Flooring can be one of the most invasive home updates you will do. Furniture needs to be moved! How will it transition to other rooms and other materials? Demo and prep time can be messy, and humans have not mastered hovering, so travelling through the home while it is all being done can be uncomfortable.
When choosing your new floors you want to make the right choices for you and how you live in your home. This is the foundation of the space, how it will look, feel and function. Making the right choice of floors is an important decision.
3 of the main flooring choices today are:
- Engineered Hardwood.
- Luxury Vinyl
- Tiles.
There are so many others such as hardwood, sheet vinyl, polished concrete, carpet, cork, etc. But for the sake of this article we will focus on the top three that Simply Design generally works with.
Engineered Hardwood is a wonderful choice when you want a modern look with the warmth of real wood. There are seemingly endless options for colour and plank width.
Warm underfoot, versatile as it works on all levels of your home. Not a good choice in a bathroom, or mudroom, and there are considerations to note when using in a kitchen and the entry area of your home, but overall engineered hardwood is a popular choice for good reason!
Luxury Vinyl is probably in my opinion a floor material whose popularity has exploded, and the reasons are all very valid! It is waterproof, with an amazing selection of colours and patterns; everything from wood look to tiles, to stone. Durable, easy to install and maintain. It is important to keep in mind though, prep is key, if you install on a poorly prepped surface you may have issues and void warranty and it has been my experience you “get what you pay for” with this material, some of the lower priced flooring options have a locking system that are not great thus making installation more difficult which can lead to issues later down the line with the seams opening up. So it is best to invest in good quality brands with good ratings and warranty. But when the right choice is made you will surely be happy with your decision.
Tile is likely the most durable floor option of the three I am touching on. If you have a space that has a LOT of traffic, water or requires something that will wear the best tiles are the way to go. What can be done with tiles are endless with so many looks, colours, patterns to choose from you can really make a space special and reflect your style. For me the main con is it is a hard floor and in a space such as your kitchen, where you may find yourself standing for hours it would not be my first choice for flooring. But many do love tiles for their kitchen and it would be the first choice of flooring for an entry area or bathroom for sure!
Some tips to help you choose your flooring:
- Medium tones will save you from feeling like you need to clean your floors all the time. Most people want to wash floors 1-2 times per week, but unless you love cleaning floors daily, very dark or very light floors are not my favorite choice as they will show more dirt.
- Sometimes it’s best to avoid looks that are too trendy, floors are a big expense and choosing a floor that will not only physically last 10-20 or more years, having floors that will also have a timeless look that are transferable to new trends is a good idea.
- Get help, work with a flooring specialist or an interior designer to make informed choices when choosing your floors and if you find it daunting to DIY your floors there is no shame in hiring someone to install them! Working with a flooring company that can supply and install will ensure that it is done correctly and should there be a warranty situation they will take care of it!
Simply Design can help you with your flooring decisions, whether it’s simply helping you choose the right colour, or if you need help through the entire process including all the other things that may fold into a flooring project such as choosing the right materials, trim, team of professionals!