Today we are answering the second question in the 1o part series: Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Flooring.
Question: What type of floors should I use?
Answer: The type of floor you should use depends on your taste, your lifestyle, your budget, how long you plan to live in your home, the area it will be installed in and what type of floor your subfloor will accept.
Things to consider:
Lifestyle
- Homes with children: floors that are easy to clean and soft. Suggestion: Looped pile carpet or tightly twisted textures with stain resistance.
- Homes with wheelchairs: floors that can withstand the pivoting motion of a wheel chair turning. Suggestion: Ceramic tile or natural stone.
- Homes with pets: floors that can withstand pet nails, hide pet hair and pet accidents. Suggestion: Laminate flooring. (pet accidents need to be cleaned as soon as possible to avoid moisture damage)
- Active households: areas such as family rooms, hallways, stairs etc. would benefit from a durable floor that will help disguise the appearance of footprints. Suggestion: Carpet such as a textured, frieze, loop, berber, cut and loop or pattern. Be sure to also select a color that will minimize the appearance of dirt.
Budget
- If you have budget considerations the best thing to do is visit your local flooring dealer and ask them to measure the areas you are considering. Then, share your budget with them and ask for suggestions based on those measurements that will fit into your budget. Don’t assume that any products are within or outside of your budget without a complete installation price. If you are remodeling, plan to budget for furniture removal and replacement as well as disposal of the old materials.
How long you plan to live in your home
- If you plan to live in your home for many years, I suggest choosing a floor that does not need replacement and one that fits your design style and lifestyle. If you do not plan to live in the home for an extended period of time, think about what will be best for resale.
Area of installation
- Bathrooms: floors that are slip resistant and water resistant. Suggestion: Vinyl or ceramic tile with texture.
- Playrooms: floors that are comfortable to play on the floor. Suggestion: Soft carpet or cork flooring.
- Home office: floors that absorb sound. Suggestion: Cork flooring. Always use chair pads under rolling office chairs.
Type of subfloor
- It is best to consult with your contractor, installer or floor covering dealer about which products are best suited for your type of subfloor.
What products do you find that work well for specific rooms or lifestyles? For flooring suggestions for specific circumstances, leave us a comment and we will be happy to share a recommendation with you.
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