Wood flooring is often important in defining the overall historic character of a historic building.?It can be considered both an important element of a character-defining space as well as a distinctive historic material itself that should be preserved. 

The National Park Service has issued new guidance that provides information about evaluating historic wood flooring for possible replacement and when it may be acceptable to use a different material than the historic one for replacement consistent with the Standards for Rehabilitation. Substitute materials addressed include engineered wood and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)/Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP). The principles discussed in this guidance can also generally be applied to the replacement of other types of flooring materials beyond just wood. 

The National Park Service has also issued a new training webinar as a companion to this guidance and provides additional and detailed information related to this topic, including many different examples for replacing historic wood flooring as well as other historic flooring materials. 

The guidance and training address economic and technical feasibility considerations in applying the Standards for Rehabilitation to this topic and that flexibility may sometimes be needed when it comes to new and replacement materials as part of a historic rehabilitation project.