Flooring – Discover the Pros and Cons of Making a Selection

Whether you like carpet, tile, hardwoods or even laminate, flooring is an important part of your home. With so many options, it can be difficult to make selection.

Everyone has different reasons for choosing the type of material that will cover the ground inside their home. Some people like to get out of bed and feel the softness of carpet between their toes. Others love the look and appeal hardwoods have to offer. Furthermore, tile can be a great conversation piece since there are so many design options available. Even laminate provides some great choices. Explore a few pros and cons of various flooring to help you narrow down what’s best for your home.

Carpet
A tried and true choice for many homes, carpet is often times a great option. It comes in a ton of colors, textures and even designs. You can also choose the type of padding you want to help with that cushiony feel so many people love. Also, you won’t have to worry about scuff marks or whether or not you’ll put a knick in it with your shoe. However, having wall to wall carpet flooring in you home can prove to be difficult to clean, especially if your carpet is light in color. And if you have kids, expect for it to get dirty even faster. High-traffic areas are the worst, since no amount of carpet cleaning truly gets all the dirt out. And if you’re one those people that doesn’t want to deal with cleaning it so often, then you should just replace it.

Tile
With all the amazing designs, colors, patterns, and textures of tile, the possibilities in your home are endless. Tile can add that special touch to your decorating needs and the best part is that you don’t have to worry about stains. With just a good mop and some elbow grease, you can keep you tile looking great at all times. However, if you have small children that are prone to falling, tile doesn’t buffer their fall the way carpet can.

Wood
The beauty of hardwood flooring is usually rivaled by none other. Whether you like a rich, deep mahogany or something lighter like a birch color, wood can really give your home a luxurious look. For some families, it may be hard to keep your wood looking nice simply because it’s susceptible to denting, scratches, scuff marks and residue. In order to combat such issues, it’s a good idea to take shoes off in the home, particularly women’s heels. Also, be careful not to drag furniture or any other object across the wood that could be damaging. Furthermore, depending on your type of wood and whether or not it’s been sealed, you will need to be really careful with water to ensure the wood doesn’t swell or warp.

Laminate
If you want to have nice-looking flooring on a budget, laminate may be the option for you. At first thought, you may turn your nose up at the material. Yet, with all of today’s innovations, laminate has come a long way. Just keep in mind that while laminate is a really versatile choice, it is definitely not a high-end material and those with a discerning eye can tell the difference. So if this bothers you, you may want to go with a different choice.