Whether you’re just about to have your house built or are planning to renovate, choosing the right kind of floor material and design is crucial for aesthetics and functionality. But with plenty of choices available, it can be challenging to pick one for every room in the house.
Thinking about choosing the same flooring material for every room? Think again.
Remember that each room is used for different things. Some tend to require more durable options, while others need more comfortable flooring material.
For instance, hardwood is the most popular choice for hard-surface flooring, but it is the worst choice for the kitchen or bathroom. It also isn’t ideal for the laundry room because of the possibility for bleach splatters to ruin its finish.
The bottom line is that choosing a floor for every room should be done with care. This article will help you assign specific flooring types based on different factors you must consider and some situational examples.
Living Room
The living room serves as a space for you and your family to relax in. After a hard day’s work, you would probably want to just kick off your shoes and lounge comfortably on the sofa. However, you might also want to have a stylish room where you can entertain guests.
If these are true for you, you probably should consider choosing a cozy-yet-elegant material for your living room, and wood is the ultimate best choice.
While it is true that pointed stiletto heels, pet claws, toys, and furniture feet may damage wood flooring, any other material may feel off when placed in the living room where warmth is a must. Also, there’s a reason why real estate ads mention wood floors: it adds value to the property.
When it comes to wood flooring, you may need to choose between two types, including:
Solid Wood
Solid wood floors cover both unfinished wood flooring, which gets sanded and finished on-site, and prefinished wood flooring that is ready to be installed upon purchase.
Between these two, prefinished planks are most recommended as it would remove the need to clean the dust off the site from sanding. It also doesn’t need to be finished right on the spot, so you won’t have to worry about fumes.
Engineered Wood
Made to look like solid hardwood, engineered wood is composed of a thin veneer of finished wood (e.g., oak or maple) that sandwiches a plywood-like substrate. This makes it less expensive compared to solid wood.
Aside from its cost advantage, engineered wood flooring also grants you access to a wide variety of exotic wood species. This includes tigerwood and Brazilian walnut, which tend to be more dent- and scratch-resistant than oak or maple.
Also, engineered wood materials are less likely to shrink or swell from the changes in the weather, thanks to its plywood backing with grains arranged in alternating directions. This makes it a viable choice for remodeling projects where concrete subfloors are involved. Plus, this type of wood flooring can be installed over an existing floor, which means you get to save more during renovations.
However, solid wood may have the advantage in terms of longevity as most engineered wood flooring can only be refinished one to three times, depending on how thick the top “wear” layer is. Solid wood, on the other hand, can withstand the test of time, with periodic refinishing of four to five times throughout its lifespan.
Dining Room
Because dining rooms get less traffic compared to the kitchen, the primary concerns homeowners would have with flooring are spills, stains, and scratches from the legs of dining chairs.
With these in mind, you should think about choosing a floor that is both easy to clean and requires less maintenance. In this case, decorative concrete flooring may just be your best bet. Not only do you get a beautiful canvass for your interior design, but you also get to enjoy floor longevity with minimal maintenance cost and effort.
Kitchen and Bathroom
As a high traffic space, the kitchen should have a floor that is highly durable while resistant to stains. It should also provide comfort since you would most likely do a lot of standing in the room.
Taking all these into consideration, cork flooring is recommended since it is shock absorbent. It is also resistant to moisture and can even help reduce your carbon footprint since it is made from a renewable material.
As for the bathroom, water is an obvious concern. This is the primary reason why flooring made with wood, cork, and other non-water-resistant materials is a no-no.
For the most part, ceramic tiles are the easiest choice when choosing a floor for the bathroom. Aside from offering high durability, this type of floor is easy to clean and maintain. The only concern is the possibility of accidental slips, which can easily be remedied by using non-slip rugs.
Bedroom
Although hardwood floors may seem like a good choice for bedrooms, it isn’t warm and comfortable enough to help promote relaxation and better sleep. This is where carpeted floors come in.
This plush and soft material offers a cushion to your bare feet in the morning. It can also be used as a top floor material when you already have an existing hardwood floor.
Kids’ Playroom
Playrooms often see plenty of foot traffic and even more hurricane-like mess, especially for households with little children. However, concrete floors may not be the best choice for this room. Remember that this material can become slippery when wet and may cause physical injuries when children slip and fall.
Lucky for you, you can make sure the kids have a safe playroom without breaking the bank for professional carpet cleaning services. The key is to choose something that’s both soft and easy to clean. In this case, a wall-to-wall carpet or cut area rug made from easy-to-clean materials like nylon or polypropylene may be your best bet.
Carpet tiles are also great for this part of the house as it will give the kids a place to sit and lay down comfortably. It is also a great choice for easy maintenance because tiles with irremovable spot stains can be easily replaced.
A Floor for Every Room
Selecting a flooring material for different areas of the house is a crucial part of any house construction or remodeling project. As the owner of the house, you should make sure you understand the needs of your family well to make the right choice for every room. Consider this article as a guide to help you make the right decision.