FLOORING  SHOWROOM 

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Author: Reprinted With Permission: www.cici-online.com  

If one is planning on building a new home or remodeling an old one the type of flooring to be used is as equally important as having a sound roof.  There are a variety of flooring materials available today; some of which most people haven't even considered.  Perhaps the following brief descriptions of various types of flooring material will prove helpful to you.

Plastic laminate flooring offers the look of wood. It consists of a thin wear layer, much like laminate counter tops, covering a pattern layer glued to fiberboard.

 Cork flooring material naturally maintains a comfortable median temperature, never getting very hot or very cool.  Walk barefoot on a cork floor and the warmth is immediately apparent.

Tile is stylish and relatively durable, but it is also hard and noisy and can be prone to chipping and other signs of wear. Glazed tiles available, in most popular types, offer the best durability and easiest maintenance.  Tiles are usually easier to install and it's simple to replace just one, if need be.  However it is important to remember that tile will get dingy - particularly in the grout lines.

Ever heard of or considered this material: Mesquite? It makes a stable floor with almost no tendency to warp. Depending on your area and your budget the cost of this wood may not be a consideration for you.

Tongue and grooved wood flooring is useful to keep the floor tight while it is being laid, but end matching is not necessary, therefore it would be a good idea to consider squaring the edges on the ends.

Although it's nice to put your feet on non slip carpet on a cold winter morning. One must always remember that carpet will need to be shampooed, by a professional or yourself and, inevitably, it does get stained. 

Vinyl is the common name for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and is a type of plasticized PVC synthesized for consumer home use. Vinyl and linoleum flooring tend to be on the lower end of price scale, and they come in a wide range of colors and styles which can mesh with an assortment of design schemes. Over time Vinyl may get nicks that fill with dirt.

Hardwood floor stain options include oil based, water based and alcohol based liquid options. All three are appropriate for use on just about every wood floor; but, oil based stains are inclined to be more durable.  Hardwoods seem to have a timeless quality about them and will never go out of style. 

Rubber flooring can be more expensive, and less exciting to look at, since it is typically a dull black. 

Solid hardwood flooring is made of one solid piece of wood, rather than layers of wood.  An ideal choice for most areas of your home at the ground level or above, it's usually nailed or stapled to a wooden sub-floor.  Hardwood is nice, but remember: it will show wear fast.

 Woods such as bamboo and cork are taking their place alongside more traditional materials.  Wood flooring materials can consist of imported hardwood, regionally grown hardwood, or salvaged material that is re-milled into flooring.

Laminate is another creature all together. Wood laminate is another option worth considering because of its non-institutional look, but as with carpet, maintenance challenges must be addressed before this choice is made.

Bamboo flooring is surprisingly made from grass and not from wood.  And as is well known, there are more than 1,000 species of grass worldwide.  Bamboo flooring is one of the hardest, natural materials available for hardwood flooring and is an excellent alternative to tree wood because bamboo can grow wood faster than any tree.  Bamboo is indeed exotic, however, it can be very expensive.

And finally, one material you may not have considered is concrete.  Depending on the room where concrete floor will be used, a concrete flooring can be the most economical and, with a bit of creativity it can be truly beautiful.  A extra bit of sand in the concrete can provide non slip surfaces when wet and also provide an adhesive to an area rug that will help keep the rug in place.  Concrete floors can be painted any color to match the room décor. And they are so easy to clean.

 

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