How to Decide on The Best Type of Flooring for Your Home

Choosing the perfect flooring for your home entails thoughtful deliberation and consideration of multiple factors. From the functionality and durability of different types of flooring to the specific aesthetics of your home, various elements play a crucial role in making the decision of choosing the right flooring for your home. There are a wide variety of floorings from carpet to vinyl flooring, and there is one fit for everyone.

Carpet

There are several advantages of carpet flooring. This flooring provides a warm and cozy surface to walk on, making it the perfect choice for living rooms and bedrooms. This material is great for reducing noises, making it a great option for individuals with children in their home. Carpet is also perfect for playrooms, as it is soft enough for a child to sit on. Carpet comes in a variety of colors, textures and patterns and can easily fit different aesthetics and home décor styles.

This type of flooring despite these benefits can be difficult to maintain at times. Carpet requires consistent cleaning and regular vacuuming. Despite this cleaning, things like red wine, pet stains and coffee can permanently stain your carpet. If you have pets, carpet is also more prone to harboring allergens and makes them less suitable for individuals with respiratory issues.

Laminate

Another common flooring type is laminate. Laminate is known for its durability and resistance to scratches, stains and fading. Laminate can give the illusion of hardwood flooring. This type of flooring is perfect for high-traffic areas of your home. This flooring is easy to install, with a click-lock system that allows for DIY installation. This flooring, like carpet, comes in a variety of styles and finishes, while maintaining a lower price point.

Of course, along with these benefits comes some drawbacks. Laminate is less resistant to moisture and is not recommended for bathrooms or areas of your home with moisture. Laminate flooring exposed to moisture can cause warping or swelling. If this flooring is damaged it will be most likely to be completely replaced, unlike real hardwood flooring.

Vinyl

Another type of flooring that can mimic the appearance of hard wood is vinyl. This flooring is a low-cost versatile option. Vinyl flooring is made of multiple layers. This includes a durable wear layer, a printed design layer and a backing layer for stability. Vinyl is also water resistant, easy to clean and is suitable for areas of your home with moisture, unlike laminate. While vinyl can be the perfect flooring for all rooms in your house, kitchens and bathrooms specifically are great spaces for vinyl flooring as they can resist moisture from these spaces.

Since vinyl has a low price tag, it comes with some faults. If your vinyl flooring gets damaged it cannot be repaired. This means you would have to entirely replace your flooring. The flooring is also harder to remove and is not eco-friendly, as it is difficult to recycle. Despite vinyl’s similar appearance to hard wood, vinyl has a shorter lifespan.

Tile

One last example of a flooring material for your home is tile. Tile can provide durability and a timeless aesthetic in your home. Tile is most known to be in spaces like kitchens and bathrooms due to its moisture resistance. But, like the other types of flooring there are a multitude of colors, sizes and patterns available with tile flooring making it a great option to fit multiple spaces and décor styles throughout your home. Tile may also be made of stone materials like granite, marble, limestone and slate.

Tile flooring can be more expensive than other options. Tile is expensive to purchase and to install, as it must be properly placed with grout. This also means that with your basic tile maintenance comes grout maintenance. Grout can be permeated by moisture and dirt and without proper maintenance can affect the integrity of the floor. Tile is also not a comfortable surface to walk on. Tile is infamous for cooling down during the winter months. This can be resolved with underfloor heating, but that is a pricey add-on.

Choosing your home’s flooring can be more complicated than it seems. There are many types of flooring and things to consider when shopping for the perfect flooring. While shopping for flooring make sure you consider your lifestyle, budget and décor style. 

For more information on this topic, please call Pridgen Floors, in Geneva, AL at 334-684-3442.

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