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What type of flooring is right for me

Flooring material, color, and styles are often overlooked compared to paint colors of walls, and it shouldn’t. Flooring and the wall color sets the tone of a room. There are two major categories of flooring: tiles, and planks.  Tiles usually refer to ceramic and porcelain and planks are usually any variations wooden looking flooring includes hardwood, engineer wood, and vinyl. 

The first thing to consider when picking flooring is the intentional usage of the space. Both tile and vinyl are great for kitchen and bathroom because it provides scratch and moisture resistant. They are also great for a home with pets to run on. Engineer wood and hardwood is more prone to dent and scratches. Once deciding on a flooring material, next is to match the overall theme of the home. A minimalistic theme home is better off with flooring that is consistent color and patterns. This can be tiled or plank. An avant-garde style homeowner may prefer encaustic-look tiles. It’s important not to over complicate the space, mixing different flooring in the same space can be “dangerous”. 

We have listed characteristics and prices of different types of flooring below. We also carry samples of different flooring in our Burlington location. You can visit our showroom to get professional advice on what to chose for your home.

Ceramic/Porcelain Tile Flooring

Depending on the subfloor of the home. There are several ways to install tiles. Common methods includes wiremesh, becker board in general space and Ditra in bathrooms. Flooring professionals can give you advice on the best mode of installation. Tile quality is depended on many factors including water absorption, warpage, etc.

  1. The same type of tile can have color variations from lot to lot. 
  2. Tiles are easy to maintain (scratch resistant) and has long durability when installed correctly.
  3. It takes longer to install compared to other options.
  4. When tiles are only installed in one space, it needs a transition piece to merge different spaces. 
  5. Quality tiles are more expansive compared to standard tiles.

Material cost: Starting at $5 for reputable brands.

Quality install for contractors with 10+ yrs of experience: $14-$18 sqft 

Vinyl Tile Flooring

There are two types of vinyl, rigid core floating and glued down. We recommend using rigid core vinyl because it absorbs sound with its backing and easier to maintain with its click installation. Vinyl quality is defined by the thickness of the plan and its wear layer. 

  1. Vinyl is easy to maintain (scratch resistant) and has long durability when installed correctly.
  2. Vinyl provides the wood look with slightly cheaper pricing.
  3. Vinyl require a leveled subfloor. Uneven subfloors will cause a slope at locations.

Material cost: Starting at $3.5 for reputable brands.

Install Cost: $4/sqft

Hard Wood Flooring

Hardwood is great for homeowners who seek the natural wood feel to compliment the overall theme. Hardwood flooring can also come from a variety of sources to give different look and feel. Reclaimed wood, for example, recovered from demolished old wooden houses or beams. This type of wood can give the house an aging feel. When combining with the right furniture, it could easily give a middle-age royalty look.  Hardwood quality is depending on the manufacturing process and the material used.

Price is depended on tree species.

  1. Hardwood floor is not pet-friendly as it’s not scratch friendly
  2. It can be repaired with wood filler and stained
  3. Hardwood floor has natural grain and patterns

Material Cost: Varies based on the type of wood

Install Cost: $5/sqft 

Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is a more budget-friendly alternative to hardwood. This is popular among home sellers. Laminate floor needs to install a moisture barrier on a cement subfloor or any subfloor that has a chance of exposure to moisture. 

Laminate flooring is not scratched resistant when scratched, it takes longer to repair compare to hardwood counterparts. moisture and wear and tear 2)Laminate flooring doesn’t repair easily 3) Laminate is cheap to install and supply.

Material Cost: $2-$4/sqft

Install Cost: $4/sqft

All price above is an estimate and subject to change based on size and material chosen.

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