A Complete Guide to Choose the Best Flooring
There are many choices if you are deciding to pick a flooring for yourself. There are many different options to choose from, depending upon your choice or taste. In order to select the perfect flooring that best suits your needs, you need to think about a few things beforehand; do you prefer beauty or durability? What sort of lifestyle does your family have? Do you like flooring that can easily be maintained? After considering all these factors, you will be able to easily select what kind of flooring best suits you. This article presents a comprehensive guide to help you choose what kind of flooring is best for you.
Perplexed about what kind of flooring you should opt for? This is your guide!
What Should I Know Before Choosing?
Each type of surface comes with its own individual advantages and disadvantages. Consider the following points and questions to help narrow your focus. You may already have a preconceived idea of the type of surface you want, but not all materials are suitable for every application.
1. Which room or rooms are you considering?
The function and location of the room will have some bearing on the best surfacing to use.
An obvious example for illustrative purposes is that you don’t want carpet in the kitchen or dining room due to the propensity for spilled foods and liquids. In contrast, a subtler fact is that solid wood isn’t suitable for basements due to the moisture issues associated with below-grade (below ground level) rooms.
2. Consider your family status and lifestyle — do you have children, elderly or disabled family members? Do you have any pets?
How you and your family live makes a difference in choosing a floor type. Children usually mean more wear and tear from running, banging and playing with toys.
Some of the laminate products might be better in this scenario than site-finished solid wood due to the optimal wear characteristics of laminate. These products have factory-applied coatings that are designed to be very durable and scratch-resistant. The surface finish of a site-finished wood floor (one that’s sanded and top-coated in your home) doesn’t have the same durability characteristics as those factory-finishes.
3. How much care and maintenance are you willing to put into the floor?
Some materials have higher maintenance needs than others if you want them to last and maintain their aesthetic appeal. Wood should be swept or vacuumed often to avoid the dulling and scratching that comes with ground-in dirt. Stone or tile is durable although their finish will eventually succumb to a lack of regular sweeping.
Standing water is better handled by vinyl or tile in comparison to wood. Think of mudrooms and bathrooms in this case. Melted snow from boots and shoes can go unnoticed for a while and you don’t want to have to constantly check the mudroom to mop up any water.
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