Why Maple?
One of the biggest benefits of this type of floor – as the name implies – is that it is prefinished at the factory. Homeowners simply have to worry about the Maple has been used for hardwood flooring for over a century. In fact, most indoor gym’s, athletic stadiums and sports arenas use maple as their preferred flooring product due to its resiliency, attractiveness and bounce properties. Other reasons to consider maple include:
- Style Options: Maple comes in a variety of styles:
- Tiger Maple tends to be a bit darker with more color variety. It has wavy lines through the grain, resembling the streaky lines in the backs of tigers (where it gets its name).
- Bird’s Eye Maple was once considered defective for the very property that is now highly coveted – wood knots. Knots in other types of wood affect durability, but these birds-eye knots are smaller than a dime and add to the beauty of the wood.
- Hard Rock Maple has a light, clean and even look that goes well with modern room designs. Using wide, long planks tends to make the floor blend together and simulates one large piece of wood.
- Durability: Few woods stand the test of time better than maple. When used as a flooring material, maple is extremely difficult to damage – denting and splitting is nearly impossible, and it scratches only with the most ardent conviction. Maple hardwood floors often last for decades looking as new as the day it was installed.
- Maintenance: Maple floors are easily swept and cleaned, and seams tend to stay tight over the life of the floor, leaving no spaces for dirt to hide.
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Post-Installation
A new hardwood floor requires a protective coating, such as clear polyurethane, be applied immediately after installation to protect from moisture and UV rays. Multiple coats can be applied if needed. If you wish to slightly (or drastically, if preferred) change the natural color of the maple floor, a stain should be applied before the protective coating. This can be performed by the contractor if necessary, or to save a few dollars, many homeowners leave this task for themselves.
Maple Hardwood Flooring Costs
The following prices are based on data collected from across the country; actual costs will be slightly affected by the area of the country you reside.
- Purchasing maple flooring costs $3-$8 per square foot, depending on the style, quality, thickness, and width of the material. A 1” thick, 5” wide high grade tiger maple floor will push the boundaries of the $8 range.
- Installing maple flooring ranges from $2-$4 per square foot for new construction. Removal and disposal of an existing floor adds an additional $1-$3 per square foot depending on the type of flooring.
- To put this into perspective, a typical 200 square foot dining room with removal of an existing floor will cost $1,200-$3,000.