There’s an abundance of wood flooring in Columbus homes, as there is in homes across the country. Wood flooring has such a far-reaching appeal that we don’t think there’s really much point in trying to promote it on this blog. But sometimes we wonder whether we’re going too far in the other direction: promoting so many alternatives to wood flooring that we end up giving the impression that we see it as something that Columbus-area homeowners are better off avoiding.
If we’re guilty of that, then we’d like to make up for it with this post. But rather than reiterating what you probably already know about the natural, one-of-a-kind, homey qualities of wood flooring, we thought we would promote that choice from an angle you may not have considered. More to the point, we thought we would offer a different perspective on the very features of wood flooring that we’ve previously presented as drawbacks and reasons to consider a similar-looking alternative like laminates and wood-patterned tiles.
The issue that we’re most likely to flag when people express doubts about wood flooring is the fact that it is often more prone to damage and more difficult to maintain than some of the other products in our catalogue. What we should probably mention more often, though, is the fact that unless the damage to wood flooring is severe, it isn’t necessarily something you would describe as “unsightly.” More than that, it isn’t something that you strictly need to see in a negative light at all.
There is a Japanese term that applies here: “wabi-sabi.” It refers to the aesthetic principle of embracing flaws and imperfections as markers of uniqueness. It is a principle that can certainly be applied to wood flooring if you’re the sort of person who believes that objects are capable of telling stories through the wear and tear they acquire over time. If you think of your lightly damaged wood flooring in these terms, the likelihood of scuffs and scrapes can actually be an additional selling point when selecting the surface for your Columbus-area home.
The desire to embrace imperfection may even lead you to consider installing wood flooring in a location where you would otherwise opt for something that is highly damage-resistant or easy to refurbish. Wood flooring is a rare choice for kitchens, but not unheard of. Those who take the road less traveled are most likely those who want to leave their footsteps visible to those who come after them – with the effects of moisture, heat, and dropped utensils creating a sort of living record of meals prepared and shared within the home.
