Popular Types of Flooring Materials for Modern Homes

The marketplace is filled with various types of flooring materials for homes, from wooden flooring to laminate flooring, vinyl flooring, etc., which makes it difficult for many homeowners to make a choice.

While the choice of flooring types depends on personal tastes and budgets, it is important to consider the exact room where the material will be installed since not all flooring materials are suitable for all spaces.

Some flooring materials are ideal for bedrooms, where foot traffic is minimal while others such as wooden flooring are suitable for high-traffic areas such as living rooms, and kitchens.

Types of flooring materials

Here are some of the most popular flooring materials for modern homes.

1.) Hardwood flooring

Hardwood flooring has been one of the most prevalent types of wooden flooring materials for decades thanks to its durability and style.

It is made using planks of wood from hardwood trees such as walnut, maple, and oak. Planks are treated to improve the final product’s structural and aesthetic qualities.

Hardwood flooring is installed with a tongue-and-groove technique in which each board is pinned to the subfloor through tongues at the edges of the boards.

This floor is quite easy to maintain. It only requires sweeping and cleaning with an approved wood cleaner. Like in the case of any wood floor, avoid cleaning a hardwood floor with water.

RELATED: How to Install Hardwood Floor

Other popular types of wooden flooring include engineered hardwood, and acrylic-impregnated wood flooring, which is engineered hardwood flooring that has been strengthened by impregnating the wood with stain and a liquid acrylic that fills the cells and supports the wood structure.

2.) Engineered hardwood flooring

Since hardwood flooring is unaffordable for many people, ingenious individuals have devised a cheaper type of wood floor that looks exactly like hardwood flooring.

Known as engineered hardwood flooring, this type of material is made by merging a layer of hardwood with layers of plywood planks. A high-quality veneer is smeared on top to make them resistant to scratches. 

RELATED: Engineered Wood vs. Hardwood: What’s the Best Option?

3.) Ceramic tiles

Ceramic tiles are easily the most colourful type of flooring – giving buyers the option to choose almost any color, texture, shape, and size. They are manufactured in a factory by mixing clay and shale, and then placing the mixture in a kiln to harden.

Despite their great aesthetic appeal, ceramic tiles are usually very cold underfoot. It is therefore advisable to install radiant heated coils underneath to avoid the cold feeling.

4.) Carpet

This is a prevalent type of flooring material especially for bedrooms. Carpets come in various colors and textures that make them highly popular among many homeowners.

It is advisable to look at the fibre density count for the carpet you plan to buy since the more fibres per square inch the more durable the carpet will be.

5.) Laminate

Laminate flooring makes it possible for homeowners to have a hardwood-looking floor without spending a fortune. The product is made in four layers: bottom layer, core layer, design layer, and top layer.

The bottom layer protects the plank against moisture; the core layer is a high-density board that protects from indentations and moisture; the design layer has a high-resolution photograph of the floor’s surface appearance; while the top layer is a clear material that protects against fading, stains, and surface burns.

Laminate flooring looks exactly like an engineered hardwood floor, except that it does not have a real wood top layer.  It can be designed to look like real stone, stained concrete or ceramic tiles.

6.) Vinyl flooring

This is one of the most durable types of flooring materials for homes. This is because the product is quite inexpensive compared to other flooring types and it is maintenance free as well.

Vinyl flooring is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that is enriched with various compounds to bring out attributes such as flexibility, hardness and color. It is a great choice for those working on tight budgets.

7.) Polished concrete

Homeowners are increasingly turning to polished concrete floors where a concrete floor is mechanically ground, honed, and polished with bonded abrasives to cut a concrete floor’s surface. The floor is then refined with each cut to attain a specified level of appearance.

A polished concrete floor can be decorated in many colors and patterns. However, it can be quite complex to install this type of flooring.

8.) Cork flooring

Cork, which is a tree bark harvested from a living tree, is widely known as a product for preserving the quality of wines in bottles. Unknown to most people, the material can be fashioned into engineered planks or solid glue-down tiles for flooring.    

The material can be bought in both planks and tiles and individual homeowners can choose the option that they think will look best in the spaces they are working on.

Although cork is prefinished, you should ensure that the flooring is sealed every three to five years to protect it from staining and decay caused by moisture.

9.) Stone flooring

This is one of the most expensive types of flooring materials, but the elegance of the floor is certainly worth paying for. When buying stone flooring, you have a wide range of stones to choose from, including limestone, marble, travertine, granite, and sandstone – each of which has its unique qualities.

It is important to note that the harder and denser the stone the more difficult and expensive it is to mine; and the more colourful the stone the scarcer it is – which means a higher selling price. However, the harder the stone the more moisture resistance it will be, which translates to a longer service life.

10.) Bamboo flooring

This is a stylish flooring material made from tree-like grass known as bamboo. It appears and feels like a hardwood floor and can work with almost any home style, although it is best suited for modern houses.

Bamboo flooring is easy to maintain and resistant to water damage. It requires simple sweeping to remove small debris. The floor can be cleaned with a non-wax, non-alkaline, hardwood, or bamboo floor cleanser. It can also be mopped with a damp piece of cloth.

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