This article explains the pros and cons of different types of flooring. Welcome to Shebang, your free information site.
Flooring Explained
The term flooring is used to describe the surface that we walk over in the home. Some types of flooring are not suitable for certain locations, because of moisture, traffic, allergies, U/V concerns, and pets. A lot of thought is needed when you choose flooring. Also price is a concern. And will you be able to install the flooring yourself, or do you need to hire a professional. Question whether there is a lot of maintenance required. What are the long term requirements, such as sanding and refinishing. Is the daily clean-up easy. How does the floor feel to walk on, soft, hard, or cold? This article will attempt to answer these questions.
Wood Flooring
Wood flooring has certainly been around for a long time in this country. Wood is the perfect choice for people who suffer from allergies. Wood can be used for the flooring in dens, bedrooms, dining rooms, and living rooms. With wood floors, a plank can be replaced if necessary, without ripping up the entire floor. Wood floors can be refinished many times to restore its natural beauty. Wood is susceptible to moisture and temperature change. Wood naturally darkens with age, and water spills must be dealt with immediately. The softness of wood allows a floor to be scratched and dented. Newer wood floor products like Mannington flooring have 5 ply cross-grain, to prevent buckling and gaps. The wood never needs refinishing or waxing. The ultra wear finish gives very good protection against wear and tear. Hardwood Floors.
Hardwood floors are very expensive because of the labor and material to install them. The wood is susceptible to moisture and changes of heat, and temperature, which can cause splinters, and gaps in the joints to develop. The floors can be scratched by pets, and will need re-sanding and top coating in time.
Stone Flooring
Stone flooring includes marble, granite, travertine slate, and limestone. Stone flooring is a very expensive product to install. Stone is hard wearing, fire proof, stain proof, and is easy to keep clean. Stone absorbs no water, and does not rot. It is a perfect choice in high humidity areas. Stone is beautiful, but there is a price to pay, not only in money. Stone flooring needs regular sealing, and be regularly polished. Honed stone must be sealed regularly. Marble is damaged by chorine. Limestone and slate tend to collect dirt. Rock is cold and hard to the feet, the glossy surface when wet can be very slippery. Drop a glass or dish, it will probably shatter.
Ceramic Tile Flooring
Tile can look like stone, and is best suited for the kitchen, laundry, foyers, and bathroom. The glazed flooring is resistant to fire, scratches, odor, moisture, stains, bacteria, and allergens. Ceramic flooring is cold, hard on the feet, and can crack and chip. It is difficult to repair damaged ceramic tile. The shiny tile is slippery when wet. Grout can discolor and maintenance is required.
Carpet Flooring
Carpets are a soft floor covering, made of woven, natural or synthetic materials, such materials are nylon, wool, acrylic, and polyesters. Carpets are a good choice in colder climates, they keep feet warm, and are a soft material for small children to play on. Carpets hides irregularities and imperfections in the sub floor. Carpets are suitable for dens, bedrooms, dining rooms, and living rooms. They are not a good choice for people with allergies to dust, and mites. Carpets tends to quiet a room, a good choice where someone snores, or where the bedroom is close to busy outside traffic. Carpets need more than a regular vacuuming, as they are cloth like, and get dirty, and retain odors. The carpets need to be shampooed, or steam cleaned on a regular basis. Any dye type foods dropped on the rug, like blueberries can cause stains that can be very difficult to remove. Burn marks can ruin a rug. Pets such as a cat like to scratch rugs, and can damage them. Children's crayons, paints, and glitter are also hard to clean from rugs.
Indoor-Outdoor Carpet
Indoor-outdoor carpet handles moisture very well, and is a good choice as a transition from the outdoors to indoor tile or wood floors.
Resilient Flooring
Resilient flooring such as linoleum, vinyl composition tiles, sheet vinyl, cork tiles, and rubber tiles all have some elastic properties. They are inexpensive, durable, stain-resistant, easy on the feet, handle moisture, easy to maintain, and affordable. Heavy furniture can cause dents and tears in this soft material. If moisture is allowed to enter seams, this can lead to mildew, and lifting. Vinyl flooring can handle high traffic and pets.
Modern linoleums wear better than vintage linoleums. Linoleum needs to be waxed and polished from time to time. It is a difficult product to repair when damaged. Linoleums tend to shrink with age, causing the sides to curl upward, it is because of this curling problem, that they are better glued down.
Chemical Floors
Latex, urethane, polyesters, and epoxy compounds are all used to create durable floors.
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is an environmentally friendly product. When bamboo is cut, it can grow back in a short period of time. Bamboo flooring is easy to clean, calming and easy on the eyes. The product is very hard and resists moisture, a good choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry areas. Because the bamboo is hard, it resists dents and scratches, but remains friendly to the feet. Only low maintenance is required to keep it clean. Some urea formaldehyde chemical fumes are released while it cures.
Cork Flooring
Cork flooring is also an environmentally friendly option. The product is easy to install, resistant to fungal, and microbial, and pests. It is anti-allegic, water resistant, and cleans up well. Not as durable as vinyl, and must be sealed.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate is easy to install, has the look of hardwood, without the maintenance. Laminate is inexpensive, resistant to scratches, burns and stains. It is moisture resistant, but large spills must be wiped up immediately. Because the product is very durable, it is a good choice for high traffic areas. Laminate is quiet when placed over underlay. The laminate is susceptible to damage from U/V light, it should not be where the sun shines directly onto the floor.
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