Replacing hardwood flooring in Northern Virginia presents any homeowner with many tough decisions to make. It’s important to consider the cost, the lifestyle of your family and the many different options available for flooring. Luckily, Alexandria, VA and other Northern Virginia cities have many different qualified contractors and flooring specialists to choose from.
Starting with a budget is a prudent way to tackle any remodeling project. Try to include a cushion in your flooring budget to accommodate any unforeseen costs or difficulties. Within your budget you may also want to consider an interior painting job prior to the installation of the new hardwood flooring. Northern Virginia weather should also be taken into account because replacing flooring requires the removal of all the furniture and baseboards. This is also an excellent time to investigate heated flooring options. Once the budget is established it’s time for the fun part, choosing your new floor!
New flooring can entirely upgrade the character of your home. However, before you just replace what you already have it’s a good idea to take a look at the wide variety of amazing flooring. Alexandria, VA homeowners have many options to choose from that will fit any budget.
Older Northern Virginia homes typically used red or white oak, heart pine or maple hardwood. Replacing these solid wood floors exactly is possible but it can be extremely expensive. In addition, replacing your floor in the traditional way will require that the wood acclimatize on the site (usually in the room where it will be laid) before being installed. Moreover, the traditional finishing processes are time consuming and lengthy. In total you can count on about one month from the beginning of the process to completion for solid hardwood flooring in Northern Virginia.
Fortunately, today there are alternative options for flooring. Northern Virginia has many different flooring specialty stores where you can look and feel the various flooring options and compare prices.
The most popular modern options for wood flooring in Alexandria, VA include pre-finished flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, cork flooring and bamboo flooring. Engineered hard wood flooring is advantageous because it is less expensive and more eco-friendly than solid wood flooring. Another attraction is that engineered flooring can be laid on top of concrete and it is easy and quick to install. Laminate flooring makes the entire process one step easier. These floating floors look and feel like real wood but they quickly snap together. Cork flooring is one of the newest flooring options on the market. Cork is excellent for children to play on and it is eco-friendly. Cork flooring in Northern Virginia is made by recycling the cork remains from wine bottles. In cork production the trees are not destroyed. Cork floors are fun because they come in a variety of styles and patterns. They are easy to install and also less expensive than solid wood flooring. Alexandria, VA has experienced an upsurge in bamboo flooring sales over the last few years. The climate is perfect for the durability and beauty of this unique flooring. It’s always a good idea when choosing flooring to see more than just the small sample before making your decision.
Once a flooring decision has finally been made, it’s time to settle on a flooring contractor. Some flooring options are perfectly within the skill level of most handy homeowners. Solid hardwood floors on the other hand requires the skill of a true craftsman. Either way, once your flooring in Northern Virginia is finished you will have a beautiful new floor for years to come!