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Flooring Unlike any Other: New York Wood Flooring

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In New York, wood flooring is coveted like no other flooring material. Beautiful, easy to maintain, and warm and inviting to the touch, wood flooring is a great flooring material for nearly any area of the house. It is especially good in bedrooms, dining rooms, hallways, and foyers. Wood flooring is also surprisingly versatile for various decorating schemes. Various wood colors and grains allow for basic matching of different interior design, or you can be a little bolder and choose two complimentary woods and create a border, parquet, or other dynamic designs.

New York Wood Flooring Maintenance
Your wood floor will need periodic maintenance to keep it looking its best and preserve its life expectancy. Every few years, you'll need to reseal the wood to protect it from the elements. Scratches and other blemishes will also accumulate with time. When this occurs, stripping, sanding, and refinishing can work miracles for a wood floor. In fact, if you have an older wood floor, you should consider this wood flooring overhaul as opposed to having the floor replaced. Weekly cleaning, on the other hand, is a fairly simple job. Basic sweeping should take care of most of the floor's cleaning needs. Dry-mopping or using wood flooring cleaner may also be a good idea once a month or as needed, if you track in a good amount of dirt or grime, a common concern during the winter months.

Cost of Wood Flooring in New York, NY
Depending on the size and the quality of the wood, the cost of your New York wood flooring installation can fluctuate dramatically. The average cost is about $5,000, as opposed to $4,000 for comparable laminate flooring, $1,600 for carpet, and $2,000 for tile. Recently, we've seen projects range from as low as $1,200 and as high as $9,000. When comparing different estimates, be sure you're comparing apples to apples. Different contractors may use different wood flooring manufacturers or have different standards for installation and post-job clean up. Scheduling may also be an issue. For quality work at a reasonable cost, you may have to wait a few weeks for a contractor to become available. Quality contractors may have several projects they're working on at one time, especially in a city the size of New York.

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New York Wood Flooring Installation
Installation of wood flooring is a more complicated process than most homeowners appreciate. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can save a few bucks by taking the project on yourself. Improper installation is likely to void any manufacturer's warranty. It's also a time-consuming process. After your wood flooring planks are delivered to your home, they will need to be unpacked and "aired out" for about a week to become accustomed to moisture levels in your home. Moreover, a wood flooring inlay may need to be created to secure the floor.

Other New York Wooden Flooring
Traditionally, wood flooring is made from solid wood. The trouble is solid wood doesn't mesh with moisture, making it a poor choice for basements, bathrooms, and some kitchens. Alternatives eliminate this danger. Engineered wood flooring uses several layers of wood composite with a wood veneer surface. This allows for greater flexibility and movement associated with prolonged exposure to moisture. Laminate flooring, especially as a "floating floor," can be even better for these high-moisture areas. Less expensive and easier to maintain than wood flooring, laminate is truly a flooring revolution. Though it's not as coveted as the real thing, in many ways laminate outperforms real wood flooring.

Marcus Pickett is a professional freelance writer for the home remodeling industry. He has published more than 600 articles on both regional and national topics within the home improvement industry.

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