5 Top Flooring Options for Your Home
The floors are a crucial element of the design of your home. The right choice of flooring can bring the whole space together while improving the functionality and increasing the value of the house. However, let’s be honest, no flooring is entirely perfect. Each option has its own advantages and downsides. What’s more, a floor that might work perfectly in the living room, might not be the best solution for the kitchen.
That said, you need to take many factors into account when making your decision, but researching your available options will certainly help you a great deal. Depending on the style of your home and your needs, you can pick one of the following popular types of residential flooring.
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Loose Lay Vinyl Planks If You Want Ease of Installation & Great Looks for Less
Loose lay vinyl flooring is made of synthetic materials like PVC vinyl, fibreglass or plasticizer. It consists of multiple layers that make the flooring durable and comfortable to walk on. With years of testing and improvements, modern vinyl floors are built to be waterproof, fireproof, sound-absorbent and easy to keep clean.
Additionally, this type of flooring is extremely easy to install and appealing to the eye. Investing in loose lay vinyl flooring planks will save you time and money on installation. You can entirely take on the project by yourself, even without any experience, and with only a few tools. You don’t need glue or staples, just a flat surface on which you’ll place the vinyl planks one by one like a puzzle until you get the perfect floor. You can even place the vinyl flooring onto an existing one.
The thickness of this floor can vary between 4-6mm. Thicker loose lay vinyl flooring planks are recommended for frequently used areas, while thinner ones can be placed in rooms like the bedroom. The floor’s waterproof properties make it a great option for humid areas, so feel free to place it in your bathroom, kitchen or mudroom.
You can easily match the vinyl flooring with the rest of the design in your house since it can be found in many different wood and stone textures that are designed to resemble the original material. Vinyl flooring can range from lightest to darkest shades, meaning it can satisfy every taste and preference.
You have plenty of style options to choose from like nut tree, heritage oak, North American walnut, black elm, aged elm, classic oak, French nut tree, end-grain woodblock, grey Barnwood, parquet, grey pine, raw or painted cement, vintage timber, concrete, light cherry, natural rustic pine, natural ash. Vinyl is great at mimicking all kinds of patterns!
And the best thing is that loose lay vinyl flooring is budget-friendly and affordable. For a lower price, you get luxury, quality and a design so good you won’t even tell the difference between a real stone and a stone-like vinyl floor.
Marble If You’re Looking for Unmatched Durability & Luxury
Marble is a type of rock, it’s really hard and heavy, can vary in thickness and is very light in colour, usually white or ash grey and has a specific texture. Marble rocks are widely used in architecture and can be seen in city halls, churches, museums, historic building and of course, your home.
Nowadays marble is a very common choice among interior designers and people that are redecorating their homes. Why? Well, marble gives a clean and sophisticated appearance and can make your house look stunning. Back in the old days, marble was associated with serenity, peace, strength, pureness and was even believed to have some healing properties.
Marble is a very durable, waterproof and fireproof material and it’s relatively low-maintenance, meaning it’s perfect for any room in your house. You can install marble flooring in your bathroom, kitchen, main hall and even in your bedroom.
In addition to the original white, marble can be found in many other colours like green, brown or black. It’s quite expensive but worth every bit.
Tiles If You Want to Play Around With the Design
Tiles are a really popular choice because they’re versatile, come in many colours and designs and can be placed in any room since they’re waterproof. Tiles vary depending on their purpose. Floor tiles are made to be more durable to withstand frequent use and traffic, while wall tiles are more delicate and can be ceramic or porcelain.
Tile flooring is easy to maintain and looks amazing both in indoor and outdoor settings. The wide range of design options is what makes them perfect for someone that wants a bold design or a strong pop of colour. You can even mix and match two or three colours and create an ambient everyone will envy you about.
Hardwood If You Love the Classic and Neutral Look
Hardwood flooring speaks elegance and class, it’s a natural material and a great option is you want your floors to stand out. It’s comfortable to walk on, warm and can be found at a reasonable price.
Hardwood floors are durable, and with proper care, they can last you a lifetime. In other words, hardwood floors are not a splurge but a long-term investment that will increase the value of your home. You can choose from the following types of wood: tigerwood, walnut, oak, teak, cherry, cypress, and mahogany.
The best thing about it is that every piece of wood has a slightly different shade, so in the end, you’ll get a very authentic vibe. You can even pick two or three different types of wood, mix them and make an authentic floor mosaic.
Laminate If You’re on a Tight Budget
Last, laminate is made out of synthetic materials and resembles the before-mentioned hardwood floors. It’s a popular option if you want to achieve that warm, natural and classical look without spending much of your budget.
Laminate can be very thick or thin, meaning you have the opportunity to choose what’s best suitable for you and the room in which you’ll place it. Homeowners usually place laminate flooring in living rooms, dining rooms or entryways.
Laminate flooring doesn’t last as long as other floor types and it usually needs to be replaced every 10 years. Plus it requires special care in order to avoid scratches or other damage. But if you’re on a tight budget, laminate is the perfect choice for you.
Its design is so good that it’ll be really hard for people to tell the difference between laminate and hardwood floor, so you get the elegance and style without spending a ton of money in the process.