Hickory is a dense wood that resists dents from spike heels, chair legs, etc. The great thing about this type of wood is that it doesn’t show minor scratches or scuffs.

The bedroom uses 3″ planks that are 1/4″ thick. Two of us installed the wood in this bedroom in one evening. It has two or three shades of darker wood with the lighter strips randomly thrown in.

In the pictures below you will see where we removed the carpet and vinyl from every room in the house (except the master bedroom, which will be done later) and we also replaced the subfloor. The old subfloor was particle board which had water damage and wasn’t very sturdy to begin with.

This is the living room of a local residence where I installed wood flooring in 5″ planks. The flooring has a “distressed” look with natural knots and marks (notice the black streaks) that gives the floor a rustic look. This particular floor is available in different shades to suit your taste. A living room such as this one can be installed in less than two days!

Does your house have a wood subfloor or a concrete slab? This particular type of flooring can be installed on either one. Does your subfloor have “issues”? I’ll make sure they’re taken care of before the job starts so you’ll have a strong solid base for your new wood flooring.

Imagine your living room, family room, or office with a new, low maintenance flooring such as this. This wood floor is easily cleaned with a dust mop (such as a dry Swiffer). There’s no more need to drag out your old vacuum cleaner for this room, and the durable finish has a 15-20 year residential warranty.

Allergies and Carpet

Carpet is installed in almost every home in the U.S. Carpet is an inexpensive and comfortable type of flooring. It’s a good insulator, which means it’s more comfortable to the bare feet than solid floors like tile or wood. It’s available in many colors, styles, and prices, which adds to its popularity. But for many people, carpet can be a significant hindrance to their health.

Carpet is simply a fabric that is held together with some type of backing and installed over a foam padding. The carpet itself can harbor a large amount of dust and dirt and the padding can hold more than the carpet. No matter how much you vacuum, you cannot get all the dirt out of the carpet. Some dirt and especially sand, gets into the carpet and eventually works it way to the padding and maybe even to the subfloor. A vacuum cleaner is not strong enough to pull sand or dirt from underneath the carpet or padding.

I have personally torn carpet out of houses that were kept very clean. Underneath the carpet and padding is a dustpan full of dirt and other debris. The dirt and dust that resides under your carpet will aggravate your allergies to no end. As long as you have carpet, you will suffer from your allergies. The only way to prevent this is to get the carpet out of the house.

There is a large trend toward the installation of tile and wood floors throughout the entire house. While the cost is somewhat higher, the relief from allergies is well worth the cost. The difference is that you can actually see the dirt and dust on the tile or wood floor and you can clean it up. Not so with carpet. Another advantage to tile or wood over carpet is the durability factor. If you have children or pets, you know what a mess they can make. How much easier is it to clean their messes from a solid surface as opposed to a fabric? If you have health problems due to allergies, you should seriously consider removing the carpet from your home and installing a solid surface floor.