Pinewood is a popular and classic flooring product. It’s affordable, durable, and can be readily finished according to your preferences. However, pine does not appeal to everybody and isn’t always a good fit for every situation. Read on to learn about the benefits of pinewood flooring…
Pros: Attractive Floor that Can Last For the Lifetime of Your Home
Pinewood flooring is usually selected for its cozy look and the ability to take on years of use, pine has the additional benefits of being more affordable and environment-friendly.
- Pleasing Appearance
Pine can be purchased in varying shades of color from almost white to golden yellow to rich reds and browns. The timber’s prominent grain, knots, and pinholes add to its personality as well as an inviting, rustic appeal.
Additionally, you have the possibility to paint your floor in any kind of color you want due to the fact that it commonly comes unfinished. Pine takes color and paints well. This will allow matching the flooring to the color scheme of a home. Finishing the floor with Tung oil alone will give the flooring a conventional appearance and a cozy glow.
If the timber’s all-natural shade is preferred, treat your flooring with clear varnish or whitewash to prevent it from darkening with age. As the wood ages, pine will show signs of visible wear and patina which many consider as part of its timber’s charm.
Pinewoods’ rustic look makes it perfect for a country home, a log home, or a cabin. It can also add warmth to a modern home or commercial office.
- Durability
Pine floors still in operation that are 100 years or older are quite common, proving their durability and longevity. Unlike other types of wood flooring Pine rarely has shrinking or swelling problems, although, in a damp climate, it will benefit from a polyurethane finish. If the goal is to have flooring that will serve you well for the lifetime of your residence, Pine is a good choice.
- Budget-Friendly
Generally, softwoods are priced less than hardwoods, often half the cost of hardwoods like oak, maple, and mahogany. You will find that it can even cost even less than high-end vinyl tile (LVT), which is created to mimic the appearance of timber. While softwoods such as fir, cedar, and also cypress are additionally reduced in cost than most woods, they do not have the appeal that makes pine so popular.
- Environmentally Friendly
Pine grows faster than the woods typically used for floorings, such as walnut or oak making it a far better fit for environmentally friendly forestry techniques.
Here is a good resource to learn more about pine sustainability to guarantee that you’re acquiring a sustainable item. Like the idea of a reclaimed floor, search for planks that are recovered from older buildings, available at lots of lumber distributors.
Cons: Visible Aging and More Complex Finishing Requirements
Pine shows wear faster than many other wood species, and you’ll usually need to sand, stain and refinish the floor in a few years.
- Reveals Wear
If your preference is to keep your floor in pristine condition, pine isn’t for you. Like all other softwoods, pinewood is easily scratched and dented and will show signs of wear fairly soon. Use caution when moving heavy items across the floor to avoid causing deep scrapes or gouges in the wood. The durability of your floor does depend on the type of pine chosen and the way it was finished. The amount of foot traffic, kids, and pets play a role as well. You can protect the floor by staining and sealing it with two to three coats of polyurethane.
Distressed flooring is all the rage now, and if you find the look of moderately distressed pine appealing, you’ll still want to avoid installing pine flooring in areas that see heavy foot traffic or if you have young children or large pets. In these situations, pine can become heavily damaged.
- Maintenance
To stay looking their best, pinewood flooring should be regularly dusted or vacuumed to remove debris that could cause excessive scratching and wear. Like other wood floors, pine floors also need to be refinished every 5 to 10 years by sanding, staining, and coating with polyurethane. The frequency is depending on traffic. Refinishing does add to the lifetime cost of the floor.
- Requires Finishing After Installation
Pine flooring is typically sold unfinished, so if you want a specific color or you want to protect your floor from damage, you’ll need to get the floor stained and protected with polyurethane. While this gives you more control over the look and durability of your floor, it also makes pine a more labor-intensive flooring option than planks that are already sold finished.
In Conclusion:
If you’re looking for a floor that develops “character” as it ages and will last the lifetime of your house, and you don’t mind putting in a little effort to keep it looking nice, pine is an ideal option for you. If you prefer flooring that comes already finished, shows little wear, and you’re not on a tight budget, look for a hardwood flooring, such as solid oak or engineered hardwood.
West Coast Floor Company in Napa, CA is a hardwood flooring expert with 50+ combined years in installation and refinishing of hardwood floors of any kind. If a hardwood floor is on your wish list give us a call (707) 864-2199 to arrange for a free design consultation at your property.