Homeowners should never randomly choose new flooring for their home unless they want to deal with undesirable consequences. The flooring of a home protects the foundation in the house, which is why factors like durability and moisture should be considered in addition to the costs and attractiveness of the floor material. When choosing a new floor, homeowners need to keep their home’s best interest in mind. When you do need to replace it in your home, keep the following questions in mind.
1. Where Will the Floor Be Installed?
When deciding to put in new flooring, it’s important to consider where it will be going. Areas that have higher levels of moisture need something that is better suited to wet and damp conditions. Rooms like the bathroom, basement, and similar locations should use materials like vinyl tile, porcelain tile, or concrete. It is easier to clean in high traffic areas and any water that lands on it won’t ruin the material.
Rooms that experience very little moisture will do well with a wider variety of flooring, such as wood.
2. Do You Have Children, Pets, Or Any Other Need for Durable Flooring?
Rooms that are high traffic areas and suffer a lot of wear and tear due to the presence of children or pets need more durable flooring. For these rooms, you need to search for something that is least likely to scratch. Sustainable options for flooring include porcelain tile, ceramic, tile, laminate flooring, carpeting, and plank vinyl flooring. Each of these types is perfect to handle spilled drinks and animal scratches. You want to avoid carpet or other easily damaged material.
3. What Is Your Budget for Square Footage?
A major part of the deciding factor when choosing flooring is your budget.
$2.00 or Less
Homeowners looking to spend $2.00 per square foot should consider bargain laminate flooring, sheet tile flooring, and porcelain and ceramic tile flooring. While these options are on the cheaper side, keep in mind that tile installation can be quite labor-intensive.
$2.00 – $5.00
This price range is regarded as the “sweet spot” when it comes to quality and affordability. Engineered wood, solid domestic hardwood, higher quality vinyl, and relatively attractive laminate flooring choices can be found in this range.
$5.00 and Up
With a more expansive budget, homeowners can have their pick of more exotic hardwood, as well as engineered options. Keep in mind the more expensive the choice, the more maintenance it will require.
Bringing in new flooring to a home takes a fair amount of research, budgeting, and preparation. The result is very worth it though.
