Flooring is one of the most important decisions anyone makes when remodeling a home. Many people do not think about flooring on a regular basis, unless they are in the process of redoing their own. However, flooring affects our mood and our overall feeling towards and home and a room in subconscious ways that we do not even regularly realize.
There are many different types of flooring available. Funky homeowners can select wild flooring, such as cork and rubber. Most people, however, choose to install more traditional flooring options in their homes, such as hardwood, tile, laminate, cement and carpet.
Here is a brief overview of some of these most popular flooring options for homes.
Carpet
Carpet is a wonderful flooring option for any home, especially if you have small children or have an open house that needs some sound barriers. Carpet is soft, making it perfect for families that spend a lot of time on the floor with young ones. Carpet adds color and a sense of friendliness to home that many people appreciate, especially people who enjoy walking around without shoes.
Carpet tends to, however, be difficult to clean. If you make one stain that cannot be removed, the entire carpet will have to be replaced. Cleaning carpets regularly is recommended, but it can be expensive. Carpets also tend to hold onto smells and dust, making them bad choices for homes with pets and smokers. Those people allergic to dust may also want to go with a more streamlined approach to flooring than carpet.
Laminate
Laminate flooring is an inexpensive way to may any floor instantly easy to clean and bright. Laminate flooring is especially popular in bathrooms and kitchens because of its easy-to-clean surface and because it will not mildew if water falls on it. Laminate, however, is not very durable and tends to look inexpensive. Therefore, many modern homeowners opt for the more expensive alternative: tile.
Tile
Tile is becoming the most popular floor in many homes, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. It is competitively priced, easy to install, clean and very durable. Tile also adds a sense of elegance and taste to homes. Many people choose to use tile on their floors because the tile brings out the color of the furniture and cabinets, complimenting one another in very pleasing ways that laminate, its leading competitor, does not.
Tile is also easy to clean and difficult to destruct. It will chip if heavy items, such as a soup can, are dropped onto it. The grout in between tiles is also susceptible to stains. It is recommended in every room that a darker grout is used.
Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors are very well liked and desired by all homeowners. They are elegant, easy to care for and colorful. Many modern homes are built with hardwood floors throughout the house, on top of which many people place carpet or other types of flooring. Hardwood floors can be mopped, swept, vacuumed and are very stain resistant. Because they are so easy to clean and care for, more and more households and selecting hardwood floors throughout the house, even the kitchen.