When you’re raising a family, every choice you make revolves around what’s best for you and your loved ones. This is particularly true when it comes to decisions about your home. Your family deserves a space that is safe, healthy, comfortable, and beautiful. Many choices go into designing the perfect home for your growing family, but one of the most important decisions is the kind of flooring you want. Engineered hardwood flooring is a popular choice for families across the country. Learn why engineered flooring is great for families with this guide to all of its incredible perks and benefits.
The Clean Choice
Cleanliness is a huge deal when you’re raising a family—especially if someone in your household has allergies, asthma, or other respiratory concerns. Clean surfaces and clean air are essential parts of a healthy home. Engineered wood flooring supports both. Soft flooring options like carpet trap dust, pollen, and other allergens. When these particles linger in your flooring, they affect the air quality in your home. The smooth and solid surface of wood flooring doesn’t harbor allergens, bacteria, or other messes. It’s easy to see when messes gather on your wood floors, which means it’s easy to stay on top of your cleaning routine and maintain a healthy home.
Low-Maintenance for Busy Homes
If you’re raising a family, you have a lot on your plate. You can’t spend all your time keeping your floors safe and beautiful. While all flooring options take some level of commitment and maintenance, engineered hardwood is relatively easy to keep in good shape. Sweeping your floors regularly will keep most dirt, pet hair, dust, and other debris off your gleaming, gorgeous floors. This is a straightforward task that goes a long way in protecting your floors. Plus, sweeping is an easy chore for kids to do, which means they can take over part of the responsibility of keeping your home healthy and beautiful.
When it’s time for a heavier cleaning job, go over your floors with a damp mop to help them shine like new again. You can also deep clean with gentle, wood-safe cleaners to get rid of those subtle traces of dirt that build up over time.
Spills Are No Stress
Let’s face it: kids can be clumsy. When little hands spill a cup, pets knock over a glass, or family dinner gets a little messy, you need a floor that can hold up against a spill. Engineered wood flooring is more moisture resistant than its solid hardwood counterpart. This means it’s not the end of the world when accidents happen. While you don’t want to let standing water linger on your wood floors, you have a little more time—and a little more peace of mind—when cleaning up the damage. Simply make sure you keep a towel handy and teach everyone in your family to dry up spills quickly.
Holding Up to Life’s Wear and Tear
Engineered wood flooring is durable enough to hold up against the hectic bustle of your family. When little feet, pet claws, or plastic wheels hit your floors, you don’t have to panic about the damage they cause. While carpet might snag or softer floors might dent, engineered hardwood stays strong and gorgeous day after day.
If you’re worried about the high levels of activity in your home and how they’ll impact your floors, you can take an extra step of protection and choose a harder wood. Something dense and strong like hickory is much harder to scratch or dent than softer woods. Of course, no flooring option is foolproof. The good news is that you always have ways to prevent or treat damage when it happens.
Tackling Scratches
Unfortunately, scratches are a natural part of owning wood floors. The trick is to be prepared to handle them when they happen. When you know what to do with a scratch, you can minimize the damage, protect the rest of your flooring, and keep your floors looking gorgeous. Keep scratch concealer on hand so you can quickly treat any scratches. This disguises the damage and—more importantly—reseals your floors so they don't take any further damage.
Preventing Damage
Preventing damage before it occurs is the best way to keep your floors looking amazing over time. This is a crucial practice for families, as a little bit of precaution can keep your home safe amid all the action life throws at you. Felt foot pads on furniture are an easy way to protect your floors from scratches as you move the pieces around. Area rugs or hallway runners are also great solutions. In addition to protecting the surface of your floors, a cozy rug makes your living space warmer and more comfortable—especially if you have kids playing or lounging on the floor.
Adding Warmth and Comfort to Your Home
While health and safety are important aspects of your home, you also have to think about comfort and luxury. Part of why engineered flooring is great for families is that wood adds warmth, comfort, and style to any room. Wood retains heat better than tile or other forms of solid flooring, which means you won’t freeze as you walk around in the winter. Engineered wood is also softer than tile and other harder floors, making it a more comfortable foundation for the room.
The Long-Lasting Choice for Your Family
No one wants to replace their floors every few years. The process is expensive, time-consuming, and stressful—especially when you’re balancing kids, school, and other parts of your busy schedule. If you want a flooring solution that lasts, engineered hardwood is the way to go. With a little bit of care, engineered wood flooring can last for decades in your home. If the floor does start to show a little too much wear and tear, you can refinish your floors for a fresh new look. When you choose engineered hardwood, you choose flooring that will continue to serve your family for years to come.
No matter the style of your home or the type of family you have, you can find exactly what you need at From the Forest. Shop our colors and collections—such as our versatile light to dark brown engineered wood flooring options—to find the perfect design for your beloved family home.
