By How Much Can Hardwood Flooring Increase My Home's Value?

If you are considering a flooring upgrade for your home, there is a strong possibility that you have looked into solid and/or engineered hardwood options. Not only is hardwood clean, classy, and elegant, but there is arguably no flooring option on the market that can add as much value to your home.

While hardwood floors will undoubtedly be attractive to potential buyers, the question remains by just how much these elegant floors will increase property value. After all, hardwood is typically more expensive than other flooring materials on the market, so homeowners will want to be sure that they are getting a solid return on investment when making this flooring upgrade.

In general, homeowners can expect to see a 75% return on investment from installing hardwood floors, and of course, you want easy to install hardwood floors, which is all relatively consistent whether you choose solid or hardwood engineered flooring options. If hardwood is installed at $9 per square foot (the national average can range from $6 to $12 per square foot) in a 2,000 square-foot home, the cost of installation will be $18,000. However, the homeowner can expect to see the value of the home increased by $13,500, making the true cost of installation only $4,500. Considering that cheaper flooring options, such as carpet or laminate, will not add any resale value to the home, the decision to invest in hardwood can actually be profitable.

Although hardwood floors will add resale value to your home, there are a number of factors, such as the location of the home, the quality of installation, and how well the floors mesh with other aspects of the home, that can influence the return on investment you receive. Therefore, explore some of the creative options at From the Forest to get an idea of how hardwood floors can fit in your home and consider some of the following points in order to maximize the bang for your buck that hardwood can return.

Warm Up Your Hardwood

Hard flooring options have a tendency to be cold in the morning or in times of cold weather. Therefore, people may bypass homes with hardwood for warmer, carpeted homes but there is a solution that allows for the selection of a hard flooring option.

For warmer hardwood flooring, consider installing radiant floor heating in conjunction with your hardwood floors. This innovative system works like a stove beneath your hardwood surface to ensure that your floors maintain a comfortable temperature at all times. In addition, the even disbursement of heat radiating from the floor can even help control HVAC costs, as it helps eliminate cold pockets that central heat would have to work overtime to eradicate, which can be another value-adding feature that appeals to buyers.

Look to Customized Fixtures for the Assist

Installing customized fixtures in your home such as handrails can pair well with freshly installed hardwood flooring. These innovative fixtures come in a wide variety of designs that can complement the style of your hardwood to perfection.

Some stylistic options that pair well with hardwood flooring for example are bronze coated handrails that are not only aesthetically pleasing but will increase the safety of your home.

Make Sure Kitchen Upgrades Match the Hardwood

The kitchen is one of the first places for which hardwood will likely be considered, as durable, non-staining surfaces are preferable in a cooking space.

Return on investment for kitchen renovations can be greatly improved if the project is balanced. As such, classy hardwood floors paired with modern appliances and new cabinets may appeal more to buyers. Therefore, when adding hardwood to the kitchen, maximize return on investment by modernizing other facets as well, with the following ideas great places to start:

• Replace old surfaces with durable, nonporous acrylic countertops
• Remove closed cabinets in exchange for open shelving
• Open the space by using a bar as a partition in place of a full-spanning wall

Conclusion

Hardwood floors are one of the best flooring options for homeowners looking to increase the resale value of their home, with hardwood typically yielding around a 75% return on investment. However, there are a lot of different types of wood flooring to choose from so you want to make sure that your hardwood floors meet or exceed this mark, combine their installation with an innovative floor heating system, customized fixtures, and commensurate kitchen upgrades. For further ideas on how to incorporate hardwood into your home, spend some time at From the Forest to find some creative inspiration.

Skylar Ross is a contributor to the Innovative Materials blog. He is a content writer for the construction and home improvement industries with an interest in landscaping, outdoor remodeling, and interior design. Skylar is focused on educating homeowners, contractors, and architects on innovative materials and methods of construction that increase property value, improve sustainability, and create a warm and welcoming ambiance.