The market presents homeowners with various types of floors materials that meet their personal tastes, preferences, styles, and likes. They can choose from carpet, hardwood, engineered wood, natural stone, vinyl, and many others.
Our discussion explores the leading flooring materials to help you make an informed choice. Keep reading.
1. Carpet
Carpeting adds warmth to your house and is excellent for living rooms. Carpeting also makes your home cozy, comfortable, and inviting for your guests. Also, it’s one of the most affordable materials, providing an excellent alternative to ceramic and wood.
However, carpets trap stains, odours, and dust, making them unsuitable for people with allergies and other respiratory challenges. You can enjoy carpet flooring types like loop pile, cut loop pile, level loop pile, Saxony, twist, frieze, and velvet.
2. Tile
Tile is another popular flooring option that comes in various forms and styles. It permits high levels of artistry in that any design can be embossed on it.
Tiles enhance your home’s resale value but don’t insulate it against cold, making your floor feel cold during winter. Installing tiles on your own can be tricky because you need specialty installation tools. However, they remain an excellent choice because of their versatile and durable nature. You can enjoy tiles in different types as below.
● Porcelain
These tiles come in glazed and unglazed varieties. They’re some of the most durable tile alternatives because they’re fired at very high temperatures, making them the hardest type.
● Ceramic
Ceramic tiles are versatile and have various colours, shapes, sizes, and textures. These qualities make them an excellent choice that coordinates well with any room. The tiles are made by combining clay and shale and then firing them in a kiln for hardening. Various pigments are added to the mixture to give the tiles various colour choices.
● Terracotta
This unglazed tile type is common in outdoor spaces or homes with rustic décor schemes. It’s the least durable flooring tile.
● Quarry Tile
Quarry tile is ideal for homeowners who don’t mind tiling their homes using non-shining tiles. They derive their colours from the pigments added directly to clay mixtures. Quarry tiles have a rough texture, making them more slip and fall-resistant than other tiles.
● Glazed Ceramic
These tiles have glossy coatings applied to them before firing them. Their coatings give them a glass-like finish, making their maintenance more manageable.
3. Laminate
Laminate is another top flooring option. It imitates other flooring materials like marble, ceramic, or hardwood flooring. Therefore, it’s a cheaper alternative for homeowners who don’t want to spend money on these costlier flooring. However, anyone can differentiate its mimicking of these flooring materials.
This flooring material is versatile, dynamic, and easy to install. It’s durable and increases your home’s resale value.
4. Natural Stone
This flooring material is popular for indoor and outdoor use. It comes in different types, like granite, marble, travertine, and sandstone. Natural stone is durable and waterproof.
It also comes in softer stones like sandstone and marble. However, soft natural stones don’t resist moisture the way harder stones like granite do. Thus, you must seal and finish your softer stones every few years. Harder stones require sealing and finishing every four to five years to maintain their beautiful appearance.
Soft natural stones are also prone to scratching, cracking, and other damage. Therefore, always buy some extra replacement slabs to ensure that you replace broken pieces with identical textured marble slabs.
5. Hardwood
Hardwood flooring is many homeowners’ darling choice because it enhances a home’s resale value. It can have a modern or rustic look. It has a warm and cozy feeling. However, all these benefits come at a high cost. But the flip side is that you can refinish it many times to maintain its brand-new look.
6. Vinyl
Vinyl is another favourite flooring material. It comes in various colours and has many excellent qualities. It’s versatile, durable, perfect for reducing sound, scratch-resistant, waterproof, slip-resistant, and affordable.
Where to Install Each Flooring Type in the Home
Different flooring materials are suitable for various spaces. Therefore, use the right flooring material based on a room’s needs and use. Here are the five critical spaces to consider.
- Bedroom
The bedroom requires warm flooring materials to make it cozy and more comfortable under your feet. You can floor it using carpet, vinyl, laminate, and wood.
- Kitchen
The kitchen is in every home’s heart. Here, you prepare and enjoy meals with your family, particularly if you have a large island concept. Since it’s a high-traffic area, choosing a durable and easy-to-clean material is essential.
You may floor it using vinyl because it’s durable, water-resistant, and easy to clean. Laminate and tiles are other excellent flooring options.
- Lounge/Dining Room
Depending on your personal taste and preference, flooring your lounge or dining room gives you many options. These spaces need warm and durable floors. You can install stone tiles or hardwood floors and add area rugs to break up spaces and create a comfortable surface beneath your feet. Alternatively, you may carpet your floor to give your dining room a classic, warm feel.
- Landings/Stairs
Mostly, home occupants use these spaces barefooted. Thus, they need a warm flooring material that doesn’t make noise. Carpeting comes in handy because it has these vital qualities.
- Bathroom and Other Wet Spaces
Spaces with lots of moisture and water need flooring materials that are easy to clean and maintain. The floors must also be water-resistant. Tiles and vinyl are the best options for these rooms.
The Bottom Line on Different Flooring Types
Homeowners have many materials they can choose from when flooring their homes. These flooring materials have different qualities that make them suitable for various rooms. Some are more durable and affordable, while others are easy to install and maintain. Therefore, choose the ideal material based on your personal needs, preference, and likes.
Do you have a pending flooring project with which you need help? Don’t hesitate to contact Bayfield Flooring for a free estimate. Call us today for all your flooring needs.