carpenter-carpentry-close-up-1249611A trip to your neighborhood home improvement store to look at home flooring reveals something to homeowners. They have more options in floor materials than at any previous point in time. 

The selections are extensive and making the best choice can be confusing. On the other hand, this selection allows homeowners options at a price point to suit any budget.

Let’s look at the many pros and cons of some of today’s most popular flooring options. 


Exploring Flooring Options For Your Home

Ceramic Tile

Here in Northern Virginia, you’ll find that ceramic tile is a traditional medium for flooring in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry or utility rooms. Manufacturers form these from thin clay forms, which are then kiln-fired and glazed for waterproofing.

Pros:

  • Best utilized for humid/wet rooms
  • Wide range of color choices, patterns, and shapes from square to rectangular to octagonal
  • Easy to install if you care to try a DIY
  • Great for resale value
  • Extremely durable
  • Available to suit varying budgets—shop around!

Cons:

  • Resealing, cleaning, and maintaining grout lines is tedious
  • Can be slick when wet
  • Feels cold and hard to walk on

Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are an interesting choice. They are classic, timeless, and remain on trend today, thanks to innovative new colors like gray or black. Hardwoods include the customary oak, maple, and hickory as well as exotic species such as rosewood or mahogany. 

Pros:

  • Overall good durability
  • Can be refinished
  • Visually stunning (especially when installed in the new diagonal or herringbone patterns)
  • Easy to clean and maintain
  • Adds to a home’s resale value

Cons:

  • Cost of materials and installation can be prohibitive
  • Softer hardwoods get scratches and dings, so might need refinishing
  • Can be noisy to walk on—if you install in an upstairs bedroom, need to add an area rug

Bamboo Flooring

Many homeowners like bamboo flooring because it offers an attractive, exotic look on an affordable budget. The secret reason that this wood is not as expensive as other is that it’s not wood at all—it’s a grass!

In fact, bamboo is an invasive species throughout the world, so harvesting it for flooring is one method of controlling its spread.

Pros:

  • Far less costly than hardwoods
  • Clean, modern appearance
  • Easy to clean
  • Can be refinished like hardwoods
  • Selecting bamboo alleviates some of the consumer pressure on hardwood forests
  • Renewable resource
  • Can be a DIY floating floor install with excellent tool skills

Cons:

  • Limited shade range
  • Must be used in a dry area—prone to water damage
  • Some are sourced from parts of the world with questionable labor practices
  • More prone to dings or scratches than hardwoods

Vinyl Plank Flooring

If the word “vinyl” causes you to flashback to your great-aunt Edna’s basement knitting room, you’re past due to at least give the new, improved vinyl—vinyl plank flooring—at least a cursory glance. 

Vinyl plank flooring is as durable as the vinyl of old. However, instead of installing in large, bulky sheets, these fit as individual planks like a wood floor. Better yet, they give the same impression as wood floors for a fraction of the price.

Pros:

  • Excellent in wet environments like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms
  • Can do a floating floor DIY installation 
  • Inexpensive when compared to hardwood surfaces
  • Vast choices in color, textures, and finishes that look like polished wood or hand-scraped, reclaimed woods.
  • Easy to maintain and clean

Cons:

  • Not as good for resale value as ceramic, hardwoods, or bamboo options
  • No cushioning underneath, so it can be hard on the feet
  • Cannot be refinished if damaged, must replace the entire section of plank

Carpet

Despite every homeowner’s lust for hard surface floors, carpet remains a steadfast best-seller in home improvement stores. While the primary reason for this seems to be the affordability factor, don’t let that get you down. 

Indeed, carpet today is more stain-resistant and luxurious feeling than past generations, meaning that you aren’t giving up easy care if you’re on a budget. 

Pros:

  • Typically, the lowest priced flooring medium
  • Helps to quiet sound—ideal for upstairs rooms
  • Cushy, luxurious feeling under the foot—and not to mention warmer in the cold winter months here in the DC area.
  • Huge selection of colors and textures

Cons:

  • Cannot usually self-install
  • Fibers will absorb stains
  • Holds in pollen, pet dander, and allergens
  • The affordable carpeting is not a green product

Final Thoughts on Home Flooring

These options are only five of the home flooring materials available in the marketplace today. You’ll find that there are pros and cons to every type, and you will need to narrow down the focus by opting for the best material that suits your home and budget.

Khalil El-Ghoul

Discover our 2.25% Full Service Listings and Buyer Rebates. Khalil is dedicated to guiding home buyers and sellers with expert advice and objective information. For professional real estate assistance, text Khalil at 571-235-4821 or email khalil@glasshousere.com today.