Good morning, happy Friday!
This post today is going to deal with flooring choices. When you’re building or renovating a huge question that will come up is what do I want to walk on? It floors a lot of people. The fact is that the incredibly wide set of options can be very intimidating! That’s why it’s very important to go to a knowledgeable and service oriented flooring store to really talk to the experts. Here is a quick breakdown on fairly typical flooring options. It should give you a place to start your research.
| Material | Cost | Pros | Cons | |
| Vinyl plank/tile |
$$ |
· Water resistant
· Durable (depending on grade chosen) · Easy install |
· Long-term recyclability
· Toxicity in case of fire · Low VOC, not no VOC |
|
| Laminate |
$$ |
· Large selection available @ Box stores
· Easy Install |
· Not water resistant
· Same concerns as above · Can’t do in-floor heat well |
|
| Carpet |
$ |
· Inexpensive
· Soft · Good sound absorption · Variety of colours |
· Stain resistance varies by type
· Hard to install · Struggles with hypo-allergenic requirements · Low VOC, not no VOC |
|
| Hardwood |
$$$ |
· Natural (no VOC’s)
· Aesthetics · Easy clean |
· Durability varies
· Repairs are difficult · Refinishing costs |
|
| hard tile |
$$$$ |
· Water resistant
· Most durable flooring · Easy to clean/maintain · Hypo-allergenic |
· “Hard/Cold” floor
· Difficult installation · Expensive |
|
| Other flooring |
$-$$$$ |
· Cork
· Linoleum · Specialty hardwoods (bamboo, reclaimed etc.) · Rubber · Leather · Concrete |
||
As you can see there are a wide variety of benefits and drawbacks to the many options. That’s why it’s critical that you take the time to express to your builder, or renovator what is important to you. Are you looking to get a new floor for cheapest costs? Are you looking to reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)? Are you looking for easy maintenance?
Today there is a large swing toward vinyl plank/tile products for their economical solution to durability and aesthetics. Is that worth the end-of-life garbage potential? Or is that offset by the fact that they’re often manufactured from recycled products already? Whatever your choice, come talk to us about doing your renovation or new build with your needs in mind.