Flooring is an important investment that influences your home’s livability, atmosphere, and value should you decide to sell. The right flooring will provide long-term performance and comfort.
Hard-wearing choices like tile and vinyl suit busy, wet areas like baths, mudrooms, and laundry rooms. Ceramic tile offers a wide array of color, texture, and style options to complement any design aesthetic.
Hardwood
When you choose hardwood, you’re investing in a floor that will last for decades and add to your home’s resale value. This natural material creates a warm and inviting look that will complement any style décor and enhance your interior design. In addition, it’s easy to maintain and will naturally clean your indoor air, helping you fight allergies and asthma.
Hardwood is available in both solid and engineered constructions, with the choice of popular wood species like oak, hickory, maple and more. Choose from a variety of on-trend visuals and textures. Textured finishes like wire brushing and distressing mimic the look of reclaimed wood, while hand scraping offers a rustic appearance that can give your home a more traditional feel.
While solid wood flooring planks are milled from a single piece of timber, engineered hardwoods use a stable core of plywood or HDF with a top layer of real hardwood veneer. Engineered floors also resist moisture better than solid wood planks and can be installed in places like below grade or in areas with high humidity.
Both solid and engineered hardwood are available in a variety of colors and styles. Choosing the right color will depend on your taste and the level of traffic you expect in your home. Darker shades are more durable, but lighter floors show dirt and scratches more readily.
Tile
Tile is a flat or curved piece of material that can be used to cover surfaces like floors, walls, backsplashes, and more. It is typically made of ceramic, porcelain, or stone. It comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, giving you many options to suit your design preferences. Tile flooring is durable and easy to clean and it looks great even after years of heavy foot traffic. It is resistant to stains, dirt, and odors, making it a great option for kitchens and bathrooms.
The durability of tiles is rated according to a series of standard tests. These tests evaluate the hardness of a tile (its Mohs scale rating), how well it stands up to wear, and its porosity, which indicates how much water it absorbs. The higher the ratings, the more durable a tile is.
Another advantage of tile is that it is a natural and sustainable material. It doesn’t require the use of any chemical agents during its manufacture and it can be cleaned using mild soap and water, without affecting the environment. It also doesn’t deteriorate when it gets wet, which makes it an ideal option for areas that experience humidity or dampness. Tile flooring can also add value to your home and improve its resale value. It’s timeless beauty and durable construction make it a popular choice for many homeowners.
Laminate
Laminate is a relatively new flooring option that has grown in popularity, likely due to its affordable price and hassle-free durability. It is crafted from a photorealistic image of various materials, including wood and stone, added to a high-density board that guards against indentations. The top layer is a durable, transparent plastic sheet that resists water, stains, fading, and scratching.
The non-porous surface of laminate doesn’t trap dust, pet dander, and other allergens as easily as carpeting, making it a great choice for families with allergies or sensitivities in our homes. Additionally, the protective coating on laminate floors can resist fading from sunlight, ensuring that they keep their attractive look over time.
Because laminate floors aren’t fastened directly to the subfloor, they can be installed over most existing surfaces without the need for nails or glue. They are so easy to install that homeowners can typically do it themselves using a click-and-lock system.
The life expectancy of a laminate floor varies depending on the level of durability selected and how well it is cared for. On average, laminate can last between 15-25 years before needing to be replaced or refinished. It is also an easy material to repair as scuffs, gouges and deep scratches can be fixed by simply replacing the affected boards.
Vinyl
You’ve worked hard to turn your house into a home, from picking out envy-inducing bedroom paint colors to adding a statement chandelier to your dining room. But after years of everyday living, your floors may be looking a little worse for wear.
Fortunately, vinyl flooring is not just affordable but also offers the durability and easy maintenance you need to keep your floors looking great. This versatile material is able to stand up to most anything your busy family can throw at it, including spills, stains and scuffs. Most manufacturers offer a minimum of a 15-year warranty on their vinyl products.
The strength of vinyl comes from its construction, which consists of several layers. The top layer is a durable, wear-and-scuff-resistant urethane sealant that’s transparent in color. This layer allows you to see the pattern underneath. The print layer, which is registered embossed to mimic the look of a stone or wood floor, gives your vinyl floors their aesthetics and design.
Like other types of floors, vinyl is available in both glued-down sheets and loose lay formats, but it’s important to note that for more complex installations or to help ensure the best results possible, professional installation is often recommended. Unlike other materials, however, vinyl is water resistant and won’t expand or contract when exposed to moisture—which is why it’s such an excellent choice for rooms that tend to get wet.