Is it time for new flooring?
If so, you’ll have a lot of things to consider. Nowadays, aesthetics aren’t the only thing you have to worry about. We all lead different lives with a lot of variables that maybe our parents and older generations didn’t really need to think about.
We get it, narrowing down your list for any home improvement project is hard.
That’s why in this blog post, we’re going to help you with the decision of choosing the right flooring by going over the different things you should consider.
Budget
Budget is the most important thing to get down because it’s going to dictate your real options when choosing your flooring. Ideally, you can put the majority of your budget into flooring, but that’s not always the case since home improvement projects are usually batched together. New floors coming with new cabinets, countertops, and a repaint for example.
Cheapest Flooring Option
Laminate flooring is both the cheapest option and easiest to install. Luckily the laminate flooring you find at Home Depot isn’t the laminate flooring you may remember growing up. It’s stylish and can replace the look of wood and stone to name a few options.
How Much Maintenance Can You Handle?
All types of flooring will need some type of maintenance. Honestly, if you want the cheapest and lowest budget flooring option, you can stop reading here because the perfect combination would be laminate.
However, let’s dig a little deeper.
If you go with tile flooring, you’ll need to keep the grout clean once every few years. Limestone needs to be sealed twice a year.
Maintaining your floors takes time and honestly, it’s not as high up on your list compared to everything else you have to do as a homeowner.
Low Maintenance Flooring
If you have a bit of a higher budget threshold, then concrete flooring is your best option since it requires no maintenance. No vacuuming, sealing, or deep scrubbing. Properly sealed concrete floors can shrug off dirt, spills, and everything in between.
Of course, you have to keep in mind the cons of concrete flooring, which aren’t the best for the elderly and children who are prone to falling.
Personal Style
This one is very subjective. $2 per square foot is the same anywhere and to you and I, but who’s to say that vinyl is better than brick? Nobody can really make a definitive decision except for you.
If the personal style isn’t too important to you, ask the others who live with you. If it does matter, then go with what looks the best in your eyes.
Try your best to picture how each style would look in your home and not just in a model kitchen at Home Depot.
What color are your walls? Your appliances? What’s the overall theme of your home? If it’s a kitchen, will you be cooking a lot?
Traffic Flow
Take into account how much a room is used. This can change how much maintenance you can expect to do.
The type of traffic matters.
When we say type, we mean people wearing shoes, pets, a hungry & sweaty construction worker coming home from work, kids coming home from school, etc. This is why we tend to save carpet for the bedroom and living room.
Vinyl has some of the most water-resistant qualities making it good for homeowners with pets. You can also go with a brick if you can commit to having it sealed routinely.
A simple rule is the more foot traffic a room gets means it will need more durable flooring.