Flooring

Flooring sets the tone

If your flooring is pushing the outer limits of its life expectancy, then you may be ready to research replacement options. From an almost limitless range of materials, colors, and textures, you can choose from hardwoods, laminates, vinyl, tile, and engineered materials. The following may help you narrow your choices.

Hardwood flooring

Hardwood flooring is available in a wide variety of woods including maple, oak, pine, hickory, and cherry. Some hardwoods are certified as sustainably grown and are products of managed forest projects. Hardwoods gain a beautiful patina with age and many of us consider hardwood floors to be the ultimate floor covering. Solid planks are durable, but when worn, can be sanded and refinished to restore their original appearance. Hardwood flooring is typically used in all rooms except kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms because of the moisture. Compared with other flooring options, hardwoods can be relatively expensive.

Laminate flooring

A very popular flooring option is laminates. Laminates are engineered; they consist of a wood composite base with a top layer of plastic laminate. A detailed photographic image creates a realistic wood, tile, or stone appearance. Laminates are available in a rainbow of colors in both tile and planks. Most snap together or interlock like tongue and groove hardwood planks. Laminates are cost-effective and easily installed over concrete, wood subfloors, or existing flooring as long as the surface is clean, even, and tight. While some find laminates to be easy to install and maintain, others find that the constant sweeping to prevent scratches is a nuisance. The grade of material and where it´s installed may make a difference in durability and ease of maintenance. Like hardwoods, many manufacturers suggest avoiding installation in kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms.

Vinyl flooring

Durable, inexpensive vinyl flooring is the flooring of choice for many homeowners. It´s readily available in every imaginable color and pattern and ideally suited to use in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry areas. Higher grades wear well in higher traffic areas. And vinyl is easy to care for; it often requires no more than damp mopping to look great. The downside to vinyl is that less expensive grades may show wear quickly, and because it´s a synthetic petroleum-based product, it´s not a particularly environmentally friendly material.

Bamboo flooring

"Green" building materials are attracting a lot of notice these days. Bamboo flooring is fairly new but becoming very popular. Bamboo looks gorgeous, works well anywhere you might use wood floors, and depending on its grade, it´s often harder than oak. Laminated planks are made from a fast-growing grass, not wood, which is harvested, milled, and laminated to produce a beautiful, environmentally friendly option.

Cork flooring

Cork is the bark harvested from cork oak trees grown primarily around the Mediterranean. It´s available in shades of brown and tan, and is particularly striking for it´s remarkable patterns. Cork is resilient, a natural sound absorber, and warm under foot. It´s durable, earth friendly, and though not inexpensive, it´s a great value. Frank Lloyd Wright had cork floors installed in some of his early residential projects and many of the floors are still in use.

Linoleum

Linoleum is another wonderful flooring material that is making a comeback. Linoleum was displaced by lower cost vinyl flooring about 50 years ago. It was frequently used in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry areas, and playroom floors. It was also often used for countertops, however, now it´s suggested that if you want to use it for kitchen counters, you should avoid using it as a surface for food preparation. Its all natural materials such as linseed oil and rosin are making it a very popular flooring choice. The range of colors and patterns is both broad and interesting.

Rubber flooring

Rubber and rubber composite flooring is made from a variety of different materials including recycled tennis shoes. It´s durable and is particularly well-suited to office use because of it´s anti-static properties. There are range of rubber flooring products that have been incorporated into many commercial settings though it´s still relatively uncommon in residential applications.

Hiring a flooring pro

While you may be able to install flooring yourself, some flooring types are more tricky than others. Often it´s just as easy to have a flooring specialist install it for you. They can take the hassle out of the project, install it quickly and efficiently with a minimum of upheaval, and that may just save you time, aggravation, and a little cash.