If your current floors are faded, worn, cracked, or ripped up, it is time to get a new one. However, you should understand all of the options available to you before you choose a new one. Let’s look at some of the latest innovations and trends in flooring and compare them to the tried and true classics. Photo Credit: Archer & Buchanan Architecture
Photo Credit: Carpet World of Martinsburg
Laminate Floors
Laminate floors are an affordable alternative to hardwood floors. They’re cheaper than solid wood floors, and they can be installed much faster. Quality laminate wood floors will be indistinguishable from solid wood floors, and the luxury end of the market has wood layers so thick you may even be able to refinish them. You can choose laminate floors in almost any color. These floors resist scratches and moisture better than traditional wood floors, though they are not waterproof.
Photo Credit: Northwest Floors
Solid Wood Floors
Solid wood floors are a classic choice for many reasons. Solid wood floors can last for years as long as they’re protected from water and pests. This is why real hardwood floors have often lasted a hundred years. They may be scratched up, but they can be sanded smooth. You can stain them another color in many cases or simply paint them.
Photo Credit: Christoff and Sons Floor Covering
Buying hardwood floors is a sustainable choice. British hardwoods are raised in forests that harbor a wide variety of wildlife, and the wood doesn’t have to be shipped or processed very much. You may even be able to find reclaimed hardwood that is entirely recycled from other projects. Solid wood floors always look natural because they are natural, though you have to take care to protect them from fading on exposure to sunlight. Adding UV protectant to the wood adds to the cost and can undermine the eco-friendliness of the purchase.
Photo Credit: Black Orchid Design
Engineered Wood Floors
You don’t have to wait for a clearance flooring sale to find affordable engineered wood floors. Engineered floors have a number of benefits compared to laminate and traditional hardwood floors. They won’t warp or swell on exposure to moisture, and they block moisture better than traditional hardwood. This means they require less maintenance than conventional wood floors and they are a popular flooring trend.
Photo Credit: Black Orchid Design
The engineered layers can be laid down on uneven floors to get an even floor in some cases. They can be sanded and finished like traditional wood floors. A side benefit of engineered hardwood floors is that they are more environmentally friendly. The wood veneer is sliced instead of cut with a saw, and they need less wood to make each panel. This means there is less wood cut to make the floors and far less waste like sawdust.
Photo Credit: Glendale Tile Company
Carpets
Carpets are one of the most common and popular flooring trend choices. They’re affordable. They can go in place over concrete or other types of floors if the work is done by a professional. They can be installed quickly, though it shouldn’t be a do-it-yourself job. Carpets dampen noise and insulate a room. They can get stained, but you can clean them, too.
Photo Credit: Cullum Homes Design
They shouldn’t be wet for long, but a wet carpet can air out, whereas wet wood floors will swell up and permanently deform. Carpet comes in any color you’d like. One downside with carpet is that it shows wear and tear. Another is the amount of work involved in vacuuming it. Yet you need to vacuum often if your family is tracking in dirt or your pets are shedding.
Photo Credit: Shaw Floors
Vinyl Floors
Modern vinyl floors rarely look like plastic anymore. In fact, you can get vinyl tiles that resemble stone and porcelain tile. It has the same resistance to water as stone and tile, but it costs far less and goes in much faster. Just don’t let it get ripped up by moving heavy furniture on it.
Photo Credit: Barnards Carpet One Floor & Home
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