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What are the Advantages of Pine Flooring?
There are many things to consider when choosing a floor, whether it is made of wood, tile or an artificial wood laminate. The different types of wood flooring vary in durability, color and cost. The advantages of pine flooring can depend on the nature of an interior design, the type of room and price considerations. Among these advantages are that it is durable and relatively inexpensive.
Pine is called a softwood like other wood that comes from cone-bearing or evergreen trees. Softwoods might dent more easily than hardwoods such as oak, they still generally are durable floors when properly cared for. Pine flooring has a yellow-brown color that will darken with age, although refinishing will restore its color. Pine flooring might contain whorls and knots or be a clearer wood with a finer grain. Hardwoods usually command a higher price than softwoods, so another advantage of pine flooring its comparatively low cost.
Varieties of pine used in flooring include the eastern white pine and the southern yellow or longleaf pine. The eastern white pine is not, however, an optimally durable wood. Therefore, the southern yellow is more sought-after. Boards taken from the center or heart of the tree have fewer whorls and knotting than those taken from the outside. A combination of both grades can yield an attractive floor when the two types are alternated or intermixed.
Pine flooring is durable enough for heavily trafficked rooms such as the kitchen. Good maintenance and daily sweeping will increase the length of time before refinishing becomes necessary. Another thing to consider is the existing or desired room décor. The golden-brown color of pine is attractive but might not suit a particular owner’s wishes.
One advantage of pine flooring is that it sometimes is used as the subfloor in older homes. If this is the case, the owner might choose to sand, finish and seal the pine boards. Some repair of damaged boards might be necessary, but old boards that have darkened with age will regain their vibrant-yet-mellow color. Removing carpet or tile and bypassing installation of a new surface is another possible advantage of pine flooring.
One way to gain the aesthetic advantages of pine flooring through a less expensive option is to choose a laminate. Laminates have a thin top layer that mimics the character and color of wood. The bonded composite layers underneath provide a durable floor, the level surface is easy to clean, and laminate will be largely impervious to water.
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![Pines are a softwood.]()
By: kav777Pines are a softwood. -
![Pine floors are generally level and easy to clean.]()
By: JackFPine floors are generally level and easy to clean.
Discussion Comments
I also bought a house with terrible carpeting hiding old pine flooring from the 40's. I stripped and sanded them (with a random orbital handheld sander), then finished with Waterlox and they're gorgeous.
What did you use to seal your pine wood floor?
I have pine plank flooring in my living room and dining room, and I love the natural look of it. The knots and grainy appearance make it seem like it is fresh off the tree.
The rooms with this type of flooring have furniture to match. The arms of my sofa and chairs also have pine knots, and they are the same shade of brown as the floor.
I prefer the natural wood look in a home over a modern look. My friend has solid color floors with metal furniture, and it just seems cold to me. My pine floors are warm and inviting, and I feel a bit like I’m in a cabin.
I know that pine laminate flooring is designed to protect the floor beneath from stains, but it is best not to clean it with water. If you get moisture underneath it and it gets trapped between the laminate and the subfloor, the floor will warp.
I had this type of flooring in my laundry room, which is where I keep my dog’s water bowl. He is not a neat drinker, so there is always water scattered around it.
When I’m at work, this water will sit on the floor for hours. A large warped area developed around his water bowl, so I had to choose a different type of flooring for this room.
@seag47 - I can’t tell you exactly how long it lasts, but I can tell you that I am currently living in a house that was built in the 1960s, and the pine flooring is in pretty good condition, considering it hasn’t been replaced or refinished in decades.
It does have quite a few scratches and scuffs from where people moved furniture around without protective coverings on the feet of chairs and tables. I think these could have been avoided, though.
If I could afford to, I would refinish it myself. However, I am only renting, and I hate to invest much money in something that I don’t even own. I think that it is pretty remarkable that the floor has held up this long without looking absolutely awful, though.
How long does pine flooring last before it needs to be refinished? I will be having a new house built next year, and I would like to use pine for flooring, but if it isn’t going to be very durable, I might go with something else.
I can see refinishing it every ten years or so, but if it is going to need updating more often than that, it probably wouldn’t be worth the cost to me. For one thing, I am very busy, and I would have to hire a professional to take care of it. This would surely increase the cost.
A few years back my wife and I bought a fixer upper that we were going to restore to it's original beauty. Once we ripped out the awful yellow carpeting that was all over the house we discovered some really nice pine wood under flooring. We consulted with a hard wood flooring expert and he told us that we could sand and seal the pine flooring and then we would have a nice hardwood floor throughout and it would not cost us much money.
He was right. The job was quick, cheap and relatively easy and now we have beautiful pine floors throughout the house.
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