It can be difficult choosing the right flooring for your home. With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to weight up all the pros and cons of different flooring materials. In this guide we will help you, giving you all the knowledge you need to make the right decision for you. Different rooms will suite different materials, in terms of durability and in terms of individual households and families. Below are a variety of flooring types, with the suitability for your home.
Hardwood Flooring
Solid or engineered timber flooring is a very popular and stylish material to use in your home. These hard wood floors are easy to clean and maintain, making them great to use for high traffic areas of your home, however it is worth keeping in mind that these can be loud to walk on so if that would be a problem in your household then maybe it’s not for you. There is also the possibility that water or other liquids that are not cleaned up for a while can ruin the hardwood flooring.
The best room? The best room to have hardwood flooring in your home would be the living room, because it’s durable and you can use a rug to muffle any added noise.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is a good material for busy families and is good for homes with pets as it doesn’t scratch or stain easily. It is easy to clean and maintain and is good to use in high traffic areas of your home, like hallways and kitchens. However, laminate flooring when left wet will be ruined and unlike hardwood flooring, can’t be re-finished, so avoid using this material in rooms where it is likely to get wet, like bathrooms.
The best room? This material is good for high traffic areas like a hallway. Not recommended for rooms where it’s likely to get wet.
Carpeting
Carpeting feels soft and comfortable to walk on, and unlike hardwood flooring is quiet and prevents echoing. However, it is worth keeping in mind that carpet can stain easily and needs to be maintained by hoovering regularly and occasionally steam cleaned. Even with this regular maintenance, there still may be dirt hidden within the carpet. For this reason, carpeting is best suited to rooms where spillages are unlikely to occur and best for households without pets.
The best room? Low traffic rooms such as a bedroom, because it looks cosy and warm, is comfortable and is least likely to get dirty.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is comfortable to walk on and tends to be a lot cheaper in comparison to other flooring materials. A good flooring material for homes with children, vinyl flooring is very durable and resistant to water. However, once vinyl is installed it can be difficult to remove. It can also dent and tear quite easily so heavy furniture can affect the flooring. For this reason vinyl flooring should be used in high traffic areas of your home where spillages are likely to occur, but be aware that heavy furniture will affect this material.
The best room? Bathrooms or kitchens are a good place for this material, as it is easy to clean and very durable.
Linoleum Flooring
Linoleum flooring is extremely durable and easy to clean. It is easy to install and requires little maintenance, much like vinyl flooring, it has a softer texture making it more comfortable to walk on. However, also like vinyl flooring it can get dented, scratched or torn and while it only requires little maintenance of being swept and mopped occasionally if this is not kept up it can begin to show age and turn a yellowish colour.
The best room? The best room for linoleum flooring would be a kitchen or bathroom, as water and spillages are forgiven with this material.
Rubber Flooring
Rubber flooring is an extremely durable material, making it good for high traffic areas of your home. It is low maintenance and is easy to clean, only needing sweeping and mopping every so often. Being such a strong and resilient material, it makes it a good material for children’s playrooms. Other factors about rubber flooring mean that it is water resistant and can act as a good sound barrier between floor and the ceiling below. However, rubber flooring can be extremely slippery when wet which would be a factor to consider before fitting into a children’s playroom. It can also stain and although there are various staining agents which will work on a rubber floor, some will discolour the material.
The best room? A children’s playroom would be a good fit for rubber flooring, although other high traffic areas such as a kitchen could work well also.
Tile Flooring
Tile can be durable and easy to clean, needing only quite low maintenance of being swept and mopped occasionally. It is resistant to scratches and dents making is good for high traffic areas of your home. This material rarely stains and there are staining agents available if it does. However, the grout around the tile does stain and will need to be cleaned. Tile flooring can be loud and cold to walk on and putting a heating system in place for tile flooring can be expensive. Tile can also crack, and if this happens it is difficult to repair.
The best room? The best rooms for a tile flooring would be a bathroom or kitchen because it’s water resistant and very durable.
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