Flooring material
The real challenge in home decorating projects is how to get the best floor for each space. Maybe painting walls, adding additional accessories, and replacing furniture are very common for remodeling projects, but what about the choice of floors for each space? Flooring materials come with a variety of options to consider. However, there is a choice of flooring material that must be included in your list of main considerations.
Each flooring material has a variety of prices, advantages, and disadvantages, each flooring choice can destroy the budget when you can’t choose the right floor material. For this reason, this article is written to help you in choosing the best flooring material.
What you need to pay attention to is don’t take the floor material randomly based on cost! However, know the function of the floor and its suitability in each existing space. So, before starting a floor selection project for your home, make sure you do some research on existing flooring materials. This research will help you to find the best floor choices for each space!
Flooring material for consideration
Flooring Material Choices for Your Consideration
The fact that there is no suitable floor material for every space, each room has a different level of traffic and humidity. This is the main cause of the difference in floor materials. Like a wooden floor, it is very suitable to be placed in the living room or bedroom to give the impression of a warmer space and will not survive in damp areas such as the dining room or bathroom. That’s why you should consider Flooring material!
Hardwood
The first choice is hardwood, this flooring material has become the most popular material in the US in decades due to its simple construction and comes with wooden planks or sheets of 0.5 or 0.75-inch thickness with nail-mounted to the floor.
1. Type
Hardwood floors come with a strip about 1.5 to 2.6 inches wide or a plank that is 4 to 10 inches wide. Solid wood has a wide selection of basic materials such as oak, maple to exotic varieties such as Brazilian cherries.
This floor is often sold semi-finished or finished. When making your selection for a semi-finished floor, you have to do the sanding and finish afterward. And finished floors are a cheaper option with less work than semi-finished floors.
Flooring material from wood is an option for a renewable resource, but it cannot be harvested sustainably!
2.Pro
Many fans of solid wood because it has an elegant appearance to enhance the appearance of any space in any style. Solid wood is a very durable material that can be re-polished to keep the appearance of the space clean and shiny. In addition, the use of wooden floors can be a long-term investment to increase the sales value of your home.
For cleanups, simply sweep regularly and make sure to clean up spills as quickly as possible! In fact, wood installation projects have become a DIY choice because of the convenience and budget savings of experts.
3. Cons
The biggest drawback to this floor is that it can’t handle rough tacking. Wood can become warped due to excess moisture and is a poor choice for placement in bathrooms or other damp areas. In fact, a drastic change in temperature can cause it to shrink or swell!
4. Best Placement
This floor is perfect for spaces with low traffic levels such as the living room, dining room, and bedroom.
5. Costs
For hardwood floors, you can start at least $ 3 to $ 15 per square foot.
Engineered Wood
The next consideration for flooring material is engineered wood! This option has an appearance that almost resembles the appearance of solid wood but is made in a different way. This flooring material has a thin content of natural wood on top with grain and cheaper plywood underneath. This is what makes engineered wood easier and strong enough.
1. Type
Engineered wood floors also come with various choices of wood types, textures, and board widths. As well as coming with a plank and strip look, this floor also has options such as narrow cut carpet tiles with a geometric arrangement on plywood or mesh mats. This floor can also be nailed like a hardwood floor, but it can also be glued together and installed floating.
2. Pros
For those of you who want a more affordable display of wooden floors, this floor option is the best for you. Flooring material with engineered wood has a more exotic impression, is durable, resists dents, and is also strong against scratches. This option is more stable than solid wood and does not account for extreme temperature changes as well as excess humidity.
Its relatively easy installation makes it possible to attach it to a concrete floor (which solid wood cannot do).
3. Cons
Like solid wood, engineered wood floors are easy to dent and scratch. This wood is not strong enough when compared to hardwood! They can only be polished once and the rest have the risk of getting wear and tear on the veneer to the layer underneath.
4. Best placement
This wood will perform well when placed in the same space as hardwood. However, engineered wood makes a great choice for underground areas and covered verandas.
5. Costs
The average price tag on the market requires you to shell out $ 4 per foot.
Bamboo
If you say bamboo is a type of wood then you are wrong! Bamboo is a type of grass plant that has a very fast growth rate and can be used as a base material for floors with a look like hardwood. Bamboo flooring has also become very popular for environmentally friendly alternatives (although not all agree with this statement).
1. Type
The bamboo flooring comes with some solid pieces and engineered boards. They come in a large selection of different patterns with a different grain of grass. The floor has a flat grain with dark lines on each plank, giving the bamboo a distinct knot.
2. Pros
In terms of durability, bamboo flooring material is better than wood and is available in many forms that have easy installation. Its maintenance is also the same as wooden floors and also has the convenience of re-polishing.
If you are an environmentalist, then bamboo flooring is a good choice to replace wood. Given that bamboo has an easier growth than wood flooring and engineered wood.
How TO Make a beauty Dining Room?
3. Cons
Bamboo can be said to be a renewable source, but most of this papa is available in Asia which means it has the potential for carbon buildup in it. Besides, there are more and more bamboo farmers who depend on fertilizers and pesticides that destroy the environment!
4. Best Placement
This floor can be placed almost the same as wooden f such floor as the living room, hallway, and bedroom, although not strong enough for muddy spaces and kitchens!
5. Costs
You can get these floors from $ 2 per square foot with an installation of $ 5 per foot.
Vinyl
This durable floor with a material that is flexible and feels softer under the feet has earned it a spot on the favorite flooring list in recent years. This floor has a basic material from a layer of PVC plastic which is on top of a layer of felt. The cushioned vinyl has a thin foam layer which gives an added feeling of comfort to the foot on. Thicker floors will have a surface with a texture that looks like wood or stone.
1. Type
Vinyl flooring material comes in several options, vinyl sheets are easy to unroll, cut, and glue on the existing subfloor. Luxury vinyl flooring can be attached to places like engineered wood flooring, or vinyl tile by gluing together! Some vinyl options have peeled and sticky mounts that make installation easy without adding any adhesive!
2. Pros
Vinyl is the choice of flooring material that is strong against high humidity and traffic! This floor is very comfortable to walk on and has warmth for bare feet. Besides being cheap, this floor is also very durable and can last up to more than 20 years!
Vinyl comes with many choices of textures, colors and patterns that can make it easier for you to simulate the appearance of any existing flooring material.
These floors have a click and clack system that makes it easy to install, although vinyl sheets can be quite difficult to install! And for vinyl planks, you will easily repair the damage! Just replace it, even each floor option has the convenience of cleaning.
3. Cons
The quality of vinyl varies widely, so you can get a smaller selection of colors and patterns at a lower price. Although classified as durable, vinyl can also get scratches and rips than tougher floors. The biggest problem with this floor is that it is not environmentally friendly and it is not a renewable material.
4. Best placement
Vinyl makes a great material for kitchens, bathrooms, and other humid areas too! It is suitable for high traffic areas. And can be very suitable for underground areas because it will not be as cold as tiles.
5. Costs
Vinyl is a budget-efficient option as you can get anywhere from $ 0.05 to $ 5 per foot per synergy.
Linoleum
If you want a flooring material that is strong against slamming, then you can consider using Linoleum. This material differs from vinyl, in that it is made from natural, renewable ingredients such as cork powder or herb oil. Linoleum basically disappeared from civilization due to vinyl, but they are again becoming a material that is quite desirable because of their durability.
1. Type
Just like vinyl, this material comes in sheet, tile, and laminate forms that are easy for floating installation. There are several linoleum options that have a protective coating to minimize wear and stain prevention.
2. Pros
These floors are stronger than vinyl and can last over 40 years when properly cared for. It is easy to clean, and will not show scratches like vinyl.
These floors are very soft under the feet and come in a wide variety of colors and styles. They are becoming a more environmentally friendly choice and are readily biodegradable.
3. Cons
Although it has better durability than vinyl, the high heel of the shoe will injure the floor and the continuous flow of sunlight will turn your floor yellowish. To fix this, you need a protective layer.
They are also not waterproof, being stiffer than the vinyl which makes them difficult to install on their own.
4. The best place
This type of floor will be very suitable for use in the family room, kitchen, bedroom, and dining room. The placement of the basement can be an alternative when you do not have a problem with humidity.
5. Costs
These floors are quite expensive than vinyl, you can get anywhere from $ 2 to $ 5 per square foot.
Ceramic Tiles
This flooring material is a mixture of burning clay and flakes. This floor is classified as a hard material that has many appearances from colors, patterns, and shapes.
1. Type
This floor has 4 main types:
- Porcelain; The floor has a manufacturing process by burning at high temperatures which makes it very hard and durable.
- Glazed Ceramics; Has a layer of glass that makes the room look more attractive and gives you a wide choice of colors and textures to suit your room.
- Mine; This tile is one of the unglazed ceramic tiles with a rough texture that is slip-resistant, although it doesn’t have many color choices.
- Clay; As the name suggests, these tiles only have a similar appearance to the soil and are less strong than other tiles and regular sealing will help prevent stains.
2.Pro
You can get more choices for colors and shapes, which can be adjusted according to existing styles. The development of existing technology makes ceramic tiles have more patterns to obtain, imitating the appearance of stone or wood (although not that warm).
3.Cons
These tiles are super cool and make footsteps sound really loud! The glossy finish of wet tiles can make them very slippery and even dangerous!
Each tile base material has varying durability and requires sealing for terracotta tiles!
4. Placement
Locating in a high traffic area can work well! Kitchen, humid room, and covered sun area can be options for your tiles.
5. Costs
For this material flooring, you have many variations in costs depending on the basic materials used and the sizes available. You might say anywhere from $ 2 to $ 15.
When choosing a unique floor for your home, make sure the flooring material fits your needs and budget! because each room has its own floor requirements.
