Selecting The Right Flooring For Your Home: A Complete Guide
When it comes to floors and I am all about hardwood flooring because not only do they look classic and timeless, they bring in warmth and look great with a wide range of color palettes. Need I say more?
There is a wide variety of flooring options to choose from for your living spaces. Your options are endless; natural stone, travertine & marble tiles, ceramic and porcelain, wood floors, bamboo, and cork floors.
Natural Stone: Natural Slate is a choice that is preferred by many designers in foyers, mudrooms, and in many cases throughout the entire home, if you want low maintenance and durable floors in natural stone then slate is your best bet. American Slate, is the company you should go with when getting your flooring because they mine deep to get the best quality to provide their clients. Slate is suitable in any setting, from cozy cottages to high-end spaces because of its versatility.
Travertine and Marble: Very high-end but are very high maintenance because they are prone to stains and scratches. Polished Travertine floors come in a variety of finishes. They come in matte and glossy finishes, filled and honed or unfilled honed, brushed, tumbled, and polished. They come in unique, patterns, and can really be used either in the interiors or exteriors of your home, for a beautiful flooring option.
Ceramic or Porcelain tiles: Ceramic tiles are very high maintenance because they can crack very easily and are not suitable for outdoor spaces if you live in regions that freeze. Porcelain is a bit harder and sturdier than ceramic tiles and can withstand extreme cold weather if installed outdoors. They are easy to maintain but need to be sealed every year. The tiles also need to be carefully picked because you might not realize the patterns and colors in the tiles can be dominating and will limit your options for wall colors and furnishings.
Wood Floors: These are very classic and timeless and give character to a home. They are easy to maintain and if they are in a medium tone, they don't show dust or pet hair as opposed to the darker wood options. The medium tone is great if it does not have an orange undertone because it will dominate and limit your choices for furnishings and colors for walls.
Bamboo: It's an eco-friendly choice in flooring because of its durability and easy care. It's resistant to insects and moisture and is similar physically to hardwoods. Most Bamboo is most commonly used in flooring and has origins in China and Asia.
Cork: Another eco-friendly choice because it's only the bark of the cork oak tree that is harvested and is considered a renewable source because the bark is replenished every nine years. It's soft under the feet and acts as an insulator because it traps the heat in the ground and is to a degree fire-resistant. It's insect resistant and anti-allergen due to a naturally occurring wax within cork that is called Suberin.
Though it's a great choice for a green flooring option, it does have a few drawbacks, it gets scratches and indentations from a pet’s nails or high heel shoes. And a coat of polyurethane should be applied every year. It also fades over time so it does need to be protected from UV-protected windows or window coverings to prevent fading. These are easy fixes and not a whole lot of trouble to not keep it as an option for flooring. This much care is required for any floor that you would install.
Ask me for the best floor choices for your spaces to give you the best bang for your buck.
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