One of the first decisions you’ll make when choosing hardwood flooring for your home—and one that stumps many homeowners—is choosing between light and dark hardwood flooring. Is one more preferable than the other? Is one more stylish? More durable? The best answer really depends on a number of factors, including room size, your décor and even your personal style. That said, if you’re undecided, answering the following questions should give you some sense of direction.

Do You Have Pets and/or Children?

Pets and small children can definitely have an effect on the long-term look of your floors. Pet toenail scratches show up more easily on dark hardwoods; so do scratches from scooted chairs or toys being dragged across the floor. If you’ve got little ones or furry family members living at home, you might want to go with a lighter shade to mask those inevitable scratch marks. If you do prefer a darker shade, we might recommend going with a hand scraped or distressed finish where scratch marks blend in more easily.

How Often Do You Clean?

Believe it or not, family housecleaning patterns can play a role in determining the shade wood floor that’s best for you. If you keep a neat and tidy home and you don’t mind cleaning your wood floors frequently, you might do very well with a rich, dark shade of hardwood. On the other hand, if you prefer a lower-maintenance home, you’ll probably enjoy a lighter color of flooring. The reason? Dark floors show every speck of dust and dirt. Lighter floors don’t.

What Does “Home” Feel Like?

This may seem like an abstract question (and it is), but what feelings come to you when you think about home? Do you envision a place that is warm and cozy, or bright and airy? Is it a quiet retreat or a gathering place for friends and family? The color of your hardwood flooring will play a large part in making your home feel like home to you. Generally speaking, dark, rich hardwood floors can make small rooms feel cozy and larger rooms feel more elegant. Lighter hardwoods tend to reflect the light and make rooms feel brighter, airy and more spacious. (One common home selling strategy is to put lighter floors into the bedrooms to make them feel larger.) Choose a shade of hardwood that you think will create the best sense of home as it feels to you.

What’s in Style Right Now? (And Does It Matter?)

Some style-conscious homeowners want a look that makes their home feel “current” in line with today’s design trends. So which is more in fashion right now—light or dark hardwood flooring? The answer is both. In 2019, designers are leaning toward the extremes of light and dark flooring, while the middle “brown” shades are less in vogue for the moment. That said, unless this is an investment property, you’re the one who is going to have to live with these floors after your fashion-conscious friends go home. Thus, we recommend choosing a shade that is more in line with your personal tastes. After all, wood flooring tends to be timeless, no matter which shade you choose. If you happen to make a style choice in wood flooring that isn’t “cutting edge” today, the good news is it probably will be in a few years.

Whether you prefer light or dark hardwood flooring, Renaissance Hardwood Floors provides unmatched craftsmanship in making sure those floors will stand the test of time. For a free estimate in Tulsa, Jenks, Glenpool, Bixby and throughout Green Country, give us a call at 918-298-4477.

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It might not even be that obvious. You might come to the end of moving day only to discover a whole series of scuffs and scratch marks on the floor that you swear were not there when you purchased the home. Either way, you’re barely a day in, and already your gorgeous wood floors are visibly damaged.

Thankfully, this nightmare is one that can be prevented. By implementing the following tips and tricks, you can safeguard your wood floors from damage during a move-in. Here’s what you need to know.

Make Sure the Floors are Clean First

Your floor’s number one enemy on moving day is not always heavy furniture. It’s actually a lot smaller, in the form of dirt, dust, sand and gravel. When workers or friends are busy maneuvering furniture—even if they’re being careful—their boots and shoes can scoot across the floor, grinding those tiny grains of dirt and sand into the planks and causing scrapes and scratches. So before you bring in a single box or piece of furniture, get those wood floors spotless. Go through with a soft broom or brushless vacuum (NO BEATERS) and get all traces of dust and dirt off the floor. This one step can reduce your risk of floor damage by more than half.

Use a Doormat and Cover Walkways

Once you’ve cleared the floor of dirt and sand, the next line of defense is to keep as much dirt and sand as possible from coming in on people’s shoes during the move itself. You can accomplish this with a two-step process:

1. Set doormats in front of all entrances (and make sure people use them); and
2. Lay protective coverings across all major walkways. (Some professional movers will lay down plastic for this purpose, but you can also accomplish this goal with strategically placed area rugs and runners.)

Be Careful with Wheels

Wheels and casters make heavy furniture easier to move, but that doesn’t mean they can’t damage your wood floors. Quite often, dirt and sand get lodged in these wheels and are ground into the floor the same as with the bottom of people’s shoes. Also, a caster stuck in the sideways position can do as much damage as dragging a furniture leg. Always utilize casters and wheels carefully, and go ahead and lift furniture whenever possible. When using a dolly, use one with inflatable rubber wheels rather than hard, solid rubber.

Lift. Don’t Drag or Scoot.

This one is just common sense: A furniture leg dragging on the floor is just asking for trouble. So is scooting any large piece with a heavy base, like a cabinet or large appliance. Always lift these pieces rather than drag or scoot them across the floor. If lifting is just not feasible for some reason, invest in some reusable gliders and put them under the legs before scooting.

If you do happen to get a few scratches on your wood floors during moving day, it’s not the end of the world; most scratches can be repaired by a trusted professional. If you live in Tulsa, Jenks, Catoosa, Glenpool or other places in Green Country, we are always happy to come out and evaluate the damage and give you a fair estimate for repairs. Give Renaissance Hardwood Floors a call at 918-298-4477.

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Summer Sunlight

The sunlight streaming through the windows onto your wood floors may look gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean damage isn’t being done. Summer is the time of year when the sun’s rays are most intense and direct, and the ultraviolet light can break down chemicals in the wood, causing a fading effect—similar to the way the sun “bleaches” your hair. Over time, you may begin to notice the wood by your windows growing lighter, causing the overall look of your floors to be uneven and blotchy.

High Humidity

The increase in humidity during the summer months is indirectly related to the sunshine, but no less dangerous to your floors. Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air can. If the humidity in your home is not properly regulated, the wood planks will begin to absorb the moisture and expand, sometimes causing warping and cupping. This effect often corrects itself when humidity returns to normal levels, but in extreme cases it can permanently damage your wood planks.

Tips to Protect Your Hardwood Floors

The good news is by taking a few precautionary measures, you can safeguard your floors through the summer months so you don’t have to think about them anymore. Here are some tips to help.

• Keep the drapes or blinds closed during periods of direct sunlight. By far, this is the easiest way to reduce sunlight exposure.
• Install “low-e” windows. This is a more expensive option, but if you prefer keeping your drapes or blinds open, low-e windows will filter out harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays from the sun, making the sunlight safer for your floors.
• Rotate furnishings. Sometimes thoughtfully arranged furniture or a strategically placed rug can cover your wood floors in the parts of the room that get exposed to sunlight.
• Keep the A/C running. Cooler air naturally holds less humidity.
• Buy one or more dehumidifiers for the home. Optimal humidity levels inside the home should be between 35-45 percent.

While the summer heat and humidity have the potential to wreak havoc on your floors, it doesn’t have to be a point of panic. Just take common-sense steps to protect your floors like the tips we mentioned above, and you can enjoy a worry-free summer focused on the things you love. If your floors experience damage, we’re here to help. For a free estimate on wood flooring installation or repair in Jenks, Glenpool, Tulsa, Sand Springs and Broken Arrow, give Renaissance Hardwood Floors a call at 918-298-4477.

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Where to See Renaissance Floors in This Year’s Parade

Our floors are featured by more than a dozen Parade of Homes builders, appearing in subdivisions in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Sand Springs, Jenks, Glenpool, Claremore, Collinsville, Owasso and others. Look for our floors in homes by these builders (NOT a comprehensive list):

• Yorktown Builders
• Dodson Building Group
• Old School Homes
• Concept Builders
• Cobblestone Homes
• 1st Choice Quality Builders
• Castlerock Homes
• Executive Homes
• Timber Creek Properties
• Mike Fretz Inc
• Homes by Classic Properties
• Tradition Homes
• Artisan Home Builders
• Amian
• Abbey Homes
• Legacy Home Builders
• Graystone Homes
• Ruhl Construction
• Spartan Homes

Homes along the parade route are open from 1pm-7pm daily from now through Sunday, June 23. For more information and access to this year’s guide, visit the Tulsa Home Builders Association website. We’ll see you at the parade!

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