It’s undeniable—the floor in your house takes the hardest knocks and a lot of abuse. Muddy paws through your hallway, rowdy kids running around the playroom, and even table legs scrape across your kitchen or dining areas. That is why it is so important to make the right decision when choosing, purchasing, and installing a new floor in your home. As a Maryland flooring contractor, we know that installing the same flooring option won’t be the right way through each room in your house. What works in your dining room is less likely to meet your needs in the bedroom.
So, if you are considering replacing your existing floor, you must think about how you use each room before buying and installing a new flooring material. While working as a Maryland flooring contractor, we have analyzed several areas in a typical home and identified which flooring option suits best for each room. In this guide, we will help you choose the right flooring options for your bedroom, dining room, basement, and more.
Kitchen and Mudroom
From chairs dragging back and forth to dirt-covered shoes rubbing against the floor, the mudroom and kitchen have the hardest-working floors in your home. Simply put, these are high traffic areas that you need to deal with every day. This means you must choose a flooring type that can stand up so well to high traffic—something that is less prone to denting or warping. Not to mention that it should be considerably tough to withstand foot traffic over time.
In choosing the right flooring for your kitchen and mudroom, make sure to select an easy-to-clean flooring type. When your family spends a lot of time that spillages are pretty much inevitable, you may want a material that is so easy for upkeep.
Our Recommendation: Porcelain Tile and Vinyl
With resistance to dents and scratching and very much fit for high foot traffic areas, porcelain tile can outperform other flooring materials. Not only it comes with a wide range of designs and styles to blend well with any décor, but it is also a low-maintenance flooring option. Simple vacuuming or sweeping can clean the debris up if you have porcelain tile installed. It can also last for a lifetime.
Today’s vinyl flooring, on the other hand, is much more durable than before. Luxury vinyl flooring is a great choice for the kitchen. It is waterproof, which makes it easier for you to clean spilled liquid or food.
Bedroom
As a Maryland flooring contractor who deals with homeowners a lot, there is no doubt that the bedroom is all about comfort, style, and warmth. When it comes to choosing a flooring option for your bedroom, it is about personal preferences and style.
Our Recommendation: Carpet and Hardwood
While we know it’s about personal choices in the bedroom, our top choice goes to carpet flooring. This is because the carpet is comfortable on bare feet. A premium plush, soft carpet flooring creates a cozy vibe inside your most private room. Not to mention that carpet flooring offers a wide array of benefits such as strong insulation, acoustical advantages, and more. However, if you do not prefer carpet flooring, solid hardwood can also be a good choice as it provides a world of options when it comes to style and designs.
Dining and Living Room
When deciding on the best flooring option for your dining and living room, you should consider your family’s lifestyle, but don’t forget about durability. Are you a large family that uses the room mainly for inviting friends? Do you have young kids at home? Is your dining room open directly from your living room? With this, you may need to consider a flooring material that adds value to your home.
Our Recommendation: Solid Hardwood and Engineered Wood
If you invite friends a lot and frequently use the dining and living room, solid hardwood is your top option. Consider prefinished and unfinished hardwood flooring as they can get sanded and refinished in the long run. You might be able to walk on prefinished hardwood floors right away. Plus, this hardwood type is less expensive.
Engineered wood can be another option for living and dining rooms. it mimics the appeal and looks of genuine hardwood, but less susceptible to swelling or shrinking. With engineered wood, you can get a cost-effective exotic wood species such as Brazilian walnut or tigerwood, which are more dent- and scratch-resistant than maple or oak. However, most engineered wood can be refinished only once or depending on the thickness of the outer layer, as opposed to solid hardwood that can be refinished about four or five times.
Bathroom and Laundry Room
The challenges in the bathroom and laundry rooms come in liquid form. While laundry rooms and bathrooms are not exposed to UV rays or sunlight and don’t get that much high foot traffic, the main concern in these areas is high humidity. There is really so much moisture and an opportunity for spills from toiletries and cosmetics or water splashes from the shower or tub. With this, it is a must to get flooring that won’t be affected by humidity or moisture. Flooring materials such as laminate or hardwood, which naturally absorb moisture, are not a good choice.
Our Recommendation: Porcelain Tile and Vinyl
We, as a Maryland flooring contractor, recommend porcelain tile as our top choice. Porcelain tiles are a staple favorite for these areas. It holds up moisture and humidity so well. Also, porcelain allows for barrier-free showers, where the floor of the bathroom extends straight into the shower. Just make sure to select a more textured porcelain tile than polished ones to prevent the areas from slippery.
An alternative to porcelain tiles is vinyl flooring. Both vinyl planks and tiles have excellent moisture resistance. Not to mention that it is less expensive, though less durable than porcelain tiles.
Basement
Whether you are using the basement as a storage space, kid’s playroom, or a game room, make sure there is no moisture issue with the concrete floor. With our experience as a Maryland flooring contractor, the main concern with the basement room comes below the ground. The concrete floor below the ground might absorb water constantly. With this, you need to choose a flooring option that is incredibly unaffected by high humidity or moisture. Any porous flooring material can normally absorb water and expand when exposed to high humidity. Thus, it is also important to make sure that you select a flooring type rated for installation over the below-grade surface or concrete.
Our Recommendation: Vinyl
Vinyl is a great choice for basement rooms. It is waterproof, making it resistant to moisture. Vinyl is also a low maintenance flooring option and can handle high traffic areas because it is exceptionally durable.
Sunroom and Enclosed Porch
The threat in areas like the sunroom and porch has something to do with the impact of the weather outside. Flooring in enclosed rooms may be exposed to prolonged exposure to intense sunlight or rain blowing directly through screens.
Our Recommendation: Porcelain Tile, Engineered Wood and Vinyl
As a Maryland flooring contractor, we recommend porcelain tile for enclosures because it is durable enough to stand up well to most knocks in these areas. The styles and designs of porcelain tiles are also welcoming which is an ideal option for porches and sunroom. However, if your porch is heated and weatherproofed, engineered wood is a great choice. Vinyl planks, on the other hand, do well with exposure to ultraviolet rays and moisture.
Are you ready to replace your flooring?
Choosing the best flooring option for each room in your home can be a little bit tricky at times. However, with enough knowledge about flooring materials, decision-making is much easier. Now, if you feel the need to get your existing flooring revamped, Carpet Ready is here for you. We are a Maryland flooring contractor and have already proven expertise in the flooring industry. Contact us to get a quote for your next flooring project.