The Pros and Cons of Flooring Options
If you’re designing or renovating your home, you may be feeling overwhelmed by all the flooring options at your disposal. There are a lot of different materials you can use for your flooring, and they all come with their own benefits and problems.
If you’re looking to optimize your home and bring all the elements of your design together into a cohesive whole, you have to be careful not to use the wrong type of flooring. They need to both look great and function perfectly in whatever space you’re working on.
To get the best in both aesthetics and functionality, you need to be well informed. Here, we’ll outline the pros and cons of the most popular flooring options we offer. Learn about what option you should choose now!
Carpeting
Carpeting is one of the most common surfaces and has been for a long time. Though we don’t recommend the shag carpet of the ‘70s, there are so many modern options that will be great for various contexts.
Carpeting has many benefits working for it. Stylistically, carpeting can be incredibly versatile. There are so many colors, textures, and sizes to choose from, meaning you can be creative with filling your space. It is also comfortable, provides warmth to a space, keeps a space quiet, and is safe for children. Because of these benefits, it’s especially great to be used in a living room, or if you have children, on stairs or in bedrooms. It helps protect from falls and provides a softer surface.
Despite this, carpeting has some problems, especially with cleaning. The fabric can trap dirt, dust, and other messes, which means you have to be more careful with spills and regular cleaning. To keep the carpeting in good shape, it can require steam cleaning or other measures to get in there deeply.
Hardwood
Hardwood flooring is an elegant and classic flooring surface.
There are many reasons to think about using hardwood. It looks incredible and has a timeless elegance. Since we have many types of wood in stock, you’ll be able to find wood of different colors and styles to suit your room. It’s also exceptionally durable and if you take care of it, it can last indefinitely with maintenance and refinishing procedures. Cleaning hardwood is easy as well since it’s a hard flat surface, that can be swept and mopped quickly.
But it’s not all benefits. Hardwood is an expensive investment, and for a surface that can get scraped or scratched, you run the risk of having that investment damaged. It’s also noisy, as it creaks with age. If you have any pets, it can pose a problem due to its slipperiness. Older pets may also have trouble walking on it.
Laminate
Laminate is a similar option to hardwood. It is made from pressed wood, meaning it can be used to achieve similar visual results. There are equally as many colors and styles to choose from. It’s very easy to install, and it’s a cheaper option than hardwood. It’s relatively durable but difficult to repair.
However, maintaining laminate is easier than hardwood. All it takes is regular cleaning, and since it’s cheaper, you will be able to replace it more frequently.
But in terms of cons, there are several. Although it gives a similar look to hardwood, it’s not the same level of quality. You could notice the lack of elegance, something that many people expect when they opt for a wooden look. Similar to hardwood, it’s also quite noisy and prone to water damage.
Vinyl
Vinyl is becoming one of the most common flooring options on the market. There’s a reason for this: there are a lot of benefits.
Vinyl flooring is one of the easiest to get installed. They involve no sawing or hammering, you simply press them into place. They are also extremely affordable options, at a similar price to laminate and much cheaper than hardwood. You can get them in a variety of styles, ranging from simulated hardwood to simulated tile, meaning they are great for many different contexts. They are also very durable and easy to clean.
Like laminate, however, their lack of authenticity makes them seem less luxurious than either the hardwood or the tile they are trying to emulate. Vinyl can also come in various levels of quality, even if you go to a trusted brand. Looking at the thickness of the material is your best bet to determine the quality of your vinyl selection.
Tile
Tile flooring is the last option we’ll discuss. There are several rooms that especially benefit from them, but they aren’t right for everywhere.
First off, tile is reasonably affordable, placing somewhere between the expensive cost of hardwood and the cheapness of vinyl. It’s not such an investment to make but offers similar elegance and classiness for your spaces. Tile is the easiest surface to maintain, all you have to do is keep it clean. Water will never damage tile since there is a protective coating to keep water and stains out of the material. This makes it a great choice for the rooms that bring wetness like bathrooms and kitchens.
There are several cons of tile. First, it is a very cold surface. During the wintertime, you will notice the way it never absorbs heat. It’s also very heavy, which makes installation more difficult, and limits the rooms you should use it in; double-check the integrity of your building before you put it in an upper story. Lastly, tile is the slipperiest surface, and it’s very hard. Any falls will be felt for a while.
Conclusion
These are the most common options you have for your flooring project. All of them come with their own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s best to think about your decision based on what room and function these floors will need to serve.
If you’re confused about your options and would like to discuss them, luckily, you have an expert on your side. CVM Enterprises Inc is here for you as a flooring expert, to help you decide on the flooring option that meets your budget, aesthetics, and goals. Call us to speak to an expert!
