Replacing your floors changes the entire feel of your home. It’s a big decision, but you don’t have to worry. All it takes is learning which flooring will work best for your family. Determining what you need most from your new floors and which materials to use is vital. When you schedule your installation, you’ll feel confident you’ve made the best choice for your household.
Here at GreatBuildz, a free service that connects homeowners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura, or San Diego with reliable flooring installers, we speak to homeowners every day about home flooring projects – here are some recommendations for what flooring types will work best for your family.
Factors to Consider Before Picking Flooring
Numerous flooring types are available because everyone needs something different from their living spaces. Check out the primary factors to consider before purchasing your new flooring materials.
1. Your Budget
Reflect on your average monthly budget to see how much you can put aside for floors. Depending on the room and your chosen material, saving the total amount may take more or less time.
The average price of floor installations is between $1-$12 or more if you select premium materials. Imagine adding new flooring to a playroom. You choose a carpet worth $2 per square foot and the room is 8-by-8 feet. That’s 64 total square feet and $128 just for the carpeting. Installation fees will be extra.
You might be able to save that in a month or two, but the price increases with room size and your flooring material’s quality. It’s best to calculate the cost for each flooring type that interests you as you compare your options.
2. The Material’s Durability
Soccer cleats. Thrown toys. Family pets running around the house. Floors get scratched and dented for so many reasons. It’s worth looking into more durable materials if you have a big family. They’ll last longer and maintain their pristine condition in everyone’s daily lives much longer.
3. The Flooring’s Slipperiness
The flooring of your dreams might look gorgeous, but does it have a protective coating that becomes slippery under socks? Splashes from dog water bowls and spills in the kitchen can also remove traction from your floors. It’s something to consider if you’re replacing flooring in your home’s most high-traffic areas.
4. The Material’s Life Span
Most floor materials will advertise long life spans stretching a decade or more. Although that might be true in low-traffic areas, daily use could deteriorate your newly renovated surfaces.
Read reviews on the materials you have in mind to see if they crack, separate, or peel easily. Those details will shorten your floor’s life span, requiring a costly replacement sooner than expected.
5. The Long-Term Maintenance
How often do you mop or vacuum? You might need to clean your floors more frequently if you get a nicer material that requires specialized maintenance. Ask about things like cleaning materials and sealants before buying your new floors. If a material requires more time or costly supplies than you’d like, you may need to pick other flooring.
Best Flooring Options for Families
Once you’ve considered the primary factors affecting your floors, it’s time to research materials. These are some of the best flooring options for families. See if they have what you need to make your home beautiful and functional.
1. Luxury Vinyl
When people walk into a room with luxury vinyl flooring, they often think they’re walking across hardwood planks. Vinyl can look identical to the traditional material but is more durable and budget-friendly.
Pros: Heat and water won’t affect luxury vinyl planks or tiles. They also withstand scratches and denting because their engineering makes them more durable than other materials.
Vinyl can look like any material, such as hardwood, stone, or tiles. Compare quotes to see if this luxury upgrade is exactly what your home needs.
Cons: Heavy furniture can leave permanent indentations if not properly supported or moved carefully, and sharp objects can easily puncture or gouge the surface, compromising both its appearance and durability.
It’s worth considering if you want to make your home feel lavish on a budget. The small details often make a home luxurious compared to expensive decor or furniture. Knowing your luxury vinyl floors are a worthy investment will make you take more pride in your living space. They elevate a home’s environment with custom options that stand the test of time.
2. Carpet
Pros: Families often install carpets for a few reasons. It’s soft, so it cushions kids when they trip or play on the floor. Carpet can be more economical than alternatives like hardwood or tiles. It comes in every color and hue on the market, making it customizable without special orders.
If you install carpet, you’ll need to pay for the padding beneath it and keep stain remover handy. Tackling spills immediately guarantees the lifelong appearance of your carpet. You can also rearrange your furniture yearly to prevent high-traffic areas from creating worn paths through each room.
Cons: Carpet flooring can be difficult to keep clean and maintain, especially in high-traffic areas. Carpets tend to trap dust, dirt, and allergens, which can be challenging to remove without heavy-duty cleaning equipment – an important thing to consider if you have allergies or respiratory conditions.
3. Tile
Pros: Kitchens, bathrooms, and other rooms with frequent liquid spills could benefit from a tile installation. The material withstands water and mud with ease. It’s also hard to chip, making it extra durable.
Pets love tile, too. When they get overheated from the summer sun, they can lie across your cool floors to decrease their body temperature. Run a vacuum over the area when they wake up to quickly clean up loose pet hair. Tile won’t scratch even if you vacuum daily.
Tile maintenance is also easier than other materials. Unlike removing stains from hardwood floors with a wood stripper, tile just needs soap and water. You won’t have to spend extra money on specialized cleaners or stain removers to keep your home pristine.
Cons: Tile can be uncomfortable to stand on because it is particularly hard and cold underfoot. Make sure to have to have a pair of socks ready for those chilly mornings!
4. Hardwood
People love the classic look of hardwood floors. The material comes in solid hardwood, bamboo, and acacia.
Each has slightly different benefits. Bamboo is incredibly durable and eco-friendly. It grows quickly, so deforestation isn’t an issue.
Pros: Solid hardwood is one of the primary materials contributing $4.56 billion to the U.S. economy annually. The flooring lasts for decades if properly maintained with cleaners and sealants. It’s also easy to clean and features natural details like grain patterns, knots, and veins.
Acacia floors are also tough and won’t dent or separate easily. People love the deep hues available in acacia planks compared to standard hardwood. Clean them with a damp mop weekly to withstand decades of bustling family activity.
Cons: Hardwood floors can be susceptible to moisture and humidity damage. It can warp, swell, and shrink, which may not be ideal for kitchen or bathroom areas.
5. Engineered Wood
Pros: If hardwood floors are too costly for your budget, engineered wood is another option. Each plank contains thin wood layers glued together and treated with chemicals for long-lasting results.
They’re also great for homeowners who love DIY projects. You can sand and finish engineered wood multiple times over the years without deteriorating the material’s quality. This flooring is more prone to fading in direct sunlight, so it’s a project you may take on more frequently than expected.
Cons: Engineered wood is thinner than hardwood, which means it cannot be sanded down too many times. If you think you may want to change the finish in the future, hardwood is a better option.
Find the Right Flooring for Your Family
Consider what you need from your new floors to find the best material for your family. It should have the look and coloring you want while maintaining the durability to withstand decades of memories. A team of experts can quickly install whatever you prefer so the flooring of your dreams becomes your new reality nearly overnight.
When it comes to finding the best flooring contractor for your project – GreatBuildz is simplifying the contractor search. GreatBuildz is a free service that connects homeowners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura & San Diego with reliable, thoroughly screened contractors and provides project support from start to finish.
In Southern California, Call now (818.317.3567) to chat with a real person about your next renovation project or visit our website for more information: www.greatbuildz.com
Author:
Rose Morrison is a home & construction writer from Pittsburgh, PA. She’s the managing editor of Renovated, a web magazine for the real estate industry. She’s most interested in sharing home projects and inspiration for the most novice of DIY-ers, values she developed growing up in a family of contractors.
