Father’s Day was first celebrated in the state of Washington in 1909 because a gracious daughter wanted to honor her father William Smart. The Arkansas farmer and Civil War vet cared for her and her five siblings after his spouse passed away during childbirth. While the family lived in Spokane, daughter Sonora was moved by a sermon about Mother’s Day and felt dads deserved their due.
Real Wood Floors is unabashedly a family-oriented business. Even to the point of our purpose being we’re working toward the day every child has a home—by traditional adoption, fostering, group homes or preventative care. All that to say, it’s important to us that children live in a healthy and safe space, and we think wood floors can make childhood even a little better.
We recently talked about how the warmth of wood can enliven a space and lift our spirits.
For kids (and fathers), we think it’s an ideal flooring choice. And here are a few reasons why.
We just want to have fun.
With hardwood floors, you get a sleek, play-on-able surface for games, sports, sliding, dancing, and the list goes on.
We have checked around to confirm that a great deal of bowling has happened on kids’ wood floors even after the Wii came out. This blog author recalls heated matches with his younger sister who could throw a mean curve. More than a few moments were spent in strategy to make sure a bunch of red, purple, and yellow pins crashed into the wall beneath a far bedroom window.
Wood floors also make a perfect landscape for fort-building, racetracks, Nerf hoops, golf, and even cards or dominoes. And of course, hardwood flooring is the best choice for dance moves. After all, how are fathers (of a certain age) supposed to be able to demonstrate the Tom Cruise Risky Business slide without a hardwood floor surface to do so? Or how are they supposed to encourage more modern takes like the “Renegade” on a dance-resistant carpet? They can’t! Hardwood floors, it must be.
Better than tile or carpet.
Children often move at break-neck speeds, so it’s a good thing that wood floors can give a softer landing than your typical stone or tile surface.
Obviously, the carpet will give a kinder landing, but carpet is some dirty business. With no provocation, the carpet opens up its doors to dust mites and can host more than 5,000 of these critters per square foot! That’s some mightiness in the mite.
Peanut butter and jelly spills are tough to get up out of carpeting. Human hair, pet dander, and allergens can all march about freely in those nylon fibers, so a hardwood floor makes a lot of sense with kids. In addition, carpets wear out a lot faster.
Warmth.
Mother Nature has imbued wood with natural warmth, and wood floors are just warmer than carpet and linoleum.
While we may think carpet is warmer, it actually holds in heat and stops it from circulating in your home. Wood has a high thermal mass; meaning it can absorb and store heat, and it allows energy to flow in and out.
And who better to experience the warmth of wood whether while playing or perched on a rug reading than a curious or adventurous child!
Happy Father’s Day.
We hope you and yours have a great Father’s Day. If you need any help selecting the perfect floor for your kids, fathers, or family, please get in touch on our website or by phone, 877.215.1831.