Choosing the right floor for your home is an important decision because it sets the tone for design and comfort.
Most of us make this type of decision so few times in our lives, it’s difficult to be confident we’re making the right selection without lots of research and advice.
Another challenge is that every flooring and floor covering has its pluses and minuses. For example, carpet is warm and comfortable, but it traps dust and mites, and it’s criticized for being unhealthy when compared with solid timber floors.
And then there are the hybrid flooring systems, which offer varying depths of timber veneer, and vinyl planking, which is cheap, easy to install and looks amazing but doesn’t carry off the image of natural timber.
Homeowners will talk in depth about their homes to their Realtor – highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly. We pick up a lot of information about remodels that have worked and those that have not.
Interestingly, it’s amazing how many owners put their home on the market after a remodeling project failed to deliver the anticipated benefits.
When clients talk about their flooring choices, it’s clear there is no perfect selection. Below are some of the drawbacks to the most common choices of flooring.
I hope you find the information helpful.
Bamboo – It has a great reputation for being tough and eco-friendly. But it warps when exposed to water. So, avoid bamboo if you want to put it in the kitchen, or in an open-plan living area that includes the kitchen.
Granite – A beautiful, natural material that never fails to impress prospective buyers. And if it matches the countertop, the “wow factor” is through the roof. When you’re living with it, granite is far from perfect. Firstly, it gets super-cold in the winter, which will put up your heating bills. And if you drop anything on granite, there’s only one winner. Everything smashes, cracks or breaks if dropped on a granite floor.
Hybrid flooring – A mid-range price choice for flooring, it can look absolutely amazing. Hybrids often have a tap-and-lock design for installation. While this design is genius, it relies on a flat sub-floor. When there’s even the smallest slope, the tap-and-lock system breaks and planks become loose and rise.
White tiles – A beautiful white bathroom floor is the height of classic fashion. White tiles and white grout should be the perfect combination. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The grout will gray or discolor, wrecking the effect you wanted.
Intricate tiles – Consider commissioning a professional installer for those sheets of tiny tiles that have a gorgeous pattern and appear to be relatively simple to lay. Creating the pattern is time-consuming and difficult.
Hardwood floors – Taking this path is usually the most expensive. While a solid timber floor is wonderful, it must be installed properly. You need a little give between the planks because wood expands and contracts. If the boards are tightly packed, the pressure when they expand will force at least one plank higher, creating a nasty lip in your otherwise perfect wooden floor.