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PURCHASING A WOOD FLOOR - WHY HARDWOOD FLOORS

Many consumers would prefer to put a wood floor in their homes, but something
steers them to a different floor covering. Maybe the home owner thinks that she is saving substantial amounts of money by choosing to carpet her living room. Or perhaps the customer thinks that the wood floor just wouldn't stand up to the rigors of three young children and decides on a high-pressure laminate. The objections to a wood floor can be varied, but it's your job as a wood flooring contractor or dealer to educate the customer on how wood flooring stands up against other floor coverings. The first step is clearing up misconceptions about wood floors; the next is comparing them to what else is out there.

~ Is THE PRICE RIGHT?
Many consumers take a glance at the price per square foot for a typical wood floor and immediately decide that whatever their floor will be, it won't be wood. Before they settle on carpet, vinyl or laminate, however, you have the chance to make the distinction between the longevity of the various products. Whereas the other products will most likely need to be replaced in 10 years (or sooner), most wood
floors will last the lifetime of the home. (Consider examples of beautiful wood floors in Europe that are not decades, but centuries old.) Realizing that most floor coverings are - in the lifetime of a home - disposable products, can turn consumers onto the long-term savings of installing a wood floor.

Even if consumers are planning on moving in the near future, wood floors are still a good investment. A glance through a real estate brochure will attest to the value that hardwood floors have in the market - they are often one of the first benefits listed. In fact, a survey of real estate agents revealed that a home with wood flooring would sell more quickly and for a higher amount of money than a comparable home with any other type of flooring.

~THE MAINTENANCE MESSAGE
Despite ongoing efforts to dispel it, the image of grandmothers down on their hands and knees waxing a wood floor is stuck in the psyches of many consumers. Even if they realize that they no longer have to wax their floor, the message remains: wood floors are difficult to maintain. When customers realize that cleaning wood floors will be no more effort than vacuuming carpet or mopping vinyl, they see wood floors in a new light.

Consumers also worry that scratches, stains or dents in a wood floor will be there forever. Education about how a wood floor can be sanded, or screened and recoated, to look like new goes a long way toward dispelling that myth. Many customers don't realize that in instances of severe stains or dents, a wood floor can be repaired by replacing just a few boards.

~THE HEALTHY CHOICE
The ease of cleaning a hardwood floor is not only a maintenance benefit, but a
health benefit as well. Many consumers are not aware of the impact that wood floors have on improving the home environment; likewise, they are unaware of some of the health risks associated with carpeting and other synthetic materials. Allergists recommend that people with allergies live in an environment with wood floors, which do not hold dirt, dust mites and molds. Additionally, a study by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that pesticides from outdoors are tracked onto substances inside homes. These pesticides are easily cleaned off wood floors.
Wood floors are a healthy choice from a global perspective, as well. Wood is a natural resource that is replenishable, and most of today's timber comes from carefully managed forests that ensure a timber supply for the future. Being able to say that your floors are certified or reclaimed gives your business an additional environmental boost.

~ VERSATILE BEAUTY
There are wood floors to go into any application in the home and to fit any decorating style the consumer chooses. Because of their versatility, wood floors can be installed to complement a room and make it appear bigger, wider or whatever effect the consumer is looking for. Unlike the other floor coverings, wood floors can be resanded and refinished to give a totally new look should the consumer's decor change. Best of all, wood floors never go out of style. Today hardwood floors come in many species, domestic or exotic with a wide array of color and sizes. The shy is the limit with custom hardwood floors, from accents, inlays, medallions, and even painted hardwood floors.

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