Common New Construction Home Dilemmas: How to Select the Perfect Flooring Material Based on Your Needs and Personal Style Preference

By | February 20, 2017

Choosing the right flooring for each room in a home can be extremely difficult and overwhelming. There are so many different options; and, while function is certainly priority, you still want it to reflect your personal taste.

The first thing you should ask yourself is how many people will be using the room on a regular basis (if hardly at all). Will there be a lot of traffic, or next to none? If you have children, you can answer yes to the lots of traffic question for just about every room. Do you have any animals? Will you need to clean the floor often? Are you fine replacing the floor every so often in order to have a material you prefer aesthetically that may not necessarily provide the function you need? 

When it comes to the kitchen, you want to aim toward a flooring material that is both durable and easy to clean. Popular choices are linoleum and ceramic tile, as well as wood. Linoleum is by far the cheapest, and most easy to clean; ceramic tiles offer the same perks, however they are easier to maintain and they resist most scratches.

Do keep in mind that under certain conditions, ceramic tiles are likely to crack. If the home is old, you should consider replacing the subfloor at the same time. Hardwood, despite critic opinions, are a great choice for the kitchen. If you have children, ceramic tiles can be slippery, and will be a harder fall should one happen. However, you must provide a very good finish in order to protect the wood against the moisture that will definitely get onto the wood.

Bathrooms obviously can rack up lots of moisture. Great flooring options for the bathroom include tile, linoleum, limestone, granite, and marble. These are all very functional. It will really chalk up to personal preference, as well as your bank account limitations. Bathroom flooring can get very expensive depending on the size of your bathroom, and the material you select. Keep in mind, that unless you go for linoleum, you’re probably going to need to hire a professional.

When it comes to the living room, some people prefer wood, carpet, or both. Others prefer tile, which offers hundreds of styles and patterns. Tiles certainly are cold; unless you plan to put lots of rugs down, they aren’t an ideal choice for a family living room. However, they do offer so many choices that they really can tie in the overall look to a room depending on the design style you go for. 

Wood flooring is always a beautiful choice, and is easier on your joints. It is very easy to clean, and can last a long time. When the shine has run its course, it can always be sanded and refinished, which makes it a wonderful option in terms of life-shelf. There are many options regarding color and wood; oak is by far the most popular, but maple, birch and pine are other contenders. Know that wood comes in different quality grades, and you will want to take that into consideration when choosing the floor.

They also differ when it comes to pricing. Don’t be stressed about choosing flooring for each room; your budget will help eliminate many of the choices, so you won’t be left with quite as many as you think (unless you have an unlimited budget, which most of the population does not). Do be aware that you should avoid wood in the basement, even if it is a finished basement. While wood may look nice, you could end up with a million problems, including mold. Carpet is also a bad idea. If you still want the look of wood floors in the basement, go with laminate wood. Many people do still put carpet in finished basements. In terms of risk, its a coin toss. Lots of moisture can accumulate in basements, and you could end up with a moldy carpet.

Choosing a floor should be fun. Set your budget, and figure out what would work best in terms of functionality. For example, in a sitting room where time spent in the room would be limited, you can maybe splurge a little and get an expensive flooring material that you want.

6 thoughts on “Common New Construction Home Dilemmas: How to Select the Perfect Flooring Material Based on Your Needs and Personal Style Preference

  1. Leila

    If you’re choosing a new floor for a rental, I have one word of caution: do not use carpet. Total mistake. Your absolute best option is laminate flooring. You couldn’t scratch it unless you literally drove a fresh knife across the boards. You can move sofas, armoires, really anything, and it won’t scratch it. Carpet on the other hand…

    Reply
  2. Frank

    Completely agree. The problem with carpet isn’t the new tenants; its the next tenants…and the ones after that…and the ones after that. You’ll have to constantly replace it if you want to keep it rented at the price you want. Prospective tenants ALWAYS use the carpet as a bargaining tool.

    Reply
  3. Maynard

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