Guide to Finding the Best Flooring for Home

The Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Best Flooring for Home

Every day when you walk on your flooring, it is the foundation of your whole home. The typical living area has to be beautiful but also functional in terms of your everyday usage. A busy kitchen needs a hard surface to deal with burnt or dropped pans, while a bedroom needs something warmer and softer to walk on in the morning.

To select the best flooring that will work with your home, you need to assess all your daily habits, needs for design, and overall budget before making a decision on what material will be best for each room of your house.

The purpose of this guide is to educate you about the different types of flooring materials available today from reliable companies. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of popular flooring types such as hardwood, tile, and vinyl, so you will have information to determine what material would be best for any given area in your home, therefore you can be sure to choose the best choice for all areas in your home.

Flooring Material Comparison at a Glance

Why Evaluating Your Flooring Options Matters

New flooring is a considerable commitment of time and resources. A fresh coat of paint will last a lot longer than the lifespan of an average floor (which can be as long as 20 years). When you select your flooring surfaces, you consider the type of material and how it will impact the performance of your home.

Pet owners with large breeds or kids that are full of energy will need a new floor that is highly resistant to scratches. For those living in climates with high humidity, moisture-resistance should be an important element in your decision-making process.

Doing your homework and evaluating multiple options on each floor covering type before making any decisions will help you avoid making expensive mistakes with your renovation budget and maximizing the amount of value you’ll get from your flooring replacement. Let’s examine the top types of flooring available for your upcoming flooring project.

Top 5 Flooring Options to Consider

1. Hardwood Flooring: Timeless Beauty and High Value

Homeowners have been using hardwood floors for centuries because they’re considered one of the best materials to use on your floors. These floors can be made of solid planks of wood, most commonly oak, maple or hickory, which add a sense of warmth and natural beauty to any space. Real wood will give an attractive base for interior design options no matter what style is being used—modern or traditional.

Pros of Hardwood:

• Increases Home Value: It will enhance the value of your home. Buyers will look for homes that have real wood flooring; if you plan to sell and have real wood floors, you will most likely receive a good return on your investment.
• Long Lifespan: It will last a long time. You will be able to sand and refinish solid wood many times, therefore if your wood surfaces become scratched over the years, you will simply refinish the surface and it will look as good as new.
• Stunning Aesthetics: The way that each wood plank is made gives each plank a unique grain pattern; therefore your floor will be completely unique to you.

Cons of Hardwood:

• Moisture Sensitivity: Because of how quickly wood absorbs moisture, it warps and buckles easily from water exposure. Therefore, hardwood is not recommended for areas of your home that have a lot of water usage (ex., bathrooms) or areas that are prone to moisture (ex., basements).
• Premium Price Tag: Solid wood is among the most costly materials available today, both in raw material cost and installation costs.

If you would like to add a touch of classic elegance to your living room or dining room, contact A1 Flooring And Granite regarding our premium selection of hardwood flooring.

2. Tile Flooring: Ultimate Durability and Water Resistance

Tile flooring is the clear winner when it comes to surfaces capable of withstanding water damage. Tile is made from baked clay or porcelain, allowing it to completely seal out moisture and not allow any water to seep through to the subfloor below it, making it the go-to option for use in areas where high levels of moisture are present.

Pros of Tile:

• Waterproof: You can put a bucket of water on your porcelain tile and leave it there for hours without causing damage to your tile.
• Durable: Tile is very durable and will stand up to pet scratches, furniture dragged across the floor and heavy foot traffic.
• Design Options: You can find tile made in a number of colors and patterns and some manufacturers even make ceramic plank tiles, which look like distressed natural wood.

Cons of Tile:

• Hard and Cold: There is no give or shock absorption from tile flooring. If you drop a glass mug on a tile floor, the mug will likely shatter. In addition, tile flooring can feel very cold in the winter.
• Grout Maintenance: Although tile can be cleaned easily, the grout lines between the tiles will collect dirt; therefore, the grout will need to be scrubbed on a regular basis to keep it looking bright.

To see how stunning and durable tile can be, take a look at our custom tile flooring collection for your kitchen and bathroom areas.

Pros and Cons of Popular Flooring Types

3. Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP): Smart and Budget-Friendly

Luxury vinyl plank has experienced remarkable growth over the last ten years as a progressive choice in the home improvement category.

Advanced printing technology is utilized to reproduce the appearance of wood or stone while utilizing plastics in the core that are extremely durable and impervious to water. This product will provide you with the right balance between beauty and functional performance.

Pros of Luxury Vinyl Plank:

• 100% waterproof: Unlike real wood, LVP will not swell or change shape when exposed to water; thus, it can be installed in moisture-prone areas such as laundry rooms, kitchens, and bath areas.
• Durable: The thick wear layer on the top surface of the vinyl significantly reduces the chance of scratches, dents, and stains occurring. Therefore, it is a good choice for homes that have large animals as pets.
• Soft surface: Vinyl has a small amount of cushion that creates a better feel underfoot than hard surface materials such as ceramic tile or solid stone.

Cons of Luxury Vinyl Plank:

• Cannot be refinished: If a plank has a serious gash, there is no way to sand it down; you must remove that plank and replace it.
• Lower resale value: LVP is beautiful, but when it comes to adding value to your property, it does not compare to how much authentic wood will add or how much natural stone will add.

4. Carpet Flooring: Unmatched Comfort and Warmth

There are times when you’d like a soft place to land. Carpet flooring gives you the comfort a hard surface can’t deliver. It continues to be an ideal choice in bedrooms, nurseries, and comfy family movie rooms because it is all about comfort.

Pros of Carpet:

• Highest Level of Comfort: Carpet offers a warm, plush surface to walk on, sit down on, or play with your kids.
• Absorbs Sound: Thick carpet absorbs sound waves, eliminating the echoing effect created by large spaces with hard floors and muffling sound from one level of a building to the next.
• Affordable: Carpet typically costs significantly less than wood or tile, so you can easily cover large areas on a tight budget.

Cons of Carpet:

• Holds Allergens: Carpet fibers hold dust mites, pet dander, and pollen, so they need to be vacuumed often and deep cleaned once per year.
• Prone to Stains: Wine or muddy shoes can stain the carpet permanently if not cleaned right away.

If your number one priority is comfort, take a look at our wide selection of carpet flooring options for luxurious textures and colours.

5. Laminate Flooring: The Quick and Easy Alternative

While laminate has a similar appearance as its counterpart, vinyl, they’re made from different materials; laminate is produced using the combined wood byproduct components, in contrast to vinyl’s use of purely plastic materials.

The realistic-looking reproduction, coupled with the affordable cost per plank, makes laminate flooring an attractive option for homeowners who are looking to remodel quickly and inexpensively.

Pros of Laminate:

• Scratch Resistance: The tough, clear coating of laminate prevents scratches that can come from shoe and chair scuff marks.
• Easy Installation: Many laminate planks feature a simple, user-friendly click and lock installation system, making them easy enough for enterprising homeowners to install in one weekend.
• Affordability: The look of laminate flooring mimics the warmth of a natural wood floor at a significantly lower cost per plank.

Cons of Laminate:

• Sensitive to Water: Laminate’s core is composed of tiny wood particles, which means that standard laminate will swell and form bubbles if excess water penetrates between the planks’ seams.
• Hollow Sound: Walking on laminate with hard-soled shoes will result in a distinct hollow, clicking sound.

At-a-Glance Suitability Table

Making Your Final Decision

To determine which flooring will work best for your home, you need to select the appropriate type of flooring material for each room. Water-resistant tile or high-end vinyl should be used in the kitchen and bath and plush carpeting should be reserved for bedrooms. Beautiful hardwood should be placed in the main areas of the house to make a lasting impression on guests and increase the value of your home.

Before making any decisions regarding flooring, consider your family’s traffic patterns, budget constraints, and desired décor styles.

The team at A1 Flooring & Granite is here to assist you in completing your plan of action in selecting new flooring for your home. Call us today (972)-0315-8050 for an in-home consultation and allow us to make your home the best it can be from the ground up.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does flooring in a busy home stand up to the most?

Luxury vinyl planks (LVP) as well as porcelain tiles are the two materials that are most stable and able to withstand daily use in busy homes. LVP, porcelain tile, and other materials are all fundamentally classified as “Water-resistant” or “Waterproof,” meaning that they possess the ability to withstand water from mopping, wet shoes, and several other factors.

Which flooring type adds the most value to your home?

Real, solid hardwood floors are consistently the most appreciated flooring type when considering resale value. Buyers consider wood to be a prestigious and attractive home feature and are typically willing to pay more for a home that has had real solid hardwood flooring installed versus other types of flooring.

Can I install hardwood floors in bathrooms?

We recommend that you do not install solid hardwood flooring in a full bathroom due to the fact that water will warp, buckle, and damage solid hardwood very quickly from exposure to steam and moisture from the daily use of hot water in the shower, tub, and/or sink. It is best to utilize either tile or waterproof vinyl for bathroom flooring.

How should I take care of, and clean, my luxury vinyl plank flooring?

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) requires very little upkeep. Sweep or vacuum the floor regularly to remove dirt, and then mop the floor using a wet mop with warm water and a nonacidic floor-cleaning solution for stubborn cleaning jobs. Do not use steam mops on your LVP flooring as moisture and heat could cause damage to the planks.

Is it acceptable to use different flooring materials in different rooms?

Absolutely. It’s actually quite common and acceptable to use different materials to meet the needs of a particular room. We recommend using no more than three distinct material types throughout your home in order to create a seamless flowing design throughout your space.