Choosing the Best New Flooring For Your Home

New flooring can make your entire home look brand new, and can also mean a cleaner home, if your old flooring is holding stubborn dirt and other irritants that you can't seem to remove. Since you have so many options for interior flooring, and the process of choosing the right material can be so overwhelming, note a few tips that can get you started with your decision.

Durability

If you have kids or pets, you might want to forego carpeting and wood floors. Carpet fibres are easily damaged by heavy foot traffic, and timber floors can also get chipped and dented over the years. Stone is very durable, and concrete flooring can be buffed and then stained to look like stone, for a cheaper alternative. You might also consider an artificial material such as vinyl tile, as this will be much more durable and won't easily suffer dents, dings, and other such damage.

Humidity

Homes in areas with very high humidity may also want to forego carpeting, as humidity can get trapped on the underside of carpeting and allow for mould and mildew growth. Concrete can also absorb humidity and then soften, or expand and then shrink, causing cracks. Exotic timber flooring species, such as teak and bamboo, which often grow in very humid climates, can be a durable choice for areas with high humidity.

Sunlight

If your home has very large windows and you like to let in lots of direct sunlight, this can easily fade the colour of carpeting and also cause timber flooring to become very dry. Stone and concrete will withstand all that heat and light better than other materials, while also remaining cool underfoot.

Long-term value

If you're thinking of putting your home on the market anytime in the future, consider stone, timber flooring, or concrete. These materials usually hold their value over the years, more so than carpet or vinyl flooring, and may even add value to your home.

Installation

Stone flooring needs a specialized installer, as those stones are very heavy and not easy to cut and fabricate. Most timber floors also need a specialized installer, who can ensure the slats are properly attached to the subfloor and to each other, so they don't shift or move out of place. Carpeting and some tiles may not be a DIY installation job, but these materials are somewhat easy to install, so installation costs may not be overly expensive. Be sure you consider any potential added costs for specialty installers when choosing a flooring material for your home.

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