According to the National Wood Flooring Association, national surveys indicate that wood sells homes. In fact, 90 percent of Realtors claim that homes containing wood floors sell faster -- and for more money. Although wood floors are certainly nothing new, they're enjoying a resurgence in popularity these days. During the recent International Builders' Show in Dallas, homebuilders and designers agreed that wood signifies authenticity -- a quality highly sought-after by today's homebuyers (see AgentNews' Jan. 30 feature, "Emerging Buyer Profiles: Who Will Dominate Tomorrow's Market?").

Wood is particularly appealing given our current emphasis on recycling. The floor on which you step may in fact have been reincarnated from a former life as a building, barn, ceiling, or even ship. And for the estimated 60 million Americans who suffer from allergies, wood floors are a relief, offering a respite from animal dander, dust, pollen, and mold -- all catalysts for respiratory problems.

Wood floors are easy to care for and offer homeowners an a near limitless array of finishes, stains, and designs from which to choose. According to the National Wood Flooring Association, wood flooring -- if maintained properly -- should never have to be replaced. A homeowner's best bets include solid American hardwood such as oak, ash, or maple -- all relatively low-maintenance. Hickory, another variety of American hardwood, is considered the hardest, heaviest, and strongest of the lot. In fact, legends tell of early pioneers who made hickory a prerequisite for their wagon wheels.

However, if you're replacing carpeting with wood flooring in an existing home, there are a few precautions to consider. And I speak from experience.

After a frozen pipe burst under their wet bar, resulting in a flood which ruined their carpeting, my parents decided to make a change. They seized the opportunity to replace the much-hated red shag carpeting laid in their home in 1975 (before they moved in) with oak parquet flooring. Immediately after its installation, the floor looked great -- for about a week. That's when sections of the floor began popping up, due the moisture of another humid Dallas summer. Each morning, my parents would step into the living room to discover yet another section of the floor rising above the rest. And it wasn't difficult to tell which section would be next; when you stepped on a particularly moist area, you'd hear the wood snap underneath your feet, indicating that the parquet squares were becoming loose. The living room soon was affectionately named The Rocky Mountains. Frustrated, my parents called out the crews. They ripped up the floor and started over. Guess what? A few weeks later, the Rocky Mountains returned. My parents cried "uncle" and resigned themselves to carpeting -- beige this time, of course. What all of us learned that summer was that solid hardwood floors are a piece of nature forced to adapt to yearly humidity cycles and sometimes harsh indoor conditions. Long after manufacturing and installation, hardwood floors will continue to react to their surroundings. Homeowners can, however, ensure that their floors retain their durability and the character for which these floors are so revered. In hopes of staving off nightmares like the above-mentioned scenario, the National Wood Flooring Association has passed along some background information on the subject and a few tips for hard-headed homeowners:

• Water accounts for up to one-half the weight of freshly sawed wood. Before hardwoods are crafted into furnishings, including flooring, they are carefully dried, retaining just enough moisture for proper construction and finishing.

• Solid hardwood's natural response to extremely dry air is to lose moisture and contract a bit. Conversely, under high humidity conditions, the wood may absorb excess moisture from the air and expand.

• Consider a humidifier in the winter and an air conditioner in the summer to stabilize your home's relative humidity at 25 percent to 35 percent.

• Before installing the floor, make sure the hardwoods adjust to their new environment. Storing hardwood flooring for about a week in the same room where it will be installed helps the wood reach a balance with its surroundings.

• Well-sealed hardwoods will expand and contract less than raw wood. Be sure all surfaces, including tongues and grooves, are finished thoroughly.

• When laying the floor, leave a 3/4-inch gap at the wall line for expansion. Baseboards will cover the joint.

• In rooms exposed to greater humidity swings -- such as the bathroom -- consider using oak, maple, cherry, ash, walnut, or hickory. These U.S. hardwood species are particular favorites because they're moisture-stable, strong, hard, durable, and shock-resistant.

• Thanks to new water-resistant finishes and advanced technologies, design professionals are using solid hardwoods in bathrooms and kitchens with greater frequency. Blends of synthetic resins, plasticizers, and other film-forming ingredients bond to form a watertight seal. These "convertible" finishes cure to a very hard film that is relatively impervious to moisture, making them a good choice in areas where splashing and spills occur.

• Prolonged cycles of shrinking and swelling of your hardwood floor may result in squeaks. Some simple remedies: Apply liquid wax, powdered soap, talcum powder, or powdered graphite between floor boards that are rubbing together. If that doesn't work, drive 2-inch finishing nails through pilot holes on both edges of the board. Then hide the hole with matching color putty or wax.

With a few precautionary measures, hardwood floors represent a sound investment for any homeowner. And perhaps best of all, they never go out of style. For more information about hardwood floors, check out the Hardwood Information Center's Web site.

Published: February 25, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.