by Dave Logan Most people rate appearance as the most important factor in selecting a new floorcovering. Don’t get me wrong, appearance would probably be my first choice as well. However, stability, durability, and ease of maintenance should be right up there as well. Ultimately, your floor has to fit your lifestyle. If you have children, the floor needs to be resilient to dirt, mud, rocks, stains, and spills, for example. Pets, level of moisture and sunlight, and types of furniture are also important considerations to your choice of flooring. Essentially, there are four basic choices for floorcoverings: carpet, wood, vinyl, and tile. Whatever choice is best for you, just remember to consider both form AND fashion when making your selection.
1. Carpet. Noise-resistant, warm to the touch on cold mornings, and soft for rambunctious children. Carpet also hides damaged subflooring (if not too severe). In terms of maintenance, you need to vacuum regularly and get the carpets steam-cleaned about once every year.
2. Wood. A very aesthetically-pleasing and popular choice for many reasons: reduced dust mites, dust, bacteria, and grime than carpet. Wood floors are easily cleaned, natural, and extremely durable. There are also many synthetic alternatives available that provide high durability and look great. Wood flooring is a wonderful option for any high-traffic areas.
3. Vinyl. Great for kitchens, an entryway, or even a dining room. Vinyl is easy to clean, has an almost endless amount of colors, patterns, and styles available, and withstands damage from furniture, falling objects, or other potential obstructions. Vinyl is the easiest of all of these choices in terms of installation. You can simply “peel and stick” vinyl flooring to the surface and avoid working with any messy adhesives.
4. Tile. Ceramic tile comes in beautiful bright colors, patterns, and extravagant colors. It’s durable and extremely pleasing to the eye. Ceramic is non-porous so it is perfect for places like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms given its natural resistance to moisture. Be prepared for some serious effort with this choice. Installing ceramic tile is hard work, but well worth it. Nothing wrong with rolling up your sleeves and learning how to lay tile!
For more helpful information on these and other Denver home improvement projects, check in often with the TDL Blog. And don’t forget to visit TeamDaveLogan.com to find a trusted home improvement professional in Denver and Boulder that will help you with your next project!
