Choosing the Best Flooring Options for Your Home - Part Two

Choosing flooring on a room-by-room basis is often less overwhelming than considering a whole-house flooring option. My last blog post focused on the factual specifications of different flooring types available for your home. Today’s post is going to ask the important questions that will make you think about options for the different rooms in your home.

Question: Will the flooring be in a high humidity room?

The most popular flooring choices for the bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen, are bamboo, cork, vinyl, and tile. High humidity rooms are not the ideal space for hardwood, laminate, or carpet due to the damaging effects of moisture on these materials. Always choose a flooring type that offers good traction for bathrooms to minimize the risk of slip and fall accidents.

Question: Will the flooring be in a high traffic area?

High traffic areas are very demanding on your flooring. Children and dogs create accidental scratches on hardwood, laminate, and bamboo. While these options are still viable flooring choices, tile, concrete, or thick vinyl may be more logical choices. Thick vinyl also offers a softer spot for little knees to land if you have small children. Carpet is not generally designed for high traffic areas, but shouldn’t be completely overlooked if you have children.

Question: Who will install your flooring?

Homeowners who choose the DIY option over having flooring professionally installed may discover that linoleum, laminate, and vinyl are easier to install. Hardwood and tile are more difficult to install due to involved installation methods. Many flooring installation methods require specific tools and skills to guarantee proper installation and a finished project that you can take pride in.

Question: What is your budget?

Budget plays a large role in choosing the flooring for various rooms in your home. Decide your budget before you begin planning so you can break it down into smaller projects if necessary. Hardwood flooring is one of the more expensive options, and laminate flooring is one of the least expensive.

Question: Is floor maintenance going to be an issue?

Home ownership is all about maintenance. The more effectively you maintain your home, the better it will look over time. The same is true regarding your flooring. Vinyl, concrete, laminate, and linoleum flooring are easy-maintenance options. You can generally mop them with a damp mop and let them naturally dry. Tile and hardwood require quite a lot of maintenance.

Question: What is your purpose for installing new flooring?

Choosing flooring for new construction usually requires a different method than choosing flooring for aging in place, for example, unless you’re planning ahead. If you’re simply changing your flooring to match your decor, you may choose whatever option creates the visual effect you’re looking to achieve. If you’re installing new flooring due to water damage, you’ll need to take note and make sure you install a more durable option.

Conclusion

I hope these questions have served their intended purpose; to help you determine the best flooring choices for your home. If you would like to discuss your options in more detail or schedule an appointment for a consultation, call Laurie’s Certified Construction at 802-862-4754.