Are you in the Dayton, Liberty, Crosby area and thinking of upgrading your floors, but don't know where to start?
What type of flooring is the best to install in your home?
What are the pros and cons of these different types of flooring?
Who do I hire to replace my floors?
These are some of the questions I will be answering in this article.
Your floor is the largest area in your home, and choosing the best type of flooring for your area depends on your budget, lifestyle, and preferences. Each type has its unique advantages, and deciding which flooring is best depends on the needs of each room and space.
Here we are going to talk about some very popular flooring options.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is a type of multi-layered synthetic flooring. Made of materials such as plastic, fiberglass, and PVC, vinyl flooring usually comes with a wood grain embossing, in various colors, shades, and thicknesses. Additionally, other styles can mimic a wide range of materials including ceramic tile. The top layer is made of aluminum oxide and acts to protect the sublayers from damage like scratches. The backing layer, which can come with an underlayment material, forms a very important part of the floor, as it cushions and evens out irregularities in the subfloor.
Pros
Resilient: Vinyl flooring is known for its durability. This means that vinyl flooring is mostly waterproof and has very low maintenance. Vinyl flooring will usually withstand aging, and average wear and tear, making it an ideal choice for any highly trafficked areas like hallways, and kitchens. Some brands produce 100% waterproof vinyl flooring - great for bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and mudrooms.
Comfortable: Compared to materials such as solid wood or stone, vinyl flooring has a “soft” and “dense” feel under the feet, due to its texture and material makeup. These layers also cover and help the floor to maintain a uniform temperature regardless of the season. Vinyl can have soundproofing properties, which help reduce both noise and echo in any room.
Affordable and easy installation: Vinyl is a very affordable choice when it comes to re-flooring large areas of your home when you compare it to hardwood flooring.
Cons
Unable to refinish: Since vinyl flooring consists of a single layer of coating over the design layer, it cannot be refinished. If the floor is damaged, the affected areas, or everywhere, should be completely replaced. This is especially true with low-quality vinyl.
It does not always include the sale price: In most cases (although not always) vinyl floors have no effect on the resale price of a house or building. Low-grade vinyl flooring, especially older floors, can have a detrimental effect.
Non-environmentally friendly: Producing vinyl flooring requires the use of toxic chemicals, and after installation, vinyl floors have been known to emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds). VOCs can have a negative impact on health and the indoor environment, especially without windows or air circulation, will lead to high concentrations. If this bothers you, we recommend you avoid high-VOC vinyl flooring and choose a low-VOC floor instead.
Longevity
There is a wide range of how long vinyl flooring lasts: anywhere from 5 to 25 years. These large differences are the result of the first installation process, the quality of the flooring, the thickness of the wear layer, and good maintenance.
It also highlights the fact that if the vinyl floor is damaged, it should be replaced, as refinishing isn’t really an option — and depending on the amount of damage and the type of vinyl you buy, this could mean anything from the whole floor or just the affected planks. In a well-traveled home, expect to be in the middle of this range.
Hardwood
Hardwood comes in a variety of shapes from the type of wood used to the way the wood is cut and the way the wood is installed.
Common wood options for hardwoods include oak, pine, maple, fir, birch, cherry, beech, and even bamboo.
The wood is cut into strips, which come in the form of tongue-in-groove, and can be arranged in geometric patterns.
If you choose real hardwood, you can choose between flooring that is already finished, unfinished, or reclaimed. Pre-finished flooring comes sanded and sealed, which eliminates certain steps during installation.
Pros
Note: There is no other flooring option compared to the old beauty of hardwood flooring. Some people love old homes because they have some amazing hardwood floors.
Durability: With a small amount of TLC, hardwood floors will last a lifetime, and then some. Many experts recommend refinishing solid wood every 10 years to keep it in good condition. That does mean sanding and applying a new finish coat to color and reseal the wood grain.
Care: Cleaning hardwood is a cinch, but it means sweeping and mopping regularly. Vinegar and water solution will work best for cleaning, but even the common hardwood floor cleaner from the grocery store can do wonders on the hardwood.
Versatility: Hardwood flooring provides a neutral background that allows for a wide range of decorative looks. Carpet typically has to complement the color scheme of a room, whereas hardwood floors don’t have that problem.
Also, hardwood floors can be finished in a color that best suits your aesthetic.
Allergen reducer: Solid wood floors do not collect dust and other disease-resistant particles, unlike carpet, and this makes it a better option for those with respiratory problems and allergies.
Longevity: Hardwood floors are known to last for decades if properly maintained. Hardwood floors usually need to be refreshed every 10 years or so to maintain their luster, and properly sanded and refinished every 20 years. Expect solid wood floors to keep the house healthy, and beautiful for generations to come.
Cons
Scratches and gouges: Despite your best intentions with solid wood, you will definitely see scratches and gouges over time. Scuffs and gouges are a minor concern because you can refinish solid wood to eliminate those eyesores, if you so desire, or leave them as a mark of character to your home.
Moisture damage: If those scratches and gouges are too deep and you spill something, or left a window open during a rainy day, you need to wipe off any moisture immediately to prevent swelling of your hardwood floors.
Sound: Solid wood floors, especially old stairs, can creak when you walk on them from age, changes in the weather, or poor installation. You can mute the sound by using an underlayment on the subfloor during the installation process.
Tough on pets: Pets can scratch your hardwood flooring with their claws, but the ground can also make them slip and slide while walking around. Wooden stairs can be especially difficult for older dogs, who cannot get a grip on the floor.
Longevity
There is one thing that is for certain, there is no comparison on the longevity of hardwood flooring. Hardwood can be treated pretty rough, and still be brought back to a beautiful luster with a little TLC. Hardwood is a great addition to a home, that will last many generations.
Laminate
Laminate flooring is a type of synthetic, composite flooring. Plywood or fiberboard core layers form the core of the flooring. In some cases, a supporting or lower layer is added under this key layer for further protection from separation.
Finally, a thin and transparent coating layer, made of plastic, is added to protect the lower image layers from damage and wear.
Laminate flooring is a popular way to achieve the look of wood or stone flooring without paying the price point of said floors. Although in the past it has been known that it looks cheaper and less expensive, these days it seems to be longer-lasting, lower maintenance, and — due to the ever-increasing options, a higher-quality image layer, they can be seen as equivalent to vinyl, and maybe even hardwood.
Pros
Durable: With the low level of care they need, laminate floors last much longer. Laminate can withstand high traffic with minimal damage, can provide UV resistance, and can be waterproof. And it does not scratch or change as easily as solid wood flooring.
Affordable: Laminate flooring is affordable compared to other flooring options and Laminate floors are usually installed as a floating floor, which means that it consists of interlocking planks placed over the existing subfloor. No adhesive, nails, or staples is required, just trim around the base of the walls around the room.
Eco-friendly: It is becoming increasingly common to find laminate floors made of recycled materials. Reputable brands will also offer some kind of environmental certification, such as GreenGuard.
Cons
Water Damage: The laminate floor is sensitive to moisture. Excessive flooding of any fluid, not just water, can cause the wood to move, swell, and break if left untreated. Although waterproof laminate flooring has become commonplace, it is still important to be careful with spills.
Unable to refinish: Due to its compact construction and protective layer, the laminate floor cannot be refinished. If it is damaged or worn out, the laminate flooring should be replaced.
Artificial look: Unfortunately, regardless of the quality, laminate flooring will not surpass its real counterpart when carefully examined. Everything from the repetition of the pattern to how the floor feels and sounds under your feet is an indication that the laminate floor is, well, laminate.
Longevity
Laminate flooring lasts between 15 and 25 years on average. The exact duration of life will vary depending on the product quality of your floor, and how well you maintain them. In some cases, the laminate floor can last more than 25 years. In most cases, it will last at least 10, in a well-trafficked home.
Subfloor
The subfloor is a solid and flat surface above the joists or can be the concrete foundation of your home itself.
A strong, flat, and level subfloor is required for the entire floor to create solid support and provide a high-quality feel for your new flooring.
The subfloor can be wood, plywood, oriented standard board (OSB), or concrete. Never confuse subfloor with underlayment as the subfloor is a mandatory feature of any floor construction but underlayment is an optional addition to your new flooring.
Underlayment
Yes, Underlayment is the first layer you will find under the flooring itself, in most cases, but underlayments use is not mandatory in all flooring situations, but yes it is recommended in most cases.
Basically, an underlayment is inserted between the top floor covering and the subfloor floor to provide a smooth foundation for the top floor covering, by helping even out any inconsistencies. However, it is hidden from direct view but it is the most effective solution for noise prevention and moisture resistance.
Now that we have gotten through what these different flooring options are, you can now make the very important choice of what kind of floors best suit you.
Get your dream flooring today!
Reach out to McCaslin Works Handyman Services today, take your boring, outdated floors out, and give your home a well-deserved upgrade.
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