What’s more important in a brand new floor: it’s durability or style? Almost 80% of us take the practical route by 2019 survey of flooring customers conducted by market research company Mintel. We want floors that can withstand a beating, with style as a secondary aim.
We’ve analyzed key areas in a typical home and chose the top two flooring materials to meet the challenges in both. Consider our suggestions and you’ll have floors that will continue glowing for the long haul and stand their own facing the test of time, sunlight or dampness.
Kitchen & Mudroom
Simply put, the kitchen and mudroom require the toughest-working flooring in your home. Though wood is still a widely used aesthetic choice, it won’t stand up well to that attack: Tests have shown that, in general, wood floors are far more prone to denting than other materials, and with few exceptions, foot traffic is hard on the finish.
A natural fit for high-traffic areas of the home is porcelain tile. Porcelain tile outperformed every other flooring material for resistance to scratches and dents. Plus porcelain tile comes in a range of styles to accompany any decor. Tile is considered a low maintenance variety of flooring, requiring only vacuuming and mopping, and it will last a lifetime.
Dining & Family Rooms
It’s very true that furniture feet, pet claws, and toys with wheels can damage a wood floor, any other material can feel substandard in these warm and cozy areas. Hardwood also adds value to your home.
The best choice for these types of rooms is solid wood. There are plenty of reasons to opt for pre-finished planks. You won’t have to dust them from sanding or fumes from finishing to contend with during your installation. Depending on installation you might be able to walk on them immediately, also pre-finished floors tend not to be that expensive.
Basement & Hang Out Areas
It doesn’t matter whether you’re renovating this subterranean space as a rec room, a playroom or a man cave the biggest threat to a basement floor isn’t any of the above. It’s from below. A concrete floor - specifically one that’s below-grade might damp all the time.
And if the area, unfortunately, floods, any porous material can absorb the water and expand itself and buckle.
Make sure to select a flooring that is designed for installation over below-grade concrete. In a basement, the surface needs to be installed as a “floating floor”, that is, one that attaches only to itself and not to the subfloor beneath. This way the complete surface can turn as moisture and temperature varies, without pieces of the flooring buckling or going loose.
For the reasons above the best choice is Laminate. Dense fiberboard topped with an image sealed under clear plastic, laminate is a perfect choice. There are various options of Laminate flooring online that are super affordable.
For the most realistic look of real wood, choose a design with wide planks that resemble individual floorboards. Placing the flooring over sound-dampening foam below will certainly lessen the hollow sound it can make underfoot.
Office Space
Choosing floor coverings for a commercial space is best done by looking at its usage.
Different spaces are placing different demands on flooring and in the world of commercial, cost and durability must go hand in hand to ensure quality and longevity.
Carpet tiles have become increasingly popular in the office world for its affordability and versatility. As the name itself suggests, carpet tiles are pre-cut pieces of carpet designed to be installed onto the floor more like porcelain tiles without the need for a subfloor.
The only drawback of carpet tiles is design limitations and cost. Some tiles open up certain design aspects which broadloom is unable to achieve, thus not being suitable for certain spaces.
To conclude
Choosing the right type of flooring can be a challenging task. From porcelain tiles to carpet tiles different needs demand a different approach.
Hopefully, by reading this article we’re able to help you with the decision of flooring selection for your space.
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