Generally, while decorating a house, people spend huge amounts on Walls, furniture, decorations, etc. They even hire an interior decorator, for giving a complete change over to their house. People either forget about the floors during there makeover even if they remember and want to change their floors they do not have complete knowledge of all the available options.
It is not easy to select the type of flooring as there are several factors that divine the decisions. Each of the flooring options has its own advantage and disadvantage. So it becomes important for an individual to properly go through each of the types in detail and then select suitable options.
Factor Governing the selection criteria
There are some of the important factors that help in the selection of the flooring types
• Budget – The main and foremost determining factor because its money that determines everything.
• Location – what are the physical conditions where the floor has to be installed like is it a semi-wet area, wet area, dry area or high traffic area.
• Maintenance – This is very important, otherwise all your effort and money will be wasted. If you cannot take care of the floor as prescribed by the manufacture.
• Look and feel – Experience is the best teacher so before buying any kind of floor, it is always recommended that one should check all kinds of a floor in person at the shops.
Types of Floor
1. Hand wood – They are best suited for living rooms, halls, and bedrooms, dining space.
one of the advantages of this kind of flooring is that they are very durable and can go with any kind of décor. They can be easily installed.
The one major disadvantage is that they cannot handle rough situations.
2. Engineered Wood – They appear the same as that of the hand wood and hence have the same type of application. However, an extra feature in this wood is that they can be used in porches (enclosed) and basements.
The biggest advantage is that they can give your house a look of hand wood, but very economical.
The disadvantage is that they are less durable.
3. Ceramics Tiles – They are best suited for high traffic areas like the kitchen. They can be the best option for bathrooms and toilets.
The one advantage is that they come in various shapes and colors.
The one disadvantage is that they are very delicate and hard to walk. They are also slippy.
4. Laminate – They can be used in kitchens, playrooms, basements. They can easily be installed over the existing floor, thus can save a huge amount of the money.
Another important feature is that they require less maintenance.
The major drawback that is associated with them is that they cannot stand water for a longer duration of time.
5. Vinyl – They are suitable for bathrooms, toilets, and kitchen. They are soft to walk barefooted and also warm. They are very economical and have a large life span.
6. Bamboo– Some sellers put the bamboo in the hand wood list while some put it in the special list bamboo. They are a sustainable, eco-friendly option for your home. They are quite cheap and can be used where there is water or moisture.
7. Cork Flooring– They are best suitable for living areas, kitchens bedrooms, and playrooms. As they are obtained from the trees, they are warm and have vibrant looks. One can very easily install this type of flooring as they want.
But a major drawback is that they are very sophisticated as any sharp object like the heels of ladies’ sandal may damage.
Another important factor that needs to be taken care of is that they are not suitable for the bathrooms.
8. Linoleum Flooring – They can be used for playrooms, family rooms, and kitchen. They are also made from biodegradable materials. It can be easily damaged by furniture legs and high heels.
9. Rubber Flooring – They are suitable for bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and garages. They block sound and are moisture-proof which are more comfortable underfoot. They are in several designs and colors.
The important feature is that they are DIY friendly tiles and fit together with interlocking edges.
The drawback is that it is sensitive to the people who have problems with the smell of rubber and it looks not so expensive.
Therefore, as one can see there are plenty of options available to choose from. An important feature that one should keep in mind for selecting a type of flooring is Traffic, price, the effect of moisture.
