Tips to Keeping Hardwood Floor Warm

Hardwood floors are a fancy and elegant addition to every home. Although the hardwood gives your home an elegant finish, as well as improving your home’s value, it can get unpleasantly cold in winter. Aside from this, the wood can warp if exposed to moisture or uneven heating. Nonetheless, investing in a high-quality heat and air conditioning unit can help preserve the floor.

Comfort vs. Aesthetics

Hardwood floors can get uncomfortably cold especially during the winter season. Investing in a radiant floor heating system, however, doesn’t solve the heating issue, as this could cause the wood to warp. This makes it hard for homeowners to decide on the best floor heating option to go for, considering radiant heating systems work best on tile and stone floors.

One of the sad facts about hardwood flooring is that even the most traditional way of keeping rooms warm, such as forced heat and air conditioning, can destroy the wooden floor. Any exposure to moisture and setting temperature levels too high can damage the floor. If you however aren’t ready to give up the aesthetics for comfort, discussed below are a few tips on how to keep your home beautiful and comfortable all the time.

Improve Insulation

One of the best ways of improving heating and air conditioning efficiency is by ensuring there’s proper insulation all around the house. Good insulation creates a secure heat envelope in the home, meaning you never have to set the thermostat too high to maintain room temperature. By having the thermostat set at a low temperature, you will not only be saving money on utility bills but also preserve the hardwood floor as well.

Use a carpet to cover the floor

While covering the otherwise beautiful floor with a rug is a bummer for many, it is much better than leaving the wood to crack or warp. Having a nice, thick carpet on the floor means you never have to crank temperatures too high as the floor remains warm. You also never get to experience the wrath of a freezing floor especially early in the morning when you step out of bed. For those who aren’t willing to use a carpet or rug, you can then invest in a thicker layer of finish on the floor. This will not only help with the warmth but also improve the floor’s longevity and insulation.

Dehumidify your home

Hardwood floors require at least 30% humidity levels to preserve the elegance and reduce rotting. Nonetheless, humidity levels in your home/area get lower than that; you should then invest in a humidifier to help preserve the investment. A dehumidifier also comes in handy in areas with high humidity levels which lead to rotting and warping.