There are many different types of flooring you can choose for your home. However, the 5 most popular options are carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl and tiles. This post delves into each of them and their main benefits, so that you can work out which flooring solution is right for your home.
Carpet: Comfort
Carpet is the softest option underfoot. It’s ideal in homes located in colder regions because it can help provide insulation, keeping your home warmer longer. Carpets also don’t tend to create much sound when walking on them compared to most other flooring options.
Of course, carpets can easily stain and don’t react well to moisture – they could be a nuisance to maintain if you have pets or young kids and are best avoided in kitchens and bathrooms.
Hardwood: Longevity
Hardwood will last longer than any other flooring option – in some cases over 100 years. While hardwood can be prone to scratching, some people find that this adds character, plus you can easily refinish it by sanding it down. It’s also a fairly good insulator (although not as good as carpet) and can give your home an earthy feel due to being a wholly natural material.
When exposed to moisture, hardwood may swell and rot, so it is best avoided in bathrooms. It’s also not a cheap flooring option and is not easy to install.
Laminate: Cost
Laminate is typically the most affordable flooring option. On top of costing less per square foot than most other flooring options, you can often lay it yourself, saving yourself money on hiring a contractor. It’s also fairly durable, fairly moisture-resistant and easy to clean.
Although laminate is often used to simulate hardwood flooring, it cannot be refinished like hardwood if it gets scratched, so you often have to put up with any damage. It can also get slippery and can be noisy.
Vinyl: Versatility
Vinyl flooring comes in so many different patterns and textures, making it very versatile. You can even buy luxury vinyl tile flooring that looks just like wood or tiles, and it’s often cheaper than these materials. Vinyl also has the benefit of being very durable, easy to clean and practically waterproof. It’s also got a springiness underfoot and stays fairly warm, making it the second most comfortable option beyond carpet.
Unfortunately, if vinyl flooring does get damaged, there’s often no way of fixing this damage. Vinyl flooring is also not the most eco-friendly option and may produce VOCs.
Stone tiles: Durability
Stone tiles are incredibly durable. They’re also very good at repelling moisture (particularly porcelain tiles, which are a fantastic bathroom option). Tiles are also very good at staying cool, making them ideal for homes in warm climates. On top of this, they’re very easy to keep clean.
The biggest drawback of stone tiles is the cost – they’re the most expensive of the 5 options listed and you’ll usually have to pay a professional to install them. They’re also cold and hard, making them the least cozy option. They can also be quite noisy.
