With an ability to be dressed up or down to fit the theme of a room, hardwood is at home in any design. Plus, its durability, function and natural beauty make it a winner for those who want more than ordinary carpeting can offer.



When it comes to the best in oak hardwood floors, Bruce Hardwood is a leader in the industry.

Founded in 1884, Bruce is considered an industry leader in American solid-oak flooring because of its attention to detail and quality.

The company was one of the first to offer pre-finished flooring to its customers and now offers an array of styles and colors to choose from. The wood's natural beauty is the key to Bruce's success, especially when it's married with oak's ability to retain its look and appeal for years.

When it comes to hardwood floors, they come with a number of advantages over carpeting. They include:

* Durability. Hardwood floors when treated correctly can last a lifetime. Whereas carpeting can be destroyed over time no matter how hard a homeowner works to keep it clean and in good condition. With hardwood, there's no need to replace the flooring every few years.

* Variety. Hardwood floors can come in a number of different styles, colors and patterns. If the fear of only finding one-look-fits-all in hardwood is keeping a homeowner away from looking, this is simply not so.

* Environmentally sound. Hardwood floors at the natural alternative to synthetic carpets.

* Property value. Hardwood tends to add real value to a home.

* Easy maintenance. It doesn't take a lot to keep hardwood looking great.

On the maintenance end, hardwood is actually one of the easiest flooring types to maintain. Unlike tile that can chip and break, hardwood can be touched up to fix minor scratches and cleaning is a breeze.

The advantages over carpet are many, but the top includes the stain resistance, ease of cleaning, durability and more.

To keep a hardwood floor looking great, all a homeowner needs to do is this:

* Vacuum, dust mop or sweep the floor as needed. This is typically recommended about once a week and is fast and easy to perform.

* Spot clean spills and tracked in dirt as they happens. All this takes generally is a dust mop, but sometimes special cleaners are needed.

* Every so often a deep cleaning will help maintain the floor's surface appearance. This does require specialized cleaner, but a basic mop is the only tool necessary.

* Keep the floor protected in areas with moisture and dirt, such as entries, in kitchens and so on.

A hardwood floor can make an ordinary home look simply spectacular. With an ability to be dressed up or down as much as a homeowner would like, few types of flooring are more versatile either. When it comes to the best in hardwood floors, Bruce is the leader.

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