Renovating your home is a project full of choices – whether you’re deciding between hard surface flooring options, different colors of paint, which room to work on next, etc. To help lessen that overwhelming feeling you may get when learning about all of your options, we’ve narrowed down our top 4 hard surface flooring options and everything you need to know about them.
4 Hard Surface Flooring Options to Consider
1. Luxury Vinyl Tile
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a type of floor that can be designed to look like hardwood, ceramic tile, or even stone. It’s multi-layered, making it extremely durable, scratch-resistant, and waterproof.
Other benefits of luxury vinyl tile flooring include how easy it is to install and how stress-free it is to maintain. Many people also find it more comfortable and more quiet to walk on than hardwood or laminate flooring.
Most LVT is made of at least five layers. The three layers that comprise the core provide stability, as well as impact and moisture resistance. The next layer up is the high-definition photographic layer, which is often so authentic people have a difficult time telling LVT apart from hardwood or ceramic flooring by looks alone. The top layer is a clear coat that provides stain and scratch resistance.
2. Solid Hardwood
Solid hardwood is one of the two types of wood flooring. It’s made from one piece of lumber and is solid wood throughout. Solid hardwood can be refinished and restained and is relatively easy to maintain, though damp-mopping should only be done occasionally.
How can you tell a floor is made of solid hardwood? Floor boards made of solid hardwood tend to be more narrow with tighter seams. Choosing solid hardwood (over engineered hardwood) also gives you more variety and wood species to choose from, allowing you to match your floors to the style of the room.
3. Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood, the second type of wood flooring, is made to look like solid hardwood. However, engineered hardwood has a structural core made of plywood rather than being created using a single piece of lumber. Like solid hardwood, they’re easy to clean and resist moderate wear and tear.
When choosing either solid hardwood or engineered hardwood, you have many brands to choose from that are worthy of your investment. Some of the best hardwood flooring brands to invest in are Shaw, Bella Cera, Bruce, and more. If you’ve browsed these options and still haven’t found a floor you love, we’d be happy to recommend other quality hardwood flooring options to choose from.
4. Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is often considered a budget-friendly flooring alternative to hardwood or LVT. Laminate flooring has a stabilizing layer of melamine, then additional layers of compressed wood, a photographic layer that appears as if it’s wood, and a final layer of plastic coating.
Laminate flooring is able to withstand high traffic despite being a more affordable option. You also have the option of choosing laminate flooring that is waterproof and UV-resistant, extending the life of your floors.
What is the Most Durable Type of Flooring?
Hard surface floors are the most durable types of flooring, with tile being the most durable. However, tile is not the best choice when seeking the best flooring option for high traffic areas and pets that also rates well for comfort. Other hard surface flooring options that are extremely durable, yet more comfortable than tile, are any of the options we discussed in the previous section: LVT, solid or engineered hardwood, or laminate.
Best Hard Surface Flooring Option by Room (And Why)
Kitchen (Or Any Room With Water)
When choosing the best flooring material for your kitchen (or any room that is often exposed to water and spills), you’ll want to consider floors that are water-resistant, if not waterproof. We often recommend LVT flooring for these rooms. LVT is durable, as well as water- and fade-resistant. All a plus when choosing flooring for a high traffic area like the kitchen.
Living Room
Many of our customers believe the best flooring material for the living room, or other similar rooms, is hardwood flooring. Not only is hardwood flooring going to increase the value of your home, it’s also going to stand up to the wear and tear of living. Hardwood flooring is available in many grains and colors, making hardwood floors a choice that will fit any style.
Bedroom
While you may not be considering hard surface flooring options for your bedroom (yes, we know carpet is the choice for many), it’s not something you should disregard without adequate consideration. Hardwood floors can add a touch of elegance to your bedroom (and you can always add a rug to amp up the coziness), but laminate floors can also be an excellent option if you don’t want carpet or hardwood floors.
Laminate flooring is perfect for rooms that don’t experience a high level of traffic as it can chip after a long period of time. But it’s also easy to clean and comes in a variety of styles, making it an easy choice for bedrooms.
There are many hard surface flooring options to consider when choosing to renovate your home. If you’re not sure if any of these options are what you’re looking for, speak to one of our flooring experts. We can discuss more in depth with you about the pros and cons of each flooring material and which types of flooring best fits your needs.
Interested in learning more about your hard surface flooring options? Visit our Wexford, PA showroom to compare the four types of hard surface flooring options for yourself or contact our team to learn more. Floor Concepts provides local flooring solutions to greater Pittsburgh, PA and the North Hills, free in-home measurements and estimates, and worry-free installations. Book your free in-home measurement now or get in touch with our flooring experts today!
