Flooring Tips for Every Room in Your Home
By Pro.com
Special to Yahoo Homes
Floors have come a long way since the times when homes relied on dirt floors and only royalty enjoyed wood flooring. Fast forward to Colonial America where wood was plentiful so wood-plank flooring was widely used. Then, carpeting rose in popularity after World War II because it cost less. Now the choices available range from luxury vinyl to tile to marble to cut-and-loop carpeting and with a wide variety of options in between.
We’ve sifted through the wealth of possibilities and have suggestions for the trendiest options for each room in your home.
1. Living Room
Older homes often have unspoiled hardwoods underneath the carpet. Sanding, staining and sealing may be all it takes to make it beautiful and your own. Wall-to-wall carpeting in the living room has been declining in popularity and recently replaced by large area rugs, sometimes as big as the room. This type of carpet, bound at the perimeters, makes cleaning underneath easy. For these room-sized area rugs, you have no shortage of choices in pattern, design, colors and texture.
2. Dining Room
Formal dining rooms often collect dust in between holidays, family gatherings and dinner parties so you want something that cleans easily. Hardwood is the clear winner, in either a very dark shade or a very light one with a satin finish. Extending what you have in the kitchen into the dining room often makes sense and two trends for kitchen flooring include cork and tile.
3. Kitchen
Porcelain, a popular choice, comes in a myriad of colors, patterns and textures and lasts longer than any other type of flooring. However, if you spend a great deal of time standing in the kitchen preparing and cooking meals, you’ll want a floor covering that has some bounce or cushion in it like cork. Linoleum can also provide some springiness under your feet and tends to last.
4. Entryway
Most anything works here except carpet. Hardwood and ceramic tiles make excellent choices or even ceramic tile that mimics hardwood. If the entryway sees high traffic, consider resilient vinyl flooring in a pattern that looks like wood.
5. Bedrooms
Traditional hardwoods reign supreme when it comes to the rooms designed for slumber. Homeowners often select bamboo or eucalyptus hardwoods because of their durability, budget-friendliness and “greenness.” Another popular choice, cork, installs easily, wears well and has some give when you walk on it.
6. Bathrooms
If you’ve never stepped onto a heated bathroom floor, you have missed one of best inventions ever. Heating systems for ceramic-tiled floors come from either electric radiant heat or hydronic (using water or a liquid) heating. Heated floors have come down in cost since they first showed up on the market, so they are worth considering. Ceramic tile is a cinch to install and to clean. Another current trend, vinyl flooring comes in patterns that resemble ceramic tile. Make sure your choice of flooring for the bathrooms aren’t slippery when wet.
7. Rec Room
Carpet tiles make a warm addition to a room meant for play and they’re very easy to install. If you prefer smooth flooring, laminate makes a good choice to lay over a cement floor. Hydronic radiant floors have also gained in popularity for game rooms or rec rooms.
Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services -- especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.
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9 Steps to Maintaining Your Hardwood Floors
11 Things to Know Before Refinishing Your Hardwood Floor
6 Tips for Eco-Friendly Hardwood Floors
