After working with flooring in Columbus, OH for many years, we have heard countless stories from the industry about unusual flooring types, interesting renovation projects, and the treasures that are sometimes revealed during them. It is not at all uncommon to hear about homeowners tearing up carpets or tile overlays and finding original flooring underneath which really transforms the space.
More often than not, this is just an accident. The original flooring gets buried as a matter of course after someone decides to update the home’s aesthetic, then it remains unchanged for years or decades, and a new homeowner inherits the space without having any notion of what it’s hiding. Fortunately for some of those homeowners, discovering something like 19th-century pine flooring can boost a home’s resale value as well as make it a more interesting place to inhabit and entertain guests.
That being the case, it’s also conceivable that in some cases, when original flooring gets re-discovered it’s the result of a prior owner specifically trying to protect their investment. As a matter of fact, this is an approach we might even recommend for preserving some flooring in Columbus households. If the owner has pre-existing hardwood floors but isn’t confident in their ability to maintain them, there are plenty of other flooring options that allow them to keep those floors in place but put a more durable, if somewhat less upscale option overtops of it.
Carpet is naturally one such option. But if the idea is to install protective flooring in Columbus homes where the foot traffic is heavy and potentially abusive, other options like vinyl laminate flooring might be even better. They obviously require less frequent cleaning than carpet and are less likely to show their wear over time. Meanwhile, they are far more resistant to damage than hardwood and can be installed with additional padding that not only further protects the surface flooring but also dampens sound and provides a touch of additional insulation.
We should note that our main philosophy is that flooring in Columbus homes ought to be enjoyed. So we wouldn’t recommend letting that enjoyment suffer just because you’re trying to protect an investment. Still, if you’re planning to resell your home in the future – even decades down the line – and you want to be ready in advance, dual-layer flooring is a great way of letting yourself enjoy what’s on display while protecting what lies below. Just don’t forget that your surface flooring is there before you decide to sell or move.
