Deciding what type of soil to use

Years ago, flooring options were relatively limited, especially compared to the range of options available today. Have you walked into Lowe’s or Home Depot lately and just took a look at the flooring options they have available? So with all the options available, how do you decide what type of flooring to use in your home?

To help you decide, you need to break it down into three areas of consideration, which are the type of room, the traffic the room receives, and how much money you have available or how much you want to spend on the project. The type of room, along with the amount of traffic, will largely determine what type of flooring you will go with. In most cases, you don’t want to use hardwood floors in the kitchen and bathroom because of the likelihood of water or other liquids spilling on them.

Hardwood floors are extremely popular these days because of the look of luxury and character that adding this type of flooring gives a room. These types of flooring can now be installed over almost any pre-existing subfloor and with the increased demand for hardwood flooring, the quality and variety of options has improved. You can choose between planks, slats or long slats depending on your preferences and also whether or not you want the finished or unfinished wood.

Another very popular option if you like the look of wood but are afraid it won’t hold up in heavy traffic or because you don’t want to spend the money that real wood flooring costs is laminate flooring. Originally from Europe, these floors are easy to clean, very durable and resistant to stains. Although the majority of laminate flooring systems still come from abroad, there are some national manufacturers that are starting to offer the product. The high quality of laminate flooring sometimes makes people mistake it for real wood.

My personal favorite is the ceramic tile which is very durable and long lasting as well as being scratch, fire and water resistant. It also doesn’t retain odors or bacteria the way carpet does, which is great, especially if you have pets. The only downside for me is that it is very slippery so it may not be practical if you have small children or are an elderly person. However, in general, tiles are a very good option and make cleaning and maintenance easy.

Of course, your other option is a rug that is easy to use and offers a warmer surface, especially in winter when you may not want to put your feet on a tile floor. My suggestion is to use rugs in the bedroom areas that are heavily trafficked and use laminate or tile in the living areas.