Wood is a natural
product in a diverse range of colors and grain patterns.
Wood floors offer unmatched natural beauty, warmth and design
appeal that allow your new or existing house truly to become
your family's home. Who hasn't marveled at the beauty of
a fine wood floor? There is more diversity in wood floors
now than ever before. a wood floor for every taste.
Wood is the easiest
floor to maintain and requires fewer chemicals to clean.
Whenever someone says, "I think tile or carpet might
be easier to clean," I point to my wood floor cleaning
tools. With only a swivel mop and sometimes a non-aerosol
spray, I can clean my wood floor in less than half the time
it takes to vacuum, scrub or shampoo other floor coverings.
They don't trap dust and fumes in the fibers or grow mold
in the grout. Unlike carpet or tile cleaning, cleaning a
wood floor requires few chemicals.
It's the best
choice for the environment.
Wood manufacturing is much cleaner than the manufacture
of other building materials. Steel results in up to 40 times
more pollutants than the manufacture of wood; concrete,
six times more; and brick, four times more. Steel releases
three times more carbon dioxide, and concrete releases even
more. Wood sends less solid waste to the landfill than manufacturing
the same product in either steel or concrete. Finally, wood
is more energy-efficient. The cellular structure of wood
traps air, giving it superior insulating properties. It
takes 15 inches of concrete to equal the insulation qualities
of just 1 inch of wood.
You can redecorate
your wood floor entirely with stains, faux finishes and
inlays.
You can change the entire look of a wood floor with stains,
paints and inlays-without replacing any materials.
Finishes can
be repaired or reapplied easily (as long as maintenance
procedures are followed).
Wood floors can be recoated or touched up instead of adding
to the landfill, as happens with some other floor coverings.
Our industry helps preserve what's already there. the finest
form of recycling. A properly maintained wood floor never
should need to be completely resanded.
Wood floors give
a little and are better for your joints.
Don't be surprised if your doctor recommends a wood floor
for your spine and joints. Wood gives slightly, making it
easier on your legs and feet. Have you ever noticed that
your feet get tired faster if you are standing on stone
or tile than if you are standing on wood?
Wood is an ideal
choice for people with allergies.
Wood does not trap dust or fumes, and will not harbor dust
mites or mold. We spend 90 percent of our time indoors.
Some researchers believe the dust mite could be responsible
for increasing asthma occurrence. Wood floors in your bedroom
and other main living areas can improve air quality, according
to the American Lung Association.
Wood floor sales
support good forest management.
Wood floors are a high-end use for forest products and can
involve better margins, thereby ensuring the perpetuation
of the forest. Many developing countries today rely on timber
for export earnings, yet the greatest threat to primary
forests in these countries is conversion to other forms
of land use. Using exotic species for wood floors is a good
way to give a high value to the wood and encourage reforestation
for continued income production.
Wood is our
greatest renewable resource.
North America has more than 70 percent of the forest cover
that was here in the 1600s, and many exotic foods come from
certified sustainable forests. North America produces more
wood than any other place on the planet! According to a
World Resources Institute report, North America was unusual
in that it increased tree cover in the 1990s. In other words,
we grow more than we cut. North America also is becoming
known as a "carbon sink." Scientists have shown
that young trees use more carbon dioxide than older trees,
much like younger animals need more food.
article by the NWFA
