Whether you’re renovating your house or need to choose flooring for a newly constructed home, the array of choices can be overwhelming for many people. Flooring comes in all colours, textures, and materials, both natural and man-made. Fortunately, you can get help choosing flooring with these tips.
Select for the Room’s Purpose
The best way to choose flooring is to select it for the function of the room in which it’s being installed. You wouldn’t usually choose carpet or timber planks for a bathroom, as the materials can be easily ruined by getting wet. In addition, floor tiles may not be suitable for a bedroom due to their lack of warmth.
- Bathroom Flooring – Since the floor of a bathroom will get wet when you step out of the bathtub or shower, the flooring will need to hold up well against moisture and humidity. Some of the best options for flooring in a bathroom are linoleum, tiles made from stone, ceramic or porcelain, or engineered wood if you want the look of timber in the bathroom.
- Kitchen Flooring – The floor is going to get wet occasionally due to food and liquid spills. A malfunctioning dishwasher or an overflowing sink may also cause some minor flooding issues. The best choices for a kitchen floor are those like in the bathroom, with vinyl or linoleum, floor tiles, or engineered woods.
- Laundry Room – This is another room in which flooring needs to hold up well to moisture and humidity. Accidental flooding from a burst hose can flood the floor and ruin some carpeting or timber floors. Tiling, linoleum, or vinyl flooring are good options for this area.
- Living Areas – The flooring in the rest of the house can all be covered in the same material to give the floors a unified appearance. Carpet, laminate, engineered wood, real timber, or tiles can be laid throughout the house. The only living areas which may need special consideration are those in basements due to the amount of moisture to which the floor may be exposed.
Caring for Floors
Flooring maintenance should also be a consideration when selecting between flooring materials. Some floorings such as carpeting, vinyl, or linoleum are easy to maintain and clean, but others can get damaged and need to be replaced within a few years. Real timber flooring can be easily scratched or gouged by your pet’s nails, walking on it with spiked heels, or from other activities like moving furniture. Real stone tiles need to be cleaned with the correct products to avoid damage.
Budget Considerations
Another consideration for selecting flooring materials is cost. Some flooring options will be less expensive than others, so you will want to consider your budget when choosing the flooring for each room. For example, floating timber and natural stone tiles are much more expensive than linoleum, vinyl, or laminate flooring.
When buying flooring, you will need to measure each room to get the amount you need. However, if you’re having the floors installed, the contractor doing the work can measure and provide the amount they need for you.