New year. New start. New flooring? Are you one of the lucky homeowners who will spend the first few days of the new year updating the flooring in your house? If so, you are likely making the decision between several very attractive and durable flooring options. Making flooring choices means comparing the durability of tile to the warm, cozy look of carpeting to the easy maintenance of a hardwood floor.
The type of flooring that you select is often determined by the location of the the room, as well as the purpose that the room serves. The durability of tile, for example, is often a great choice for bathrooms, laundry rooms, entryways, and other locations that will see lots of traffic, as well as water that could damage other surfaces. Tile flooring in a master bath can even include floor heating if this decision is made early in the planning process. The easy maintenance and durability of tile make it a great surface when you know that water will often be present. Although beautiful and practical in other rooms, carpeting or wood flooring just do not make much sense in the bathroom or the laundry room.
Although the durability of tile works well in some rooms, carpeting seems to be a better option for many people in their family rooms, living rooms and bedrooms. In fact, carpet covers nearly 70% of the home flooring in America. Because of the padding and the thickness, carpet not only presents a warm look, but can also help muffle sound. Perhaps this is why nearly 45% of homeowners select carpeting as their flooring of choice in bedrooms.
Although older carpet brands would sometimes begin to lose its texture and pile and need to be replaced after 10 years, new technology has made many improvements. In fact, woven carpet created on enormous looms can last as long as 20 to 30 years. While carpet can be a little more difficult to keep clean than tile or wood floors, almost 99% of all stains can be removed if they are treated with a cleaning agent within the first days of the stain.
Wood flooring is another popular option for many homeowners. As manufacturers continue to create more composite wood floor options, many homeowners see this as a popular low maintenance option for kitchen or whole house design.
What are your flooring plans for the new year? If remodeling or updating your home is part of your schedule, one of the first things that you may need to decide on is flooring options.
