Hardwood

Recently I have received alot of mail asking me about hardwood. Sometime folks ask me why I like hardwood instead of carpet. Well the truth is I like carpet too, in certain areas of the home.

However, in my humble opinion hardwood has depth, natural beauty and unparalleled ambiance that you can’t get from synthetic materials including carpet, vinyl, laminate etc… Do I have laminate in my home? Yes in certain places. I also have tile, hardwood, cork, carpet and even vinyl and I am scouting an area to put in some hand scraped bamboo or something else cool.

Hardwood in America as well as Canada has always been a favorite since these lands were settled. Wooden floors (aka paquet) have also been popular in Europe for decades with Germany leading the way. There are still castles in France, Portugal, Austria, England and I am sure other parts of old Europe with the original wooden flooring still in them!

Japan has also been a steady user of premium grade hardwood for a number of years. Recently even China which is the largest exporter of hardwood has begun importing more of the premium hardwood floors from the US and Canada. (we see this trend growing.) We have also seen the Middle Eastern areas like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other emerging nations seeking to import the finest hardwood and other floors from around the world.

Hardwood can be a timeless product if it is maintained well. Anyway – that is my 2 cents on why hardwood is so popular.