Hardwood flooring is a worthy investment to add elegance to your places. Hardwood is an ideal flooring solution that adds a classy touch to your place but it is quite expensive. Different types of materials are used in the renovations of the floor of homes, offices, or any local place. But most people prefer hardwood flooring due to its luxurious appearance.
Hardwood is a strong material and gives a natural yet refined look to the interior of your home. The surface of the hardwood is shiny and slip-resistant. The exclusive benefit of hardwood is that it is available in a massive range of varieties. Therefore, it is best for the people who want to stay within the budget and get the best treatment for their places.
But people wonder about the longevity of this flooring how long do hardwood floors last? Hardwood floors are made of high-quality wood. However, to be sure about their lifetime people ask about their durability.
Here in this article, we will discuss different types of hardwood that you can use on floors. And we will briefly discuss how long do hardwood floors last?
So without any further discussion, let’s get into the topic.
Read More: How to Install Hardwood Floor?
Longevity Of Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors can last for a lifetime with proper cleaning and maintenance. Under normal conditions of wear and tear, most wood flooring can last for an average of 100 years and that’s surely a longer period.
However, untreated damages, the use of softwood, and lack of proper maintenance can shorten the lifespan of hardwood floors. And it can make your floor look dull and the shiny appearance of your floors can fade out in this case.
Distinct Type of Hardwood Flooring And their Durability
Not all wood is of high quality. Therefore, here we are discussing only those woods that are highly durable and offer long-term support to your homes. Let’s have a look at How Long do Hardwood Floors Last with different hardwood materials.
1. Oak
The first type of hardwood in this list is oak which is the king of hardwood floors for a reason. The reason is that it is the most durable wood and has a longer lifetime. These are the toughest yet traditional flooring options that can last a century or longer.
The quality of wood is durable and a perfect choice for people who want traditional flooring on their property. It provides a sophisticated and prestigious look to your place and has been used as a sign of opulence.
2. Maple
The other hardwood type that is perfect for homes with a modern and contemporary look is maple. It is an affordable choice for people and it is available in a modern yet classic array of colors. But besides the low price, this wood material has a durable lifetime and is easy to maintain.
This type of hardwood floor provides a higher level density that gives resilience and durability and is good for high-traffic areas.
3. Ash
Like the other two wood types, the Ash also has a durable life but it provides multiple functional benefits too. This wood is thermal shock resistant, durable, and water-resistant. It is perfect for people who want to keep the flooring colour light.
This is the ideal flooring solution that can bear moderate amounts of foot traffic. This flooring type can provide floors without scratching and denting and you can enjoy an aesthetic environment.
4. Hickory
The next wood type in this list is the Hickory. Like other hardwood floors, it can last for decades if you take good care and maintain it properly. It is a stronger wood compared to White Oak.
Therefore it can last up to 100 years and require negligible maintenance and it is available in a wide range of colours even within the same plank and somehow darkens over time. However, hickory floors are available in distinct choices with striking details in the market.
5. Walnut
The last good quality wood on this list is Walnut. Its wood is hard, heavy, and stiff with exceptional dimensional stability. It provides resistance to electrical shocks and is moderately dense and quite strong.
You can replace your flooring with walnut because it is durable and can hold its luster easily. The best part is that it is easy to maintain and can last for more than 50 to 60 years.
What is the Lifetime of Hardwood Floors?
The first question people think about while selecting a hardwood floor is how long hardwood floors last. So that they can see whether they are making a profit or a loss.
The lifespan of the hardwood floor is almost 10 years. But if you take proper care of the hardwood floor with minimum maintenance then it can last for a long time.
In addition, people can enhance the lifespan of the hardwood flooring by selecting high-quality hardwood. Therefore, in the case of high-quality hardwood, the floors can last up to 20 years with minimum maintenance.
Hardwood Flooring Look-Alikes
To save costs many people use hardwood lookalikes instead of the actual wood. Therefore, the lifetime of these floors gets affected.
Here we will discuss the two most used materials that people prefer in place of actual hardwood.
Bamboo
The first look-alike of hardwood is Bamboo. It is not wood. In reality, bamboo is the grass that can last for 20 to 25 years. But if you take proper care of bamboo flooring then it can last up to 50 years.
Laminate
The second hardwood look-alike is the laminate. On average this material can last for 15 to 25 years. The laminate material is made by engineering the different woods like ash and oak. If the quality of Laminate flooring is good then it can last up to 30 years.
But to maintain both the look-alikes you need to make some efforts. These floors get easily affected by the sun rays, harsh weather conditions, and water.
Also, if you drop something on the floor the stains will remain for a long time. To avoid all this, you need to keep the flooring safe from all these factors. Otherwise, in a short time, you need to replace the flooring.
Factors To Consider to Protect Hardwood Floors & Make them Last longer
As we have discussed above, the high-quality hardwood is made stronger therefore it does not get any scratches quickly even if you drop something on the floor. But some hardwood types are not much stronger therefore there are certain factors that you should consider to make your hardwood floors last longer. Let’s have a look at the following tips you must consider.
- You can keep your floor safe by placing runners, down mats, and area rugs to reduce the chances of floors getting scratched.
- Keep extra shoes out from your hardwood floors and avoid walking on the floors with street shoes.
- Use no-wax cleaner if there is any residue on your floor.
- To prevent dents and dings on the floor you can add protective pads under the furniture so that when you move your furniture it prevents scratches.
- Don’t use harsh chemicals or bleaching materials on the floors to clean the dirt and debris.
- Use a vacuum cleaner for proper maintenance and cleaning.
- When you notice any scratch do not ignore it. Keep good care of it so that it does not damage other floor parts.
- Poor installation is also a factor that can affect the performance of your hardwood floors.
Wrapping It All Up!!!
Wrapping up the discussion with a few tips that you should buy high-quality wood, you can enhance the lifetime of the hardwood floors by up to 20 years with proper maintenance. But to buy such material you need to spend a large amount of money. So if you want to know how long hardwood floors last? Now you know the factors that can make them last longer.
You can save your budget by selecting the wood that look-alike hardwood. But here you need to maintain the wood with extreme care. However, such material also works for 10 to 15 years. So there is no need to worry about the replacement anytime soon. I hope this guide will help you learn more about hardwood flooring and also eliminate confusion about its longevity.
