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Fact Sheets
ENVIRONMENTAL & HEALTH
BENEFITS OF WOOD FLOORS
These fact sheets will present answers to the most asked about questions when it comes to wood floors.
Add your logo to the bottom of the page to position your company as one of the leaders in wood flooring.
CARING FOR WOOD FLOORS IS EASY
Individual maintenance schedules will vary depending on use, wear and tear, and lifestyle, but
here are some additional tips for keeping your floors beautiful:
• Use throw rugs at doorways to help prevent debris from being tracked in and scratching
the floor.
• Put stick-on felt protectors under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
• Avoid walking on your wood floors with sports cleats and high heels.
• When moving heavy furniture, pick it up instead of sliding it across the floor.
When life gets messy, you need a floor that’s simple to clean
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Details on cleaning and maintenance can be found at WoodFloors.org
• Use wet mops or steam mops, which
can dull the finish and even damage
the wood.
• Use vinyl or tile cleaning products
on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic
waxes cause wood to become slippery
and appear dull quickly.
• Use wood furniture polish, which can
make the floor dangerously slippery,
and damage the finish.
• Over-wax a wood floor. If a wax floor
dulls, try buffing instead.
what not to doWhat to do
• Clean regularly with a broom or dust
mop or even vacuum using the bare
floor setting to remove dust and dirt.
• Clean the floors periodically with
a professional wood floor cleaning
product recommended by a wood
flooring professional.
• Wipe up spills immediately with a dry
or slightly damp cloth.
• Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning
recommendations.
Recommended Maintenance Schedule
daily
Sweep or dust mop
weekly
Vacuum using the
bare floor setting
monthly
Clean with
recommended wood
flooring cleaner
every 3-5 years
Maintenance coat
every few decades
Sand and refinish
CARING FOR
WOOD FLOORS IS EASY
The life
span of a
wood floor
can exceed
100 years
ENVIRONMENTAL & HEALTH
BENEFITS OF WOOD FLOORS
Wood floors are the most environmentally friendly flooring option available.
• The hardwood forests that provide flooring products are growing more
than twice as fast as they are being harvested.
1
• Because wood floors can last hundreds of years, they use fewer raw
materials, energy, and natural resources than other flooring options.
2
• Wood also stores carbon dioxide during its service life and can ultimately
be recycled for other uses or burned as fuel.
2
• Studies comparing wood to other flooring surfaces show wood as
having the lowest environmental impacts and best results for low greenhouse
gas emissions.
3
Wood floors are good for your health, especially those who suffer from allergies.
• Wood floors improve air quality.
4
• They don’t harbor all ergens, microorganisms, or harmful pesticides
that can be tracked in from outdoors. Mold, dust, and animal dander are
minimal as well.
Wood floors offer great long-term value, are easy to maintain, and add value
to a home or business.
Sustainable for future generations
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Find out more about how wood can benefit your environment at WoodFloors.org
The NWFA has a Responsible Procurement Program (RPP), which is a joint
initiati ve between leading environmental groups and industry manufacturers
committed to producing and promoting wood floors that come only from
environmentally and socially responsible sources, improving forest sustainability
for future generations.
1
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
|
2
University of Wisconsin Wood Products Program Solid Wood Flooring Life Cycle Analysis
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3
Bergman, R. & Hubbard, S.,
(2018, August/September). “The Data Behind Wood Flooring’s Sustainability Story.” Hardwood Floors, 2(4), 48-53.
|
4
United States Environmental Protection Agency
THE VALUE OF WOOD FLOORS
Eighty percent
of homeowners
believe wood
floors add the
most value to
a home.
3
THE VALUE OF WOOD FLOORS
Wood floors offer great long-term value, are easy to maintain, and add value
to a home or business.
Sold! You’ll be floored at the return on investment.
The life span of a wood floor can exceed 100 years, making it a tremendous value.
• Wood floors are designed to withstand the traffic of busy families, including
man’s best friend.
• Most wood floors can be sanded and refinished several times to restore
beauty and luster.
• Wood floors can also adapt to many décor and style changes over the years
while other flooring options require replacement based on decorating trends.
Wood floors can add significant value to a home, potentially raising its sales price.
• A survey of real estate agents in the U.S. revealed that 99 percent believe
homes with hardwood floors are easier to sell, 82 percent believe they
sell faster, and 90 percent believe they sell for more money - up to 10
percent more.
1
• This means if a home valued at $200,000 were to invest $10,000 in
hardwood flooring, at an increased home sales value of 10 percent, the
home potentially could sell for $220,000, doubling the homeowner’s initial
wood flooring investment.
When it comes to yielding a return on investment, wood floors are at the top of the
list for interior home remodeling projects.
2
• Realtors® noted that installation of new wood flooring recovers 91 percent
of the costs.
2
• Realtors® also said refinishing hardwood floors recovers 100 percent of
project costs upon resale.
2
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Read about the ROI of real wood at woodfloors.org
1
November 2006 Quantitative Evaluation of Real Estate Professionals for National Wood Flooring Association
|
2
The 2017 Remodeling Impact Report
3
NWFA 2017 Consumer Awareness Research Study
WOOD FLOORS ARE DURABLE
WOOD FLOORS ARE DURABLE
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Find out more about wood’s durability at woodfloors.org
Today’s wood floors are designed to withstand the traffic of busy families, including
man’s best friend. In fact, wood is the only flooring that can truly last for the life of
your home.
• Most wood floors can be sanded and refinished several times to restore beauty
and luster.
• Wood floors can also adapt to many décor and style changes over the years
while other flooring options require replacement based on decorating trends.
Crafted to stand up to all phases of your life
• Place breathable rugs
at all doors to minimize
dirt and debris from
being tracked inside.
• Trim pets’ nails regularly.
• Put floor protector pads
on the bottoms of the
legs of any furniture
that comes in direct
contact with your floors.
• Avoid walking on floors
with sports cleats or
high-heeled shoes.
• Sweep floors regularly.
An Ounce of Prevention
Wood species are rated for hardness and durability. The Janka Scale gives a good
indication of how a wood species can be expected to perform based on your
lifestyle. The denser and harder the wood, the higher the rating. The ratings are for
solid wood flooring only. View the janka scale at woodfloors.org/durability.
If scratches do happen, they are usually in the floor surface only and are easy
to repair.
• Consult a professional wood flooring contractor for specific recommendations
about how to repair the scratches and minimize them in the future.
• A wood flooring professional may be able to repair by applying a
maintenance coat. They will clean the floors to remove all contaminants, then
will lightly abrade the floor and apply a new coat of finish.
• If scratches are deep in the wood, or if there are large dents or damaged
boards, trained refinishers will be able to repair the damage without affecting
the rest of the floor.
• The number of times a floor can be refinished will depend on the floor itself,
the degree of repair needed, and the skill of the refinisher.
• A professional will remove very little of the wood to make repairs, generally
1/32” or less.