hardwood floors offer you unlimited patterns and generally three different edge profiles to choose from. And best of all, you will never have to worry if you made the right choice

Is hardwood safe and healthy for my family to live with?
Wood floors are easy to clean and will not harbor dust mites or mold. Our solvent-free polyurethane finishes are hypo allergenic and perfect in almost any part of your home. An Important Health Note We spend 90% of our time indoors with our floors. Clean floors are a must because researchers believe a microscopic insect-the dust mite-could be responsi-ble for asthma's rising tide. Wood floors in your bed-room and other main living areas can improve air quality according to the American Lung Association.

Value and quality question
Cost is only one part of the consumer-spending equation. Much of the research about consumer preferences in recent years has pointed to a growing sophistication about long-term value and quality. Quality means not the newest, flashiest or priciest product to hit the market, but the one with quality craftsmanship, classic styling and elegant design. Value, which once meant the best price for a given product, today means the best quality for a given price.