Flooring Options And Extreme Weather
Posted on: 24 February 2015
It is good to know what to expect with flooring options if you live in an environment that has extreme weather. Locations such as the Midwest can run the gamut with freezing winters and hot summers. Natural flooring such as wood can have natural reactions to the weather outside. Here are three weather-related issues to think about when weighing your options if you are thinking about installing hardwood flooring.
1. Freezing Weather Outside Leads to Dry Air Inside
If you live in an environment that is prevalent with snow or freezing temperatures, closing up the house and running the heater is the norm. Running the heater can dry out your home, and cause hardwood flooring to shrink and crack. To combat dryness in the winter, running a humidifier can help replace the lost moisture in the air and keep natural wood from shrinking and warping.
2. Dealing with an Ever-Changing Climate
If you live in a location that can go from humid to dry throughout the year, warping and expanding of hardwood flooring is to be expected. If you live in an environment that will have dramatic weather changes, the natural life cycle of hardwood flooring will be affected. Hardwood flooring might not be the best in an ever-changing climate and a more stable type of flooring might be a better option.
3. Rain and Tracking in the Elements
Natural wood in an entryway can be a wonderful look for your foyer, but this is the first area that will be exposed to the outdoors and everything that is tracked in. Make sure to put down mats and any coverings during storms that can keep moisture and mud off of your hardwood floors. Standing water can lead to warping, and tracked-in mud can get displaced into the grooves between woodwork. Choosing where to lay down hardwood flooring in your home is important. Choosing tile or laminate in front of doorways might be a better option for durability.
Be sure to research your flooring options before you decide that hardwood is your only choice. If hardwood flooring is too hard to maintain, there are other options such as laminate and low pile carpet that can look just as nice. Alternatives may be able to better handle the day-to-day maintenance that is required in your home. Visiting outlet stores like National Carpet Mill Outlet that can showcase many alternatives is a great way to see all types of flooring in person. Be sure to review all of your options so that you can make an educated decision for your flooring needs.
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