flooring for the home

I have always been primarily a fan of stone tile and real wood flooring, but there is a recent product that deserves some consideration.

Vinyl Plank Flooring can be a blessing in a home that has pets and active children, or it is a good choice in a bath when you want the look of wood, but worry about water damage. This product is durable, looks realistic, and is easy to maintain.

Go here to find out more on vinyl plank flooring.

The two hottest flooring products currently are laminate flooring and tile. Laminate flooring which is a relatively new product still is rapidly taking over. Tile which has been in homes for hundreds of years still maintains it's place.

These are both good choices in flooring, and can be installed by a reasonably handy person as a DIY project saving the homeowner a lot of bucks.

What is important for the homeowner to remember is that it will take them longer to do the job because they are not doing it on a daily basis and haven't had the practice a professional has acquired.

With proper planning, good instructions, the right materials and tools, most homeowners can successfully either tile a floor, or install a laminate and do a good job.

Measure your area, and check by measuring again so you know how much flooring you will need. Allow some extra for errors or breakage. This is especially true of tile, as you will most likely break some in the process. With tile you should have at least 5-10% allowance. The extra can be returned in some cases. If it can't be returned it is a great application under bathroom or kitchen sinks to make the area an easy clean-up.

Select a mid-priced flooring product. You are saving a lot of money on the install by doing it yourself, so use some of the savings to get a better product. Cheap often costs more in the long run.

Plan to have the area that is being floored out of service. Laminate will be a faster application than tile. With tile, there is a cure time between steps, and if you want to do a good job, you need to plan around this and take the time needed without disturbing the tile.

As I mentioned, these are the two hottest flooring products, but they are not the only choice, and they are not the right choice for all situations.

Bamboo is a much better product these days, and can take on many looks. It is a very strong material and can be used much the same as laminate flooring.

Cork flooring has it's place as well and is better in certain rooms, such as playrooms, or media rooms since it tends to cut down on the transmission of sound. Cork floors are available in a number of color choices..

Hardwood floors are the supreme in hard surface flooring as far as many people feel, and they are beautiful, but they are pricey and don't stand up to as much abuse as some of the other hard surface flooring.

Vinyl is always an option, and may be preferred especially in bathrooms, utility rooms, or even kitchens. The upside is that vinyl floors are available in many colors, patterns, and textures. They also have a wide range of prices from very modest to downright expensive.

Linoleum can't be counted out either. It is undergoing somewhat of a comeback these days and is often favored by folks who are actively going green. Since it is a natural product, it is biodegradable. The new generation of linoleum flooring is much more attractive than in days gone by and offered in a variety of vibrant colors.

And, last but not least, there is of course, carpeting. Carpeting hit the market much like laminate flooring in today's market. Once it began everyone wanted carpeting, and it's popularity had a long run. But today many homeowners are choosing to have it removed and go back to hard surface flooring with the addition of removable area rugs.

Little by little carpeting is losing favor. Although it is still installed in many new homes because it is easy for the builder, and cheaper. And often in homes that have hard flooring surfaces throughout, it is still preferred in the master suite.

Today's homeowners are finding hard surface flooring fits in more with their lifestyle and is easier in the long run to maintain. Then too, many who suffer allergies find hard surface flooring easier to live with.

Cork flooring is not a heavily sought after flooring material, but it is gaining in popularity for some applications.

With the trend towards "going green" homeowners are finding that there are places within their home where natural cork flooring has it's benefits.

Many of the homes built today feature media rooms, and this is a great place for a cork floor. Children's rooms are also a prime place to consider a cork floor. Cork can be a good choice for either small children's playrooms, or the rooms occupied by teen-agers with large stereo speakers.

What are the benefits of Cork Flooring?

• Cork has the ability to reduce the transmission of noise. This is what makes it popular in public buildings such as churches, municipal buildings and libraries where it has a long history.



• Cork flooring is warmer to the feet, reduces heat loss and is easier on the feet than many flooring materials.



• Cork flooring is both durable and repairable.



• And Cork is a renewable product. Just as when you pick apples from a tree, the tree will live and produce in the next season, so will the tree from which cork originates, although it takes longer.



• Cork flooring is often made from recycled cork that has already had another life, and this makes it even more desirable as a valid use of resources.