How to Choose Flooring

With so many flooring options, do you know how to choose flooring best suited to your space? Consider three things when choosing a floor: room type, amount of traffic, and budget.

Here is a brief overview of the main types of flooring on the market today.



Wood

Hardwood is a popular option because its elegance adds character to any room in your home. Recent advancements in technology and manufacturing have made it possible for wood floors to be installed easily over almost any kind of sub-flooring.

Three types of wood floors are available: strip, plank, and longstrip. Each type has its pros and cons, so you'll need to do some research and decide on the best option for your home. You can also choose between a pre-finished or unfinished wood floor. Pre-finished may be more practical, but if you want a smooth, uniform surface, you might want to go with unfinished.

Laminate

If you want the appearance of wood, but have high traffic areas or can't afford real wood flooring, consider laminate flooring. Laminate floors are easy to clean, very durable, and stain and fade resistant. Most brands snap together, so installation is easy, as is replacement. With the quality of laminate floorings, some can even be mistaken for wood.

Vinyl flooring is available in many stylish colors and patterns. New manufacturing processes mean that vinyl can replicate both the texture and look of tile, wood grain, and stone. Vinyl sheet flooring is durable, easy to clean, and inexpensive.

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile is durable and scratch-, fire-, and water-resistant. Ceramic also does not retain bacteria and odors. With ceramic tile, you need to consider things like the slip-resistance of the tile, the most suitable cleaning methods, and the color and thickness of the grout. Ceramic tile works better in some rooms than others. Types of ceramic tiles include marble, granite, and unglazed floor tiles.

Carpet

Carpet can give you a floor that is warmer, softer, and quieter than any other flooring option. You can choose from an array of colors and patterns. Carpet is also more economical (both the product itself and installation costs) than some of the other flooring options on the market today, and you can choose from a number of carpet types.



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