It's Home Renovation time | Wood, Laminate, Tile...?
As with anything that goes into your home, the flooring will contribute to the overall charm, feel and functionality of your space. Flooring comes in a variety of materials, finishes, colours, textures and each with their own advantages and drawbacks. Hopefully this will help you when it comes time for your home improvement project.
Friends of mine have a permanently ruined hard wood floor in their kitchen because of a small leak from their fridge that sat for just too long and left an unsightly discoloured patch of slightly ill fitting wood that cannot be fixed without replacing the kitchen floor. The stone on my kitchen floor is cold and slightly uncomfortable on those chilly winter mornings. My upstairs has hardwood that bears the dents and scrapes left by our large dog, while the high end laminate downstairs has held up to the abuse but lacks that almost intangible warmth of the wood floor.
Considerations for choosing a flooring:
The function of the space is the first thing I think of when considering the flooring choice. Is this a business or rental space, a basement that might flood or potentially a high level of moisture, or a living room that is exposed to the daily abuse of pets or children?
Second for me is the look and overall feeling that you want from the space. If this is a house you intend on selling in the next few years or even slightly further out, keep in mind that your taste might not be to everyone’s liking. That garish or over the top patterned tile or that all pink kitchen you have your heart set on, might make the house considerably harder to sell.
If you want wood flooring and have pets or children, you have to go in being okay with dents, scratches and blemishes in your floor. Granted those can usually be taken out by refinishing your floor and with age those blemishes can add to the charm of your floor. For your tile or stone flooring don’t dismiss underfloor radiant heating. The feeling of a warm kitchen or bathroom floor on your feet is a luxury that could be cheaper than you might think. I regret not putting it into my own kitchen!
Then the colour of your flooring can lighten up a space or make it far too dark, so consider not only how you are going to paint and decorate but also the size of the space and what you want to use it for. Dark flooring in small spaces can make it seem even smaller than it actually is, leaving it feeling cramped.
Third for me is the cost and I balance it against the other two criteria to give me the best bang for my buck. When I installed my own laminate floor downstairs, I could replace it several times over for the cost of a wood floor and it holds a 15 year warranty. The extra cost might be worth it to you if this is your forever home, it’s hard to beat the elegance with which wood ages.
Now go find that flooring that fits your vision for your home renovation project!