Residential landlords who take over an old property may be very excited at the possibilities it offers. This can often provide a chance to take what was once a large home for a big family and subdivide it into flats. However, there can also be instances where this has already happened, but a makeover and upgrade is in prospect.
The latter case can be a very viable option when a property is acquired in a fashionable residential area and where there is a market for more upmarket apartments. In that instance, a major makeover will be in the offing.
This may have all sorts of elements, from the interior design to the insulation, the use of space and even the replacement of stairs. However, there is a risk that an older building may have too many modern elements to retain its historic character, which could reduce its appeal to future tenants.
However, fitting timber flooring can help change all that. Wood is always in fashion and a hardwood timber floor can help an older building retain a sense of grandeur. If, therefore, a makeover involves adding a new floor, there are very good reasons to make it timber.
There are other great qualities possessed by timber that make it a must-have. It is sustainable, which will appeal to many; hypo-allergenic, which is great news for those with families who want to limit germs and bugs. It also offers better insulation than other floor surfaces.
Durability is a further major benefit. Timber floors are highly resilient, not just because hardwood is a robust material, which it undoubtedly is, but also because it is strong enough to bear heavy loads as well as everyday wear-and-tear such as lots of footfall.
This makes it especially useful for the places people walk the most, such as the entrance area and corridors. This is also a great place to have it because it creates the ambiance of grandeur, style and tradition the moment one enters the door, which will especially impress visitors.
A further benefit is that when damage does occur, it is easier to repair than with other flooring surfaces. The most obvious method of timber repair is sanding when a scratched surface can be smoothed and treated to look good as new.
Solid hardwood flooring has sufficient thickness to allow this to happen many times, which gives it an advantage over engineered hardwood flooring in this regard. While the latter has many qualities, the actual wood floor surface layer is thinner and therefore can only be sanded a limited number of times.
For that reason, while engineered hardwood can last 30 years, which is not bad at all, a solid timber floor can last between 50 and 100 years.
Timber flooring has been used in the UK since time immemorial and for good reason. It is not just that wood is readily available and it is warmer than stone; its beauty and character mean it never goes out of fashion and while it is not invulnerable to damage (no floor is), the potential for renewal and repair to keep it looking great for years to come is unrivalled.
