The 4 Best Flooring Options for Your Home

If you’re building a custom home or embarking on a home remodeling project, you need to know what the best flooring options are for your home and budget. The truth is, there’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all answer to what the best flooring options are for your home, because it can largely depend on the room the floor will be part of. 

Certain flooring options work better in specific rooms because of their intended use. Some flooring options are more resilient to elements such as moisture or general wear and tear. However, others might be softer on the feet and quieter or easier to maintain. A flooring option that works best for the daily activities of your kitchen might not be the best option for the comfort of your bedroom, and vice versa. Also, some types of flooring are simply more expensive than others. 

Therefore, it’s critical to understand what the best flooring options are for your home based on the material. We will expand on that in this article and explain some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type. We will also give examples and suggestions of rooms that might be best suited for each flooring option. 

Here are some of the best flooring options for your home. 

1. Hardwood
2. Manufactured flooring
3. Ceramic tile
4. Carpet

1. Hardwood

Hardwood is an easy favorite among homeowners. It is one of the best flooring options for your home for many reasons, one of which is that it increases the retail value of your home because it is a highly sought-after feature for home buyers. But what is hardwood flooring, and what makes it so great?

Hardwood, as it sounds, is flooring made of solid wood. This flooring comes in either strips or planks that are installed by nailing them to a wooden subfloor. Hardwood flooring can be made out of a variety of wood types and is sold either finished or unfinished. 

What’s great about hardwood flooring is that most people find it aesthetically pleasing and it works with just about any home design style and decor. It is one of the longest-lasting flooring options and can be refinished up to five times to remove scratches from the surface. It is easy to clean and maintain. Also, the installation is simple enough for some people to do on their own, cutting down the overall cost.

However, hardwood flooring is generally more expensive. Also, it doesn’t hold up well to rough treatment and is vulnerable to scratches and dents. This flooring also does not hold up well with being exposed to moisture over time. These features make it less suitable for high-traffic rooms such as mudrooms and the kitchen, and also not the best option for laundry rooms or bathrooms due to moisture.  

2. Manufactured flooring

Next on our list of the best flooring options is the broad category of manufactured flooring. Manufactured flooring might include:

• Engineered wood
• Laminate
• Vinyl 
• Linoleum 

Each of these types is made by different processes and materials, the details of which give them slightly different advantages and disadvantages. However, overall the biggest advantage of these types is that the manufacturing process generally makes them a cheaper option, offering a wide variety of styles. They also tend to hold up well to foot traffic and moisture. However, they are not as long-lasting as other flooring types and need to be replaced sooner. Some also consider the manufacturing process of certain types to be less environmentally friendly. 

3. Glazed ceramic tile

Ceramic tile is made much like pottery. It is a mixture of clay and shale that is baked in a kiln. It is hard and durable and comes in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and shapes. There are generally four main types of ceramic tile:

• Glazed ceramic
• Porcelain
• Quarry tile
• Terracotta

However, we will focus on glazed ceramic and porcelain, as the other options require more upkeep. Since floor tile comes in so many varieties it makes it very versatile for any room style. Porcelain tile is one of the most durable types of flooring, being resistant to scratches, dents, and, importantly, moisture. This makes it one of the best flooring options for rooms such as the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. If you choose glazed ceramic or porcelain tile, cleaning and maintenance are very easy.

One of the biggest disadvantages of tile flooring is that it is so cold and hard on bare feet and can be slippery. It also amplifies sound, making it one of the loudest flooring options. Although easy to clean, the grout between the tiles is susceptible to staining when not sealed properly. Lastly, though it is durable, it is not an easy repair if it does manage to crack.  

4. Carpet

Carpet is a classic and still one of the flooring options. It is typically made by pulling soft fibers through a woven backing which is then reinforced by gluing to additional backing. You then install it by nailing it overtop a cushioning layer of padding. Carpet is versatile and comes in a large variety of colors, textures, and materials, such as:

• Wool 
• Nylon
• Acrylic
• Polyester
• Polypropylene 

People love carpet for rooms where you relax such as bedrooms and living rooms because of how soft it is on the feet. It is also less prone to slipping and provides a much quieter surface for foot traffic. 

However, probably the biggest disadvantage to carpet is that it is more difficult to keep clean than the other types. It is susceptible to staining, and it easily traps dirt that often takes deep steam cleaning to remove apart from regular vacuuming. This also makes it a bad option for people with severe allergies, as the carpet fibers not only trap dirt but other allergens as well.   

Are you ready to custom-build a home and discuss your best flooring options with professionals you can trust? No idea is too big or too small. If you’re ready to turn your dream home into a reality, contact us today for a free consultation! At Chadwick Custom Homes, our experts are dedicated to building the perfect custom home of your dreams. So why wait? The first step is easy! Talk to one of our experts today so we can help get you into your dream forever home as soon as possible.

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