The floor is one of those parts of a home that may require constant repair and replace due to effects of wear and tear. As opposed to walls that can be painted and decorated with accessories, the floor requires intense repair or even complete replacement. Several flooring options may offer lasting solutions and are available at cheaper rates.
Hardwood
Wood has been used for decades in the US to decorates floors in homes. It is simple to use as it involves nailing or merging pieces of wood over a wooden subfloor. Floor can be used to make attractive and stylish patterns for any house. Wooden floors ate long-lasting and can be refinished several times. In terms of maintenance, wooden floors are easy to clean from just sweeping to mopping.
The biggest disadvantage with wooden floors is that they may not withstand rough handling. They can also start to shrink when exposed to water for a long time. They are therefore not recommended to places like bathrooms.
Engineered Wood
This resembles wooden floor, but it is made in a somewhat different way. Unlike wooden floors with closed wooden stripes, engineered wood has a thin veneer of natural wood on top. It has a layer of less expensive plywood at the bottom.
Engineered wood can be used to achieve the look of a wooden floor without incurring additional costs. This makes it less expensive to use exotic wood that is more resistant to dents and scratches. They are more stable and can withstand huge changes in temperature and humidity; hence they can be used in basements.
Another advantage of engineered wood flooring is that it can easily be installed on concrete subfloors. This may save the extra cost of having to reap off the floor and reinstall another one again.
Bamboo
Bamboo produces flooring wood that resembles and feels like hardwood. Many people are turning to use of bamboo as an eco-friendly alternative to hardwood. Bamboo can be used both in solid strips and also engineered planks. In addition, bamboos can be arranged in different designs to produce various patterns.
The biggest undoing with bamboo is that it is hard to get and imported in most cases. The process of importation adds costs that make their use expensive. In addition, many bamboo farmers use a lot of fertilizers and chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Some types of bamboo floors are held together using glue that has high levels of harmful formaldehyde.
Ceramic Tile
Ceramics are made from a mixture of clay and shale and heated in a pottery. It is hard and comes in different colors, shapes, and patterns. There are different types of ceramics among them glazed ceramic, porcelain, quarry tile, and terracotta.
Laminate
Laminate is made in the same way like engineered wood.it has a thin layer of softwood between plywood. As opposed to engineered wood, the top layer is made of wood with clear plastic coating. Laminate can look like stone, wood, tile, and any other material.
Vinyl
Vinyl is a resilient and flexible material that feels softer underfoot than tile. It is made from a layer of PVC plastic plus a layer of felt. To make it more confortable to walk on, cushioned vinyl is covered with a thin layer of foam.
Vinyl is tough and able to stand up to pressure and moisture. It is also able to withstand wear and tear due to high traffic.
Linoleum
This is also a resilient flooring material that has been in use for long in the US. As opposed to vinyl, it is made from natural and renewable materials. In recent years, it has been replaced with readily available vinyl.
