If you’ve been looking for an affordable and easy way to update your kitchen and make it look elegant and stylish, maple flooring can give you that option.
Because of its high resistance to wear and tear, maple is a great choice for your floor. In addition, a maple floor also provides natural beauty, and warmth and an easy feeling on the feet. This is particularly so great for kitchen floors.
Maple is durable and hard – increasing the value of your home as you don’t have to keep replacing your flooring. With proper cleaning and care of your floor, your maple floor can last you for generations.
If you prefer light colored wood (slightly lighter than oak wood), maple is a great choice. It is often creamy white (although it is often found in reddish brown or mottled). It has a light grain, clean lines and adds to the brightness of the kitchen.
One not so good thing we can point out about maple flooring is that it is not environmentally friendly, nor sustainable. Reclaimed wood is often used to make wood flooring and much of this is done by cutting down trees for their wood.
Cost of maple flooring
The cost of maple flooring starts at around $3 per square foot before installation costs, but varies depending on the style, thickness, size and quality of the boards, and the manufacturer.
There is also a difference in price depending on whether the materials are prefabricated, such as with snap-together kits, or more traditional boards. However, due to the durability of maple flooring, will save you money over the years of use get out of it without replacement.
Tips for buying a maple floor
1. Maple flooring is a very versatile choice for your kitchen because it can be used in many different ways to create different styles. It can be laid in a traditional plank design, or with more complex parquet designs.
2. It can be left unstained to look very light and airy in color, or it can be stained very dark to create a rich and warm feeling. Because the color of a maple floor can be easily varied with the amount and color of the stain and varnish applied, they are easy to adjust to any decoration in any home.
3. The size of the kitchen determines the size of the wooden planks you choose. Long planks are preferable for large kitchens, and shorter planks are more suitable for smaller kitchens.
4. When buying your maple floor, consider the thickness of the floor, as it is important from the point of view of stability. The thicker the ground, the better the product.
5. You can buy your maple floor in different grades; with degree one being the best. Although the lower grades have more imperfections, they are closer to the natural beauty of the wood floor.
6. Maple flooring is available in pre-finished and unfinished varieties. Although an unfinished variety is more affordable and also offers you the option for a custom design, Pre-finished maple floors are more suitable for kitchens as they have a high quality finish to it that is applied at the factory. Therefore the pre-finished maple floor is stronger and is more resistant to scratches, spills, UV rays and moisture. Any excess moisture is also released by the factory process. With pre-finished floors you will also find that the warranties are better compared to unfinished ones.
7. Also available is another type of pre-finished floor which is an engineered maple floor. It is man-made and is made of layers of plywood that form the core of the floor. Maple layers form the surface of the floor. These two different layers are placed on top of each other. Due to this characteristic, engineered maple floors are also suitable for the kitchen, especially for rooms at or below ground levels.
8. This engineered maple floor is considered to be more environmentally friendly. This is because plywood is created from fast-growing softwoods, which are in abundance. With this, less maple is used.
9. For underground heating, this engineered maple floor is very effective.
Installation of maple flooring
The wood is withdrawn as the climate changes and dries out. It expands again as the moisture is released back into the air. So, you must be aware of how the maple floor reacts to the changing climates throughout the year. And so, it makes sense to use a professional for the installation. These are trained and experienced people who know how to handle it professionally, unlike us.
Maintenance of a maple floor
Once you install your maple floor, be sure to keep it well swept with a dry dust cloth or broom, and a mop.
Clean up spills immediately, as liquids can seep into cracks and cause the wood to swell and warp.
Rugs and area rugs can be placed in key areas in your kitchen such as in front of the sink. This helps to avoid scratches and indentations.
After years of use, it is to be expected that any floor will look a little worn and aged, but maple floors can be refinished. The finish is one of the amazing qualities of this type of floor.
How to get the best price on maple flooring
BuildDirect seems to be one of the best places to buy maple flooring from. Besides the best prices, their customer-friendly policies make shopping from them a pleasure.
