Choosing The Right Flooring For Your Home

What’s your go-to flooring style?

Sophisticated tile?

Hardwood?

Cozy carpet?

Did you know that the flooring material you choose for your home goes beyond just aesthetic. Different materials have varying lifetimes, caring needs, and even impact the air quality of your home.

So, how do you choose?

Lifetime is here to help! Let’s take a closer look at different flooring options and the differences between them.

Hardwood flooring - A favorite among homeowners. Hardwood flooring is timeless and classy, easy to clean, and very customizable. It’s durability is dependent on which type of wood you choose, Oak and Maple being the strongest. Wooden flooring is resistant to chips and nicks, and can handle years of wear and tear, and can easily be maintained by sanding down and staining. Wooden floors are best in rooms without excess moisture such as bedrooms, livingrooms, kitchens and dining rooms.

Maintenance - Be sure to thoroughly sweep and dust your floors. Once a week, dampen a mop with a water and vinegar mixture, and go over the flooring.

Tile flooring - Tile floors are classic and easily customizable. Varying in material, color, pattern and fill, they give each homeowner the opportunity to create the feel of the room. Tiles are easy to clean and maintain, and can last up to 50 years when properly cared for. Due to their water resistant nature, they work well in any room, no matter the moisture content. They are most popularly used in bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens. Although kitchens are less recommended because they are not comfortable to stand on for long periods of time due to their hard nature.

Maintenance - Sweep and mop regularly, sweeping and dusting will prevent dust and dirt from becoming embedded into the grout between tiles.

Carpet - Carpeting has somewhat fallen by the wayside in recent years, but is making its way back into people’s hearts (and homes!) It’s warm, homey, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive. Carpeting also reduces echo and absorbs sound, to muffle footsteps and voices. It adds a softness and comfort to your home that is harder to achieve with wood and tile. It does require more diligent care and vacuuming to keep it clean, as it can harbor dust and bacteria brought in on shoes from outside.

Maintenance - vacuum regularly.