The floor of any room is very important. The floor can make or break the entire room, it is the base of it and what can make every other part of the room stand out. So choosing the right floor is very important if we want a room to look its best.
Many think that flooring options are not very wide, but it is completely the opposite. There are countless of different flooring types available all around the world, and each one has its different benefits besides giving spaces the beauty they need.
So, if you want to know some of the flooring types that exist, the following are some of the most popular on the market.
Vinyl
All vinyl flooring is composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin along with additives, such as plasticisers, stabilizers, pigments, and fillers and it is a very popular type of flooring. This kind is very convenient because it is replaceable. If a part is severely damaged, you don’t have to replace the entire floor, just remove and replace that area. It is very easy to install.
And another one of the perks of vinyl is that it can be printed to look like a lot of different natural floor surfaces like hardwood, natural stone and ceramic. The tiles can also let the imagination go wild because you can mix the individual pieces to create any kind of coloured design.
Timber
Timber flooring is basically a wood or plank flooring where any recycled or reclaimed wooden boards are installed. It is also known as planking because it uses hard board wood planks. Many like this type of floor because of its aesthetic appeal.
The advantages of timber are that they are strong and durable, it is eco-friendly, it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance just a re-polish to keep the lustre, it is a good insulator and hygienic. But one of the few disadvantages is that it can be expensive.
Bamboo
This type is becoming more and more popular. It is a type of floor manufactured from the bamboo plant. But it is environmentally friendly because it is not actual wood, it is a grass. It could be considered as an alternative to hardwood.
It is very versatile, durable and has resistance to insects and moisture too. And it actually has natural variations of colour because of carbonisation, which gives the floor a honey brown or light tan colour. Being very similar to hardwood, it needs a very similar maintenance.
Laminate
Laminate floors -also called floating wood tile- is becoming the most popular kind of flooring in the United States. It is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product and it is fused together through a lamination process. It can simulate wood or stone with a photographic appliqué layer that is under a clear and protective layer.
It is very popular because it is a lot easier to install and maintain than other more traditional flooring options. It is also more affordable and is reasonably durable -can resist burns, scratches and chipping- and it is also hygienic. Laminate flooring is the kind of floor suitable for high traffic areas.
Ceramic
Ceramic tiles is the kind of flooring considered as the most waterproof type of all. But ceramic tiles are not used only for flooring, it is also common to see ceramic tiles used for counter tops because of the high gloss finish available, though that finish sometimes tends to scratch.
It can be used for outdoor flooring and for showers with the unglazed finish due to its resistance to water. But there is more than one finish available in ceramic tiles, there are others like matte, embosses, textured, glazed and anti-slip.
Marble
Marble floors are known for looking good in all rooms, it blends with all spaces and type of designs. Marble tiles can give a room a clean and rich feel that can’t always be achieved with other floorings. Marble products are processes all around the world from metaphoric rock blocks.
One of the things that makes marble popular is that you can get it in a lot of different sizes, from really small to really big. Also, marble is available in so many different varieties of colour. The most popular colour at the moment is the light tan and black.
Carpet
For many years and even centuries carpets and rugs were the most popular kind of flooring, but lately they have had a downfall because of installation problems. But now, in effort to bring carpets back, there exist carpet tiles. These are just like any other flooring tiles but, it’s a carpet tile.
With this type of carpet, it is easier for anyone to install it. But the biggest perk of all is that if there is any kind of spill or stain, that tile can be removed and replaced, instead of trying to clean the impossible stain or replace the entire carpet of the room.
Hardwood
The classic solid hardwood floors are still one of the staples in the flooring industry. The reason for this is simply its natural beauty and the durability; just like carpets, hardwood flooring has been around and very popular for centuries.
Although it can be expensive, many people look at it as a timeless investment because it will add value to any house or location as well as giving a lifetime of beauty. There are many types of wood floors, but the most popular ones are Maple, Pecan, Beech, Cherry, Oak, Pine, Birch, Walnut and Hickory.
As you can now see, there are a lot of types of floors, and these were just a few. Remember that the flooring is key to a nice looking space, so make sure that you choose one that will make a room and not break it.
