Regardless, hardwood is an excellent type of flooring for many well-trafficked areas of the home, including bedrooms and dining rooms. A budget-friendly alternative to hardwood, laminate flooring continues to be popular because of its durability. Made of a high-density fiberboard or plywood core, a plastic design layer, and a protective wear layer, laminate mimics the look of hardwood or stone while also offering stain, scratch and scuff-resistance.
Some laminate available today offers moisture resistance, but be sure to check the manufacturer specifications and warranty before installing it in your bathroom or laundry room. Because of its durability and cost, laminate is a perfect floor for bedrooms , hallways, kitchens, laundry rooms, or anywhere else you want the look of hardwood.
For example, strand-woven bamboo flooring—made of shredded bamboo fibers mixed with resins and formed into planks—is nearly twice as hard as oak flooring. That said, bamboo is one of the most beloved types of flooring for kitchens, hallways, and dining rooms. Our advice: talk to the real experts.
Use this flooring near me search to find a local retailer in your area! Proud flooring aficionado and office dog mom, "Flauren" has been a professional writer and editor for more than a decade though she still maintains her magnum opus was "The Day it Snowed Slurpees," written at the age of 6. Your email address will not be published. November 9, Have some questions about putting vinyl plank flooring on stairs?
We hear you. Vinyl plank is gorgeous, easy to install, and is among the most durable wood flooring alternatives out there. Plank vinyl is also easy to repair — just remove and replace a damaged plank — and all types of vinyl flooring are very easy to clean. Vinyl flooring varies in quality. Also, HomeAdvisor notes that some types of vinyl flooring emit high levels of harmful volatile organic chemicals, or VOCs. Another harmful type of chemical, called phthalates, used to be a problem in vinyl flooring as well.
Vinyl is appropriate for kitchens, baths, and other wet rooms. For decades, it mostly disappeared from homes as vinyl became more popular.
However, concerns about the chemicals in vinyl flooring have revived interest in this old-fashioned alternative. Like vinyl flooring, linoleum is available in sheets, tiles, or laminated planks that you can install as a floating floor. Some linoleum comes with a protective coating to reduce wear and prevent stains; other types need to be refinished every couple of years.
Linoleum flooring is even more durable than vinyl. According to the DIY Network , a linoleum floor can last up to 40 years with proper care. Like vinyl, linoleum feels soft underfoot and comes in a wide range of colors and styles.
It can also darken or turn yellowish in rooms that get a lot of sunlight. However, a protective coating can help prevent these problems. Coated linoleum is low-maintenance, but uncoated linoleum needs regular waxing to maintain its sheen. And, although linoleum does not emit harmful VOCs, HomeAdvisor warns that the linseed oil in it can give off a strong smell for a couple of weeks after installation.
Linoleum flooring is a good choice in living spaces such as dens, kitchens, and family rooms. However, the cost of professional installation is about the same. Another type of resilient flooring is made from cork, the bark of a particular type of tree.
You can harvest this bark every eight to 10 years without killing the tree, making cork a sustainable material. The bark is boiled, ground up, compressed into sheets with a resin binder, and baked in a kiln.
Some types of cork flooring have a veneer of natural cork bark over a backing of either compressed cork or high-density fiberboard. Cork flooring comes in two forms. You can buy tiles that you glue down to install or planks that typically have a click-lock edge and can be installed as a floating floor.
Like other resilient flooring, cork is warm, quiet, and soft underfoot. It has a natural look and is slip-resistant. Both cork tiles and click-lock planks are easy to install yourself. Cork flooring is also an eco-friendly choice. According to HGTV , not only is it made from renewable resources, it actually uses up leftover material from wine cork production that would otherwise go to waste.
Cork flooring is naturally resistant to mildew, mold, termites, and fire, and it can last 40 years or more with proper maintenance.
Cork is vulnerable to moisture, scratches, tears, and dents. Although some cork flooring comes prefinished, it still needs to be resealed every two to three years with wax or polyurethane to protect it from stains and water damage. Cork can work in bedrooms, kitchens, playrooms, and living areas.
Wall-to-wall carpet is a perennial favorite for bedrooms and living areas. You install it by nailing it down over a layer of padding, which adds cushioning and prolongs the life of the carpet. Carpet is a versatile flooring choice, available in a wide variety of colors, textures, and materials. It can be made from:.
Carpeting varies in thickness and fiber density. In general, the higher the density, the more durable the carpet will be. Many people like carpet because it feels soft and warm underfoot. Carpeting is more difficult to clean than hard flooring. Even with regular vacuuming, it can still harbor dirt that only steam cleaning can remove. The soft fibers of a carpet can harbor allergens such as pollen and pet dander, making it a bad choice if anyone in your home suffers from allergies.
Carpet is most appropriate for areas such as bedrooms and living rooms, where less dirt gets tracked in and nothing is likely to be spilled on it. Polypropylene carpets can also work in outdoor spaces such as enclosed porches. As this cost guide from Fixr shows, carpet is usually less expensive than traditional hardwood flooring.
Inexpensive flooring types such as vinyl and laminate can fit nearly any budget. Here are some strategies that can help. For example, maybe you can find a budget-priced tile or laminate that gives you the look you want for less. Before you make your final decision about flooring, buy a small sample to take home with you.
Even if a product looks great in the showroom, you have no way of knowing how it will look with your decor and lighting until you see it in your space. Check out reuse centers , such as Habitat for Humanity ReStores , for deals on flooring. Stores like these often carry tile, wood, or sheet vinyl either left over from building projects or salvaged from old buildings.
Another way to save on materials is to shop at overstock websites, such as Overstock. These sites buy up excess flooring materials from manufacturers and sell them to the public, often at costs lower than most retail stores.
Most stores that sell flooring are willing to bargain a little in order to make a sale. To negotiate effectively, do some research ahead of time to see what the same product costs elsewhere. Look for small flaws in the product you can use as an excuse to ask for a lower price. Depending on what material you choose, you could cut the cost of your new floor by more than half if you DIY the installation rather than hiring a professional.
If you decide to hire a professional to install your new floors, make sure you find the right contractor for the job. Make HomeAdvisor your first resource.
Get quotes from several different contractors and check their licenses, reviews, and references. Each choice has its own pros and cons. Saving for a flooring project, like any other savings goal, is a step-by-step process. United States. United Kingdom.
Debbie Wolfe, Samantha Allen. Contributor, Editor. Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Find A Flooring Contractor. Was this article helpful?
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