Best Type of Flooring for your Next Project

 

 

Ready to choose unique flooring types for your home? From gorgeous hardwood to affordable laminate to versatile vinyl plank and tile, there are countless options available.The right flooring should match your desired aesthetic and durability needs while keeping costs within budget. 

 

Make a list of Option

Considerations include aesthetics, price, durability, and upkeep. In addition, every room has different needs—you might want carpet for bedrooms, for instance, to muffle footsteps, or waterproof flooring for the basement. 

Hardwood Flooring

Best for: Entire home, except for wet environments

Hardwood flooring has remained a top flooring material throughout history for many reasons. It's durable, can last several lifetimes, and is unmatched in authentic beauty. After all, it's the real thing, not a replica.

Oak is the most commonly used hardwood flooring species, but other species like cherry and maple are popular options. Every hardwood species can be further customized through patterned layouts and finish options. 

High Price

Hardwood floors are on the more expensive end of the flooring spectrum, but they are a good investment, as they are guaranteed to last and can even increase the value of your home.

 

Solid Hardwood

Solid hardwood flooring is constructed of a solid plank of lumber, milled to a uniform thickness and width, with tongue and groove edges to interlock during installation. Solid hardwoods are wonderful for milder climates and, while they can be installed on the ground level with a crawl space, they are better suited for upper levels of your home. However, it’s important to note here that you must use HVAC or humidity controls. Otherwise, in high-humidity environments, solid hardwoods could cup or crown, which may result in buckling.

Regular Maintenance Required

While hardwood floors are undoubtedly durable, they require regular maintenance and treatment with specialty hardwood floor cleaners. The good news is that if the flooring does get damaged or scratched, it can be refinished. 

Engineered Hardwood

 

Unlike solid hardwoods, engineered hardwood flooring is suitable for any climate and can also be installed on any level in your home. The reason engineered hardwood is more versatile is because it offers a more durable construction. With multiple layers of wood veneers, topped with a stained species coated in a protective urethane layer, engineered hardwood offers a cross-layer veneer construction that is designed to reduce expansion. When it comes to refinishing options down the line, most engineered hardwood products won’t offer this capability.

Waterproof Hardwood

Waterproof hardwood flooring is a new hybrid flooring type that blends the best of both worlds. These gorgeous floors bring together the durability of waterproof rigid core flooring with the beauty of genuine hardwoods through revolutionary advanced technology. Because waterproof hardwood is so durable and versatile, it works in every single room of the house–even wet bathrooms! Waterproof hardwoods will increase your home’s resale value the same way as solid hardwoods because they are true hardwoods. Not to mention the fact that they offer complete worry-free flooring for busy households with kids and pets.  

 Laminate Flooring

 

Best for: Bathrooms, kitchens, basements, whole home

Laminate flooring is perfect if you want the look of hardwood flooring without the high price point. Though most laminate looks like wood, it can also reliably mimic the look of stone and tile.

Laminate flooring is much like engineered hardwood in that it has a finished top layer and seal covering compressed fiber materials. The only distinctive difference between laminate and engineered hardwood is that laminate doesn’t have that authentic top layer of wood. Instead, laminate offers a realistic wood-like appearance through a photo-captured image. 

Laminate’s photo-realistic images can also mimic the look of stone, ceramic tile, and even stained concrete. Did we also mention that laminate is much more affordable than the real thing? At a fraction of the cost, laminate flooring can make a room appear like it has original heirloom wood plank floors! 

Lots of Options

Its main advantage over vinyl is the wide range of textures, colors, and styles available. Laminate floors are made to look like hardwood, tile, marble, and more, so you can get a high-end look with any budget.

Limited Uses

Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with laminate. As one of the cheapest types of flooring, it is less durable than other materials and is only water resistant, not waterproof. That means it’s unsuitable for high-moisture areas like the bathroom and can’t be cleaned with a wet mop. It must also be replaced more frequently than more durable flooring options.

 

Types of Vinyl Flooring 

Best for: Bathrooms, kitchens, basements, whole home

Vinyl flooring is inexpensive and highly durable, making it a great flooring option for those with kids and pets. Best of all, vinyl flooring is easy to install, saving you the cost of professional installation. A downside is that vinyl flooring requires a perfectly level, smooth, and flat sub-floor. Other types of flooring can bridge minor imperfections, but vinyl flooring cannot.

Luxury Vinyl Planks and Tiles

 Luxury vinyl plank and tile flooring, otherwise known as LVP and LVT, make a great alternative to hardwoods, stone, and ceramic flooring. Constructed of a vinyl core with a printed film and wear layer, it’s a more flexible vinyl with a rigid texture for a truly well-rounded flooring option.

It’s important to note, however, that not all LVP and LVT promote themselves as waterproof or water-resistant. Stone plastic composite (SPC) is a vinyl flooring made up of a sturdy and dense rigid core blend of powdered limestone, polyvinyl chloride, and stabilizers. Rigid core flooring is a quite durable flooring option and it’s also completely waterproof, which means that rigid core planks will not swell or buckle. 

WPC(Wood Composite) and SPC(Stone Composite)

Wood composite flooring (WPC) is constructed of a similar rigid core, manufactured with either a recycled wood pulp and plastic blend or an air-expanded polymer composite, lends a less dense construction, and is also a more lightweight material overall.  Both SPC flooring and WPC flooring are completely waterproof flooring types that are easy to install and can resemble anything from natural wood to stone while offering a low price point for homeowners on a budget.  

 

Tile Flooring

 

Best for: Kitchens, bathrooms, commercial use, laundry room

Tile flooring is an extremely popular option with supreme durability and easy maintenance. From large-format tiles to penny tiles, the scale can be adjusted to better fit different-sized spaces, while the various materials, colors, and patterns offer plenty of stylish combinations. 

Engineered Tile - Alterna Tiles

Like stone, ceramic and porcelain, Alterna Engineered Tile flooring is incredibly beautiful and durable. But its comfortable surface makes Alterna warmer to the touch, kinder to your feet, and easier to care for in any room of your home.  

Lasting Strength

Enjoy superior durability backed by our lifetime warranty — tiles are water, scratch and stain repellent, and unlike natural stone, they are crack resistant.

Easy to Clean

Engineered tile handles kids, pets, water, high traffic and everyday messes, thanks to a stain-and-soil repellent surface (grout included).

Endless Design Possibilities

Elevate your home’s style with stone, marble or travertine looks in both modern-inspired designs and timeless classics.

Installation Made Easy

Yes, it's possible to get gorgeous, durable-for-life flooring in just a day. Alterna is faster, easier and cleaner to install than natural stone or ceramic tile — and best of all, less time and labor means your installation will cost less, too.

Ceramic Tile

• Best for: Any floor surface.
• Pros: Impervious to water, affordable
• Cons: Can be slippery underfoot when wet

The term "ceramic tile" is sometimes used to describe all types of hard tile materials, but it more accurately refers to a particular type of tile created by molding earthen clay's into flat shapes and firing them under high temperatures to harden them. 

When Shopping, Chamberlain Timber Mart recommends checking the ceramic tile lot number to ensure you have a clean, uniform end result. "Additionally, make sure you understand the difference between glazed and un-glazed. While un-glazed gives an artistic, rustic finish, glazed ceramic tiles provide more protection for longer lasting floors." 

Porcelain Tiles

• Best for: Any floors where a luxury look is sought.
• Pros: Slow water-absorption rate, thicker than ceramic
• Cons: Cutting tiles is difficult

Porcelain tile is a particular type of ceramic tile, made from finer clay's that are fired at higher temperatures than standard ceramic tiles. Porcelain tiles are a good choice for bathrooms, kitchens, and showers, where water resistance is critical. Porcelain is also preferred in situations where a premium look is desired, as the manufacturing process allows for porcelain to take on the look of a variety of materials—including natural stone, wood, or even metal.

Porcelain tiles are typically thicker than standard ceramic tiles, and most are suitable for flooring as well as walls. Because porcelain is a thicker, harder material, cutting tiles is a more difficult process that requires a motor-driven wet saw. Still, many DIYers can and do install porcelain tile floors themselves. The biggest drawback with porcelain tile is that installation can be tricky. While you can DIY an install, many homeowners forget that you also need an adhesive when laying down this type of flooring. 

Mosaic Tiles

 

• Best for: Flooring borders, bathrooms.
• Pros: Looks custom, easy to install
• Cons: Many grout lines, not ideal for floors

The term mosaic tile refers to a particular type of ceramic or porcelain tile that uses small tiles pre-attached to a flexible mesh backing. Using mosaic sheets provides an easy way to achieve the look of a custom tile installation that was once accomplished by skilled installers setting tiny individual tiles in a wet mortar base, one by one.

Mosaic sheets are more typically used for backsplashes and are generally not a very good material for entire floor surfaces, due to the many grout lines. But they are sometimes used in bathrooms, or to create decorative borders or accent areas on a floor that is laid with larger ceramic or porcelain tile. 

Depending on the type of tile you choose, mosaic tiles can look dated quickly. Keep that in mind as you select not just the tile, but the space where it will be installed.  

Terra Cotta Tile

 

• Best for: Rustic, natural-looking floors, patios, and sunrooms.
• Pros: Easy to DIY, affordable
• Cons: Prone to staining

The term terra cotta is an Italian term meaning "baked earth." These are tiles made from porous clay with a high iron content that gives them a brown-to-reddish color. They are typically used in homes with Southwest or Mediterranean decor or architecture, where they lend a rustic, natural look. They are also used for sunrooms, patios, and in outdoor settings, especially in arid climates.

Because they are naturally porous, terra cotta tiles are prone to staining unless they are regularly sealed. Terra cotta tiles are installed using the same methods as ceramic and porcelain tiles. Cutting is usually done with a motorized wet saw. DIY installation is entirely feasible for a do-it-yourself with moderate skills and some previous tile experience.

 Quarry Tile

 

• Best for: Entryways, patios, kitchens.
• Pros: Slip-resistant, doesn't require sealing
• Cons: Difficult to cut

Quarry tile can best be thought of as a more engineered version of terra cotta. Rather than being formed of pure clay, quarry tiles are comprised of a blend of clays and pulverized rock, such as feldspar and shale, that is molded, then fired at a relatively high temperature to form tiles that are harder and more impervious to water than terra cotta. With a COF of .8 and greater, quarry tile provides excellent slip resistance. While many quarry tiles are brick-red in color, there are also tan and gray versions available.

Terra cotta tiles are installed much like other forms of clay-based tile. But because they are thick tiles that include hard minerals, cutting is more difficult and must be done with a fairly powerful wet saw. Unlike terra cotta, quarry tile generally does not require sealing—though adding a seal coat does not harm them. 

Though durable, quarry tiles are susceptible to staining, so they shouldn't be used in the kitchen. Chamberlain Timber Mart recommends them for other high-traffic areas since they offer a sense of purposeful design and are naturally slip-resistant.  

Natural Stone Tiles

• Best for: Floors where a luxurious look is desired.
• Pros: High-end, provides a luxury look
• Cons: High-maintenance, requires regular sealing, expensive

Granite, marble, slate, travertine, limestone, and soapstone are all commonly available as flooring tiles, though you'll usually need to shop at specialty tile retailers rather than big-box home improvement stores. Natural stone tiles are available in textured forms, as well as highly polished tiles, but glossy tiles tend to be better suited for countertops, where the smoothness does not pose a slipping hazard.

Natural stone tile will make a somewhat high-maintenance floor. Be aware that many types of stone are naturally porous and require regular sealing to guard against water penetration and staining. Natural stone tiles are cut products with rectified (sharply sawn) edges. This can make them uncomfortable underfoot, especially to bare feet. Careful grouting is necessary to keep the grout seams flush with the tile surface, and to keep them from trapping dirt.

 Marble Tiles

 

Though costly, marble tiles add an instant touch of elegance and refinement to any room. If you're looking to add beauty to any kitchen or bath, laying down marble tiles immediately upgrades the space, Marble Tile also delivers texture and depth, as it's either patterned or veined. You'll never have the same piece

Marble requires a lot of upkeep to keep it looking pristine. And like any stone, marble tile is susceptible to scratches and stains in addition to being difficult to clean.

Granite Tiles

 

Granite is a natural stone that has a similar look and feel to marble because of its natural flecks, though there are some notable differences (like how you clean it). Granite has been overused and tends to look like a cheaper alternative.

That's partly because it actually often is the cheaper alternative, which is nothing to balk at if you're on a budget. Use granite tiles in a laundry room or other secondary space where performance and lower cost are your top priority. 

 Carpet

Best for: Bedrooms, hallways, playrooms

Carpet has remained a popular flooring option for decades. While it's rare to see high-traffic areas like living rooms and dining rooms carpeted these days, many homeowners still opt for carpet in bedrooms, hallways, and bonus rooms like playrooms. 

Most people’s concerns around carpets involve hygiene and maintenance. While carpet technology has evolved and many carpets have stain-resistant qualities, carpets will eventually wear and need replacing every 5-10 years. Carpets pick up dirt and grime, so they’re not the best option for extreme allergy sufferers. They also require regular care with a vacuum and steam cleaner to keep them looking their best. Where pets are concerned, steer clear from loose weaves, as claws can quickly destroy them.  

Bamboo Flooring

Best for: High-traffic areas, whole home, commercial use

Bamboo flooring is a low-maintenance, durable alternative to hardwood flooring. This highly renewable material is often mistaken for wood when it's technically a type of grass. However, as a flooring material, it's comparable to wood in terms of appearance. 

Bamboo Flooring is sensitive to Moisture and Tends to Scratch easily.

 

If you’re looking for the best flooring for a particular room or space in your home, be sure to explore all the different options that can elevate your style. A Sales Expert at Chamberlain Timber Mart is Ready to assist you with making the best decision for your home ans style.