You don’t have to be a contractor or interior designer to know that there is no “one size fits all” flooring material that is equally suitable for every room in your home.
That means that depending on the scope of your home renovation project, your preferences, and your budget, you may very well need to select flooring for your bathroom, kitchen, living areas, and basement.
If that’s the case, not only will you need to choose a material for each space that is amenable to your style, but also one that is appropriate given the location of the room, how it will be used, and so on.
This article will outline the qualities flooring material should have for each room of your home from ceramic tile flooring to luxury tile flooring.
What to Look for in Kitchen Flooring
The kitchen is undeniably the hub of the home. It’s a place where meals are made, family meetings are held, and where last-minute homework is completed under a watchful parental eye.
Because so much of our time at home is spent in the kitchen there are perhaps more flooring-related considerations for this space than for any other room in your home, and that includes bathroom flooring options.
Remember, safety first. The flooring material used in your kitchen should not be one that is prone to slips and spills.
A typical kitchen contains many different hazards, so ensuring the surface beneath your feet allows you to remain sure-footed regardless of whether it is wet or dry is of the utmost importance.
Luxury vinyl in particular is one of the best non-slip marmoleum flooring materials, which makes it an ideal material to use in your kitchen – all else being equal.
Since kitchens experience so much foot traffic, the material used should be easy to keep clean. Again, vinyl flooring is an excellent option for your kitchen because it is so easy to keep clean.
Floor tiles and engineered hardwood make look great in these spaces, but the grout lines surrounding tile can be a pesky surface to extract spilled food, and hardwood tends to warp when exposed to higher levels of humidity or moisture.
Another thing you must consider is durability. Whether it’s tables and chairs being dragged across the floor or the occasional non-perishable food item rolling off the counter, your kitchen floor should be able to handle it without looking like it has seen better days.
Fortunately, many types of materials are rugged enough to fit the bill including tile, vinyl, and laminate. Softer flooring materials, like wood, should again be avoided in kitchens.
What to Look for in Bathroom Flooring
The main factor that needs to be addressed when choosing a flooring material for your bathroom is the amount of protection each material offers against water damage.
Generally speaking, you will want to avoid porous materials like hardwood to clad your bathroom’s floor in favor of something that will act as a literal barrier between water from your sink or shower and the floors below your bathroom or rooms adjacent to it.
Laminate is a relatively inexpensive option that may provide decent water protection depending on how it is installed. If the edges and seams between the boards are not treated properly, they can provide an avenue for water to exploit.
The reason you so often see tile used in bathrooms is not solely because it’s made from dense natural materials that are impervious to water, but also because tile comes in a staggering variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and designs.
This means that you can achieve the aesthetic you want without compromising the required functionality of the material.
What to Look for in Basement Flooring
Granted, not all homeowners have basements, but for those who do, it’s important to know what to factor in when selecting a flooring material. The biggest problem you will have with a basement is moisture.
Basements tend to have less airflow than other floors of your home, and moisture will permeate from the earth through the concrete.
You can take measures to control humidity levels in your basement by using a dehumidifier and installing a waterproof membrane when insulating foundation walls, but moisture will still leach in from the floor.
Carpet will work provided it’s installed alongside a closed cell underpad. Plywood subfloors beneath laminate will also help to mitigate moisture.
Interestingly, solid hardwood milled from solid pieces of wood, will eventually warp and split if installed in a basement due to the moisture.
Engineered hardwood, however, will fare much better thanks in part to its layered construction that will allow the material to expand and contract without permanently damaging the material.
What to Look for in Family Room Flooring
Family rooms, bedrooms, studies – they all have one thing in common: comfort.
Comfort can come in many forms, so these rooms often include flooring options ranging from solid or engineered hardwood, to carpeting, and even cork.
Since much of the actual floor space is covered by furnishings and there is no running water in the vicinity, the hazards present in other spaces of the home are not represented in family rooms or bedrooms.
Solid hardwood is often sought out for its beauty and longevity. Exotic woods create warmth in cozy quarters and when it comes time to sell, can even increase a home’s resale value.
Engineered hardwood can provide much of the same visual appeal as solid hardwood at a lower price point but it has a shorter lifespan.
While carpeting may be less desirable as a flooring option in recent times, a high quality berber carpet is still a great option for some homes.
The Same, but Very Different
While the number of flooring options for your home may seem overwhelming, the more you examine the qualities of each material you can see that certain materials are undeniably better than others from one room to another.
If you have additional questions about which flooring material should be used for your home renovation project, reach out to a local flooring supplier today.
