Hardwoods Cover Home Floor Market

Some like it for the look. Some for its versatility. Some just like to slide around on it in their socks.
“Hardwood flooring is the flooring of choice right now,” said Mike Hinsch, owner of The Wood Floor Gallery Inc. in Springdale.
Hinsch used to focus on new construction, but he has since given more attention to remodels, which now account for about 50 percent of business. His best year was 2005, he said, when he installed about 625,000 SF of flooring. In 2006, that dropped, along with the real estate market, to about 350,000 SF.
While some homes also will have flooring such as travertine, marble or limestone, Hinsch estimated that about 90 percent of new, custom homes incorporate at least some hardwood flooring.
“One of the big fallacies about pre-finished flooring is that it is significantly less expensive than site-finished floors, but that’s not really the case,” Hinsch said.
Custom-finished floors can be done for around $8 per SF. The high end of hardwood prices may go for $12 to $15 per SF.
At $15 per SF, Hinsch said, you’re looking at a select American Walnut, Australian Cypress, Brazilian Walnut or Tigerwood. But high-end oak flooring can allow people to stay in the $10 to $12 range.
Oak is the most popular, Hinsch said, accounting for about 80 percent of his business. Oak is popular because it readily accepts stains of almost any color.
“One of the big things right now is super dark floors,” Hinsch said. “We have a hard time getting anything but oak that dark, unless it’s inherently dark like some exotics.”
At the Northwest Arkansas Home Builders’ annual show, Hinsch said he had the most questions about new flooring types, such as bamboo and cork.
Cork isn’t actually a new type of flooring. It was popular about 100 years ago, but has been rediscovered by environmentally-minded homebuilders.
Cork’s strengths are that it’s waterproof, stain resistant and resilient. It’s softer than many wood flooring types, but dents will disappear in time. Hinsch said he did about six jobs last year using cork.
Bamboo is another popular flooring type. Being a grass, bamboo is easily grown and harvested in an eco-friendly manner, Hinsch said. Bamboo usually comes in as a blonde, maple or brown color, but its downside is that it is softer.
While the hardness of wood species is a factor, coatings are the first layer of protection. Polyurethane coatings are cheaper, require more drying time and put off fumes when applied. For 50 cents more per SF, water-based finishes are significantly harder and have faster drying times.
Aesthetics are a main concern for many customers, Hinsch said. Plank width affects the look. Narrow planks, of about three or four inches, work in formal settings. Wider planks, about five or six inches, convey a country or rustic look.
Many homeowners strive for the aged look, such as in French country homes. It can be achieved through methods such as handscraping or handstressing.
Other style points can come in the form of borders, headers or custom inlays. Hinsch said he’s installed three-foot to four-foot diameter medallions. Some have been compasses for a nautical theme. One customer, a Dallas Cowboys fan, had a large star put in the middle of his hardwood floor.