Things to Consider as You Shop for New Interior Flooring

There are many options to consider when looking for interior flooring, so you need to keep in mind your special needs as you look at all of your choices. Not every type of flooring is suitable for every room in your house or for all lifestyles. Here are some things to keep in mind as you're looking over interior flooring options.

Ease Of Installation

If you're hiring a contractor to install your flooring, you don't have to worry about the installation process. If you want to save money and install the flooring yourself, you'll probably want to avoid flooring that's difficult to install such as hardwood, carpet, and tile.

Good choices for DIY installation include floating floors or sheet vinyl. Some sheet vinyl and luxury vinyl planks don't even need to be glued down and they can be cut easily with a utility knife, which makes DIY installation fairly easy.

Water Resistance

Flooring for a basement, bathroom, and kitchen should be water-resistant at the least. Waterproof flooring is even a better idea. Floors in these areas are exposed to spills and dampness regularly, and some types of interior flooring will warp due to moisture or be ruined by spills. Choices to consider include luxury vinyl planks, tiles, or sheets, and engineered wood floors.

Durability

If you have young kids or pets, you need flooring that doesn't scratch easily and that's tough. You have a wide range of choices so you can choose flooring with a look you like. Vinyl, tile, and some types of wood are durable and last a long time. However, you'll want to choose a harder species of wood so the floors won't scratch easily.

Low Maintenance

If you have a busy life and put off doing housework, you probably want low-maintenance interior flooring. If so, you may want to avoid wood or tile floors that need to be sealed or polished occasionally. You might want to avoid carpet too since it needs to be cleaned regularly and vacuumed often.

Good choices for low-maintenance flooring include vinyl planks, sheets, or tiles that can be swept and mopped. You might also want certain types of tile flooring, although you'll need to have the floors professionally cleaned occasionally to keep the grout lines and tiles clean.

Appearance

Appearance is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing interior flooring. You should know that you have options if you want the look of wood, but you don't want the cost or maintenance that wood floors require.

Luxury vinyl flooring is made in colors that look like different species of wood, and the flooring has grain patterns and textures so your home can have the look of wood at a lower cost and is easy to care for. Other types of flooring that look like wood include laminate planks, wood-look ceramic, and wood-look porcelain tiles. Keep these tips in mind when looking for interior flooring for your home.



Tags:
489 Words

About Me

We Won't Tread Lightly Here! This is a blog about flooring. And no, we won't tread lightly here. We will assume we have a really strong, structural floor under our feet — like one made from concrete or tile. From that position, we will dive into all sorts of deep topics, like the nature of various flooring materials, the pros and cons of different installation methods, and ways to fix an ailing floor. if you're ready to tread heavily with us, then we encourage you to dig in and start reading. You might be surprised how interesting the topic of flooring becomes when you approach it from so many angles.

Search

Categories

Archive

Tags