Choosing new flooring for your home is not a decision to rush into, as your flooring needs to last for years and work well with the décor or overall style of every room. While carpeting is still a popular choice and materials like slate and granite can add some charm to a home, you might consider the many advantages of wood flooring versus these materials. Note a few of those here.

1. Wood Flooring Is Very Hygienic

No matter how often you shampoo and vacuum your carpeting, it will still hold dust, dirt, pet dander, pet hair, human hair and shed skin cells, cigarette smoke, and even insects and their droppings. In some cases vacuuming can make it worse as this simply pulls these contaminants closer to the surface of the carpeting without removing them completely. If you have asthma or any other breathing disorders, carpeting can actually interfere with your health as you may breathe in all these pollutants as they come loose from the fibers.

Wood floors don't hold any of these pollutants and so they're much more hygienic. They keep the air of your home cleaner and they're also cleaner for children and babies who might play on the floor.  If you have pets you also want to consider wood floors as these won't hold pet dander or hair or any dirt they may drag in from the outdoors.

2. Wood Flooring Is Better for Homes with Floors That Might Shift

Older homes may tend to shift and settle over time, and wood floors can be a good choice over marble, slate, granite, and other such materials that don't have any type of "give" to them and which may simply pull away from the subfloor. Carpeting, too, may simply start to bunch up as the floor under it shifts. Floating wood floorboards are installed by being attached to one another rather than to the subfloor, so that they can move slightly with the floor itself. In tropical climates where the wood of the subfloor may expand and contract with changing humidity, wood floors may be a better option for the home.

3. Wood Flooring Is More Easily Recyclable than Other Materials

If you're environmentally conscious, you might find wood floorboards made from recycled materials or choose an easily sustainable material like bamboo for your flooring. You can also recycle wood floorboards if you ever need to remove them in the future, more easily than trying to have carpeting, slate, granite, or marble recycled.

For more information, visit http://www.woodlandstimberfloors.com.au.