Many homes in America today feature stunning wood floors, which add class and elegance to any room. But wood flooring is not just beautiful, it is a staple in America’s home-building past, with a rich history in the United States.
American hardwood flooring, as we know it today, was heavily influenced by building methods in Europe, where wood floors belonged exclusively to royalty and the ultra-wealthy. The installation and maintenance of wood floors required a significant amount of tedious labor, and so such floors were very expensive. These early wood floors were scraped with handfuls of sand by laborers on their hands and knees- literally “sanded”- until smooth.
Even after their initial installation, hardwood floors in this era required a great deal of maintenance and upkeep. They were frequently sealed with wax, which needed to be buffed away and re-applied regularly.
Hardwood flooring became popular in Colonial America, because timber was so readily available. Instead of sanding the floor, colonists and early Americans let foot traffic wear the boards down over the course of several years. This meant that instead of the rigorous sanding process, settlers had to wear socks and shoes in the house at all times to avoid splinters!
For early Americans, hardwood flooring was an investment with significant payoffs. Wood acts as a natural insulator, and it kept their homes warmer than stone or dirt floors could. It was also easier to keep a house with a hardwood floor clean than it was to maintain a house with a dirt floor. Because when properly cared for, a hardwood floor can last for hundreds of years, a wood floors were also among colonists’ most resilient and long-lasting flooring options.
More than just practical, hardwood floors beautified early American homes as well. The practice of parquetry, or intricately arranging small pieces of wood together to form elegant patterns, became very popular in both the United States and Europe.
As technological advancements progressed after WWII, the ability to easily create affordable carpeting resulted in the decrease of hardwood flooring’s popularity. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the classic hardwood look made a true comeback.
No matter how long you have had your hardwood floor, N-Hance of Cincinnati will keep it looking beautiful, so your home feels both classic and comfortable for years to come.