# Choosing the Best Flooring for Homes



## sr.shayerice1 (Feb 21, 2015)

Choosing flooring for a home is definitely a task that should not be taken lightly. A lot more than looks should be the ultimate decision maker because there is a lot more to flooring than just beauty. Of course you want to ask yourself if those pretty floors you dream of having are durable and can withstand wear and tear. The maintenance level of flooring varies, and it is up to the homeowner to determine how much maintenance and care they want to put into them. Dark flooring typically takes a little more maintenance because every dirty footprint or dog hair is visible, but if you love dark wood or tile floors, the maintenance might be worth it to you. Here are some suggestions for how to choose floorings for different areas throughout the home, hopefully making flooring decisions easier. 

Flooring for the kitchen

When choosing flooring for a kitchen, the primary criteria should be durability and ease of cleaning according to This Old House. While it is okay to set a tight budget for flooring, the more you pay for a floor the more likely it will last, so it is smart to spend a little more to make sure you are getting quality flooring. Good choices for kitchen flooring are linoleum, tile or hardwood. These three floorings are easy to clean and manage, and they should last for a long time. Linoleum is a great choice for flooring because it is impossible to scratch or ruin ultimately making it the easiest to maintain. Tile and wood floors take on a little more wear and tear than linoleum, but luckily there are products that make it easy to repair flooring without costing an arm and a leg. 

Flooring for the bathrooms

Bathrooms are similar to kitchens in that they require flooring that will last through a lot of wear. Bathrooms include a lot of moisture, so it is smart to avoid carpeting a bathroom to prevent mold. Linoleum, tile, limestone and other materials that are durable and can be quickly dried or managed. Wood flooring should also be avoided in the bathroom because it cannot handle lots of humidity. Wood laminate is a better option. 

Flooring for the main living areas

Living areas should be all about comfort and nothing says comfort like fluffy, soft carpet or rugs. Choosing flooring for living areas is mostly based on personal preference, but if you are going to pick tile or hardwood as flooring for these areas, bring in the comfort with rugs. The most popular flooring choices for living areas are carpet and hardwood. Carpet is an obvious choice for those looking to make a room totally focused on comfort, but carpet takes on a lot of wear and often needs to be replaced regularly, so many homeowners choose hardwood because wood flooring has a way of bringing warmth to a room, and rugs are much cheaper to replace than carpet most of the time. 


Interior Decorating and Remodeling News brought to you by baseboardradiatorcovers.com

Source: thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,229547,00.html

Tags: home remodeling ideas, home renovation tips, home upgrades, the best flooring for homes, home flooring, interior decorating


----------

