HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FLOORING

Flooring not only serves a functional purpose, but it also impacts the style and look of the room. With a wide range of types and styles available in the market, figuring out how to choose the right type of flooring can be a challenge. There are several factors such as maintenance, durability, and appearance to consider in terms of choosing a perfect flooring. To help you come to the right decision, we compared different types of flooring, whether it be a hardwood, carpet, laminate or vinyl flooring.

Hardwood, Engineered and Prefinished boards

Admired for being elegant and durable, hardwood floorings provide charm, warmth, and depth to the room. Although they are more expensive, wood floorings suit every taste and design. With this type of flooring, you have a vast range of patterns, styles, colours, and species to choose from. No matter you prefer a traditional or modern style, you can find a great looking wooden floor without any problem. Besides, if you want your home stands out from others you have the option to choose exotic wood species or you can select uber-trendy Chevron or Herringbone patterns. They transform your room into a beautiful, spacious and warm space. Despite that hardwood flooring can be on the high end of the cost spectrum, it lasts over decades, if maintained properly. Wooden flooring stands the test of time compared to other types of flooring. It can be sanded and refinished 5-10 times in its lifespan. Therefore, it is possible to change the look of your home without having to afford the cost of floor replacement. In addition, if you are going to renovate your house, hardwood flooring will increase the resale value of the house. Hence, ordering and installing wooden flooring is considered as a wise investment most of the times. Hardwood flooring is practical and a popular choice for high traffic areas like the living room, hallways or stair steps. Since a continuous floor reflects the light and creates the illusion of space, the living room in which a hardwood installed, especially with long and wide boards, looks spacious and bright. A great way to create comfort and interest in the living room is putting area rugs on the wooden floor. Don’t forget to use stops to prevent the rugs from slipping around. However, wooden flooring cannot be used in a bathroom or basement where the humidity is high or water spills are everywhere. Extreme humidity or temperature changes reduce the life of wooden floors and even can lead to damage. It that cases other types of flooring such as tile, vinyl or engineered wood come into consideration. Engineered flooring is designed in a special way to withstand humidity and temperature changes. It usually composed of 3-12 plywood layers pressed or glued together. In addition, it has a UV cured polyurethane or oil finish applied on top of the wear layer to protect from tear and wear. As an engineered board look like the natural wood it is impossible for an amateur to distinguish between them. Engineered floorboards are less prone to moisture and temperature fluctuations and can be used on basement or underground level where installation of a solid wood flooring is not feasible. It is also more suitable for more humid regions of the country. As an advantage, engineered flooring can be installed over the radiant floor without becoming wrapped or damaged. Most of engineered floors are prefinished in the factory and can be installed immediately. Sanding and finishing a hardwood floor is a messy, odorous and time-consuming process. Family cannot live in the home while refinishing is going on. It takes up to weeks the floor to dry. Prefinished hardwood floorings come into the equation to overcome the problem. They are sanded and finished in the factory. The advantage is the flooring can be installed fast and easily. All you have to do is to click-install the floor or nail the floor down. In addition, floor installation is less messy and requires less time and effort. In a nutshell, if you don’t worry about the budget, hardwood flooring should be your first-floor option when you are renovating or updating.