Could hardwood floors be considered art? I think so. At least they certainly have the potential to be. The term “hardwood floors” can mean a wide variety of things. When I hear “hardwood floors” I think of 3/4
” thick, 2-1/4” wide, red or white oak, tongue and groove flooring installed and “site finished” meaning sanded and finished applied after installation. But when other people hear the term “hardwood floors” they might potentially think of pre-finished solid wood, pre-finished or site-finished engineered wood, or even potentially laminates, luxury vinyl tile, ceramic tile, or Pergo-style. While it could be argued that all of these floor coverings can be considered “hardwood”, in my opinion only a couple of them could be considered “art”.
There are a lot of gorgeous products that can give you an amazing final product from all of the floor coverings mentioned above but most of them are produced in a factory of some sort. The only floors that are truly custom and tailored to your exact space are the site-finished floors. When solid or engineered hardwood flooring is site-finished its installed, then sanded and then top coated with one of many different choices of finish like stain/water-borne polyurethane-acrylic finish, or two-component pigment enhanced European penetrating oil. Those are just a couple of the myriad of options available to customize your floors. And that, to me is where the art comes into play.
Theoretically anybody can grab a bundle of pre-finished flooring, install it, and it will come out looking halfway decent. But it takes a highly skilled craftsman that has a love and passion for what he/she is doing to sand a floor to a perfect flat and smooth finish and apply a finish that works with the homes design.
I’ve never considered myself an artist in my previous 31 years on this earth. But I’m starting to feel like thats changed the more I get into the wood flooring industry. I’m thankful that I’ve found a medium that allows me to express some creativity while providing a comfortable life for my family. Thats my two cents at least. I think that whatever it is you’re doing with your life and career can be your muse as long as you love it and have a passion for it. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please feel free to leave any comments below or ask any questions that you may have.