Ralph's Blog

I’m often asked, “How much will hardwood flooring add to the value of my home?”

My answer is, “There are too many variables to know for sure.”

When home buyers are deciding how much they’re willing to pay, they’re considering so many things that it’s impossible to isolate the impact of the hardwood flooring. I’ve seen estimates that hardwood floors can increase the sales price by as much as 2.5%, but any estimate is just a guess.

However, I can say this with certainty: If you talk to Realtors, most of them will tell you that hardwood floors help a lot when selling a home.

Pushing up the sales price is just one aspect of that. From what I’ve seen, probably the biggest advantage is that hardwood floors help homes sell faster.

Home buyers have come to expect hardwood flooring in homes. Carpeting is a turn-off for many buyers, particularly younger ones. To be move-in ready, they want hardwood floors that don’t need refinishing.

Beautiful, immaculate hardwood floors also make prospective buyers say “Wow!” The floors set a positive tone for their whole impression of the home.

For these reasons, if a seller’s hardwood floors don’t look fresh, Realtors suggest refinishing (and re-sanding if necessary).

If there’s carpeting in a home, with hardwood flooring underneath, tearing out the carpet and restoring the floor is also a smart move. And even if there’s only sub-flooring underneath the carpeting, installing new hardwood floors might make sense in some markets and price ranges.

I’m proud to say that one piece of anecdotal evidence I have about the value of hardwood floors is the fact that a Realtor once included “Hardwood floors by Ralph’s” in a home’s description for the Multiple Listing Services (MLS).

So, while I can’t put an exact number on how much value hardwood floors add to a home when it’s sold, I can say that hardwood floors often increase the sales price and usually help a home sell faster, which typically is financially advantageous.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the greatest value of hardwood floors is the enjoyment they bring while you’re living in your home. If you’re ready to sell immediately, then it’s a non-issue, but if you’re looking at future financial benefits as a justification for the cost of hardwood floors, don’t forget to factor in their value to you now.

Image courtesy of American Advisors Group, Creative Commons

Choosing the right hardwood floors for your home is a very personal thing. That’s why when a young couple came to us with their heart set on an American walnut floor, we started asking them questions about themselves.

We had to get to know them—their tastes, color preferences, lifestyle, etc.—before we could give them meaningful advice based on our hardwood floor experience and knowledge.

Why did we do that? We could have just focused on selling an American walnut floor to them. That’s what they wanted, right? Why complicate things?

Because that’s not the way do things at Ralph’s. We want to have friendly conversations with our customers, so that we can help guide them to the best choice for them. We’re not looking for a quick sale. We’re looking to help our customers get the floors that will give them the most delight possible for many years to come.

In this case, I think that approach really paid off. During our time with the young husband and wife, we found out that they have little children. That immediately raised a red flag for us, because the American walnut they wanted is a relatively soft hardwood. In our experience, we’ve found that it doesn’t stand up as well as harder woods to the roughhousing of rambunctious kids.

When we explained this to them, they understood, but they still has strong desire for the look of American walnut.

That’s when what we do gets really gets fun—when someone needs a solution for their unique needs and we’re able to use our expertise to come up with one.

That’s exactly what we did for this couple. We felt Asian walnut, which is harder, would be a great alternative for them. And because the floor was going to be site-finished, we were able to choose a stain color that made it resemble its American counterpart.

Then we worked with their cabinet company to come up with just the right color combination to complete their vision.  They got just the look they wanted, but we helped them avoid a floor that wasn’t a good fit for their lifestyle.

I don’t think that would have been the outcome if they had simply visited a big-box store

When customers come to us looking for new hardwood floors for their home, we always start with a simple but essential question: “What’s most important to you?”

It might be to have flooring that fits a certain interior design style, or has a specific color. Whatever it is, we know you’re not going to be happy if the hardwood flooring you select doesn’t give it to you. And so this question is where we start.

Once we narrow down your options to those that will give you the most important thing you want, we can begin to get more in-depth into which of the possible options will make you happiest, helping you select other hardwood floor characteristics that fit your tastes, lifestyle, and home layout.

Ideally, if the hardwood flooring is going into an existing home, we like to visit the home first, before you come to our showroom. That way, we can not only talk with you about what’s most important to you, we can see for ourselves what the technical considerations are (e.g., the condition of subflooring, moisture issues). We can also show you pictures on our tablets that will get you thinking about the possibilities. Then when you visit our showroom, we can hit the ground running.

But even if you’re building a new home or just stop by the showroom one day, we can still make a lot of progress based solely on your answer to the question about what’s most important to you.

This isn’t something we take lightly. We take pride in providing excellent customer service, and we believe that service includes freely sharing our expertise and experience with customers during their selection process—from the beginning of their considerations through their final choice.

We DON’T view helping customers select hardwood floors as an opportunity to steer them toward options that will increase our short-term margins. That’s not our business model.

Our business model is to focus on making customers as pleased as possible, so they’ll come back to us for future hardwood floor needs and spread the word about how happy they are with the floors we helped them get. That’s why we aren’t “selling” during the selection stage—we’re advising customers how to find the perfect hardwood flooring for their home.

We gladly play matchmaker, helping them find hardwood flooring that they’ll be in love with for many years to come. And it all starts with a simple question!

Image courtesy of Enri Endrian

There’s a tendency for customers to think of “customer service” as something that’s in addition to the product or service they’re paying for.

In this way of looking at it, customer service is a bonus. If customer service is lacking, customers will usually complain, but they also often separate that dissatisfaction from their opinion of the product or service itself.

That’s why you might hear a comment like: “The clerks in that store are such jerks, but they have the best clothes in town.”

That’s not the way we look at it at Ralph’s. For us, “customer service” isn’t just a bonus. It’s how we make sure the products and services we provide are in fact the best around.

We pride ourselves on providing customers with the most-enjoyable and stress-free experience possible during installation or refinishing, and you won’t find any friendlier people to work with. But our commitment to serving customers isn’t just about earning short-term appreciation. It’s also about doing everything possible to keep customers delighted years down the road, still in love with their floors.

That means that we take the time to understand what customers are dreaming about. After all, “quality” in hardwood flooring is largely a matter of personal opinion. Of course, there are differences in the quality of materials, but the best materials don’t guarantee a floor that’s going to satisfy a customer. To truly provide a high-quality product, we have to care how our customers define “quality”—and that’s exactly what we do.

(Think about the clerk in the store with the great clothes. Are they just recommending what the store wants you to buy, or are they genuinely trying to learn your tastes and budget so you’ll make the purchase that will make you the happiest?)

Our approach to customer service also means that we take the time to get the installation or refinishing just right, even if the customer would never notice if we took shortcuts. “That looks great; you guys did a wonderful job” isn’t good enough for us if we know that we provided the customer with less than 100 percent of our skill and effort. For us, every job is not just an opportunity to please customers; it’s a chance to blow them away by putting in floors that are more beautiful than they ever imagined they could be.

There’s also the behind-the-scenes work we do on behalf of customers, such as helping them find the best value in material, or working with contractors to get floors in on time despite a tight schedule. We think of our customer’s flooring projects as if they were our own.

As you can see, there’s a lot more to our concept of customer service than simply being polite and personable. We are both of those things, but we believe that true customer service goes even deeper. Our view is that customer service, when done right, should result in a more valuable purchase for the customer.

When it’s time for a new vehicle, I love going to the car lot to look at all the options. When I get into each model, that new-car small really reminds me of how cool cars can be.

I get the same sensation walking around the Ralph’s showroom. We’re in the process of upgrading it, and the new things we’re doing are making me even more excited than usual about all the beautiful hardwood flooring options we can offer customers.

I see a similar effect on visitors to the showroom. Being able to see, touch, and walk on the various options gets people pumped up about the possibilities for their home.

It’s one thing to decide that you want to purchase new hardwood floors for your home or refinish the floors that are already there. It’s an entirely different thing to decide the color, species, style, and so much more.  Our showroom helps you figure out exactly what you want—and that’s what gets homeowners excited!

You'll see samples of the high-quality materials we use and the fine craftsmanship done by our hardwood floor technicians. And you’ll have one-on-one time to sit and chat with one of our experienced staff so we can learn what you’re looking for.

We’ll walk you through the decision-making process and provide knowledgeable advice on which hardwood flooring options would be best for your tastes and lifestyle. You’ll leave with the peace of mind that Ralph’s not only has top-quality flooring but that your project will be handled by dedicated professionals.

We pride ourselves in providing the best-quality service and experience possible and are committed to exceeding your expectations! We want your shopping experience at Ralph’s to be as stress-free and educational as possible

Our customers always tell us they were glad they came in to experience all the options in person, no matter what their price range was. They’re just like me after I’ve visited a car lot—ready to get on with replacing the old with the new!

Our showroom is open from 8 am-5 pm Mondays and Fridays and 9 am-1 pm on Saturdays (except holidays). We are located at 404 W. State Street (Hwy 54) in Black Creek. You can simply stop by any time we’re open, or call 920.984.3383 or 800.354.9902 for an appointment.

Do you like the way hardwood floors look and want them in your home, but you worry about the cost?

Maybe you’ve done some research and found carpeting that’s cheaper—and even vinyl made to look like hardwood, at a lower cost than the real thing.

Your dream for your home is genuine hardwood, but you know that you can’t always get what you want. You sometimes have to make the frugal choice.

This sort of hand-wringing over the cost of hardwood flooring is fairly common. Because of its timeless classiness, people often assume that hardwood flooring is a luxury, and this perception is backed up when they find cheaper flooring options based on square-foot costs for materials and installation.

But this perception is wrong. Any additional upfront cost of hardwood floors is offset by the future value they provide.

Greater longevity

Compared to “cheaper” options, hardwood flooring has much greater durability. With proper care, it can last decades without the need for further investment. Even then, relatively inexpensive refinishing (and possibly re-sanding) can restore a hardwood floor to good-as-new condition. When you buy a hardwood floor for your home, that’s the last floor you’ll have to buy.

Carpeting, as everyone knows, begins to look worn within a few years and must soon be replaced. Inexpensive vinyl, laminate, and tile options also wear quickly and will need to be replaced far sooner than hardwood floors. An accurate comparison of costs should take into account these replacement costs for the “less expensive” options.

Greater Resale Value

In a recent survey by the National Wood Floor Association (NWFA), 90 percent of real estate agents surveyed said that hardwood floors increase the resale value of a home. Of those agents, 12 percent said hardwood flooring increases the value of a home by more than 10 percent!

Many factors go into resale value—general economic conditions, the sale price of nearby homes, etc.—but it’s common sense that a home with hardwood floors will demand a higher price than one with carpeting or cheap “hardwood look-a-like” options.

Greater Marketability 

In the same survey by the NWFA, there was almost universal (99 percent) agreement that hardwood floors make a home easier to sell, while 82 percent said hardwood floors make a home sell faster.

Think about how you would act: If two similar homes were priced the same, but one had hardwood floors and the other carpet, which one would you want to buy? If you’re like most people, you’d go with the home with the hardwood floors, and the home with carpeting would remain on the market.

Of course, not all questions of value can be reduced to dollars and cents. Isn’t there value in waking up every day to hardwood floors that you love compared to flooring that always leaves you wishing for something else? The satisfaction you get from beautiful hardwood floors is intangible, but it’s real.

When you factor in that intangible value with the tangible values of greater longevity, resale values, and home marketability, it becomes clear that the perception of hardwood floors as expensive is based entirely on how you view it. If you look at the full picture, you’ll see that hardwood flooring is actually the best value you’ll find.

Time sums it up nicely in an online article on its Money page: “To get the most bang for your buck, stick with hardwood. Potential buyers will find it more desirable—and you get to enjoy its natural beauty for as long as you own your home.”

I love living in Wisconsin, but I have to admit, I don’t look forward to the long winters. Last year Old Man Winter was in a particularly bad mood, and I expect more of the same this year.

The Old Farmer's Almanac is calling for less snow this year than average, which is good. But it’s also predicting lower than normal temperatures, which isn’t at all what I want to hear.

I’ve lived in Wisconsin all my life, and I can put up with the cold with the best of them, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it when the cold gets extreme! A nice, bracing cold is one thing; a bitter cold that leaves you wanting only one thing—to get inside—is another story.

However, there is an upside to being chased indoors by the cold—you get that great snug feeling that comes with being warm and safe inside while the cold wind and snow is howling outside. You know what I’m talking about; you come in the door and the heat snuggles you like a toasty blanket. It’s a feeling that really makes you thankful for the home you have!

Hardwood floors can play a big role in creating that warm look.

Interior design also has a lot to do with that comfy feeling. Some homes just look warm, and that makes you feel warm. When I talk to people about what they like in hardwood floors, I often hear “warmth.” There’s nothing cold and sterile about the look of hardwood floors; their natural tones innately create an inviting, cozy atmosphere. 

Think about the idyllic image of a family sitting around the Christmas tree on a cold December night with a fire roaring in the fireplace and the dog lounging in front of it. If you’re like me, that image includes hardwood floors. Of all types of flooring, they have the best character to complement such a cheerfully warm scene.

Dark-colored hardwood floors tend to create more cozy feels than light-colored floors—and sheen, texture, board size, and other hardwood floor characteristic can be selected to create a warmer look. But all types of hardwood flooring will contribute to a sense of coziness in the cold winter months. That’s just what hardwood floors do.

If you’re dreading the short winter days, the biting cold, and cabin fever, you can take some of that dread away with hardwood floors that add a little warmth to the winter.

Photo courtesy of Lana Tomaszewski, Don McCullough. Available under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.