The foundation of any room, both literally and aesthetically, the choice of floor you make will play a key role in determining the style you end up with. There are practical concerns, price concerns and, of course, you want to know how well it’s going to go with the rest of the room. Here, we’re taking a look at five flooring options for your living room, their pros and cons, and which might be the right option for you.

Hardwood

Wooden floors have started becoming a lot more popular recently, as people clamour to get an authentic natural look in their homes. Part of the reason for hardwood popularity is the endless variety of options they provide. This flooring is available in different styles, colours, types and looks.

As such, hardwood flooring has never gone out of style due to its versatility. Therefore, more people are learning about the different types of hardwood, including vinyl, laminate, parquet, solid and engineered hardwood flooring.

And having access to enough information on these types of hardwood floors has made it easier to buy and install them. For instance, you can learn more about parquet flooring installation, one of the easier hardwood floorings to DIY. Whichever type you choose to use when refurbishing or adding value, it’ll make a wonderful addition to your space.

There are many different kinds of woods used for flooring, including oak, maple, pine, and walnut, each with their own properties. There is also the option to have a combination of woods. For example, on Onlineflooringstore.com.au, the timber flooring they provide has a combination of a real hardwood surface with a multi-layered core of plywood. In general, however, they all have the benefit of being very hard-wearing, as well as being long-lasting and having a high resale value.

Wood is great for insulation, too. It is, however, one of the priciest options around and wood can also be easily damaged if water or other liquids are allowed to be soaked into the board. Resurfacing wood that has been damaged or replacing damaged boards can be expensive, so care does need to be taken.

Carpet

Traditionally the most popular choice around, carpet has been giving way to the other kinds of flooring more, lately. However, they’re still much loved for the softness and warmth they provide and how they can make a room feel more sumptuous.

Aside from the comfort, carpets are also a favourite thanks to their ability to dampen floor sound by muffling your footsteps. As such, it’s perfect for living rooms with creaking or squeaky floors.

Additionally, carpets are often the safer option as they prevent damage during a fall by providing a safe landing. Therefore, if you have toddlers or babies, they won’t be in as much pain every time they fall.

And with living room floors being more susceptible to distortion, having a carpet that can hide it is ideal. You might still feel the distortion through the carpet, but you won’t be able to see it making it perfect for hiding damages. Some aren’t a fan of the cheaper carpets that feel a little scratchier, but luxury carpet options tend to be much, much more comfortable underfoot, and don’t become damaged under repeated foot traffic anywhere near as easily. Carpets do stain a little more easily with spills and it can be tough of people with allergies due to how fabrics can attract allergens like pollen, dust and dander; but it’s easy to clean and maintain, requiring nothing more than regular vacuuming and a little shampooing.

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Vinyl

Although this might be a more common choice for the kitchen or the bathroom, also known as the ‘wet rooms’ of the house, vinyl flooring has been becoming more popular in the living room due to its ability to mimic the appearance of real wood, stone and tile. Add to that the fact that it’s one of the least expensive flooring options around and it’s not hard to see why so many are opting for it. Older and cheaper vinyl flooring has been known to contain VOCs, harmful chemicals that get released over time, so it’s important to make sure that you check the manufacturers for a guarantee their own floors are free of these. Though vinyl is inexpensive, it’s difficult to repair. A damaged section would have to be ripped out and removed entirely.

Laminate

This material is, like many kinds of vinyl, designed to look like real wood. The laminate has high-resolution wood grain image printed onto it, and is then glued into fibreboards. Like vinyl, it’s one of the cheaper options and can be easily and quickly installed, even over older floors. It also has the benefit of needing only a sweep and a mop to maintain it. However, it’s not as effective at resisting all water damage like vinyl. Also like vinyl, it’s come under fire for releasing toxic chemicals in the home. For that reason, if you do consider purchasing laminate floors, you have to make sure the manufacturer guarantees that it’s safe for the household.

Bamboo

An option that’s a little less well known, but fast becoming a popular choice. Bamboo can look and feel like wood floors, but it’s actually made of bamboo grass strands that have been tightly compressed together. Unlike laminate and vinyl, it carries a lot of the resale value that wood has, too. However, it’s easier to repair than any of them because it can be easily sanded. However, as popular as bamboo is, the cheaper products on the market tend to be much more poorly constructed. Do your research, as lower quality bamboo flooring can start degrading very quickly. It’s also not a great choice if you have a spill-prone family, as it suffers water damage very poorly indeed.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the question of which type of flooring you need. Consider both your needs and your preferences, see which flooring fits your lifestyle and the style you’re implementing in the room and choose the best fit as you see it.

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