Your family room is the heart of your home. It is the part of your home where you and your little ones and even guests gather – to play, relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Aside from the kitchen, your family room is probably another area in the home with high foot traffic. As a result, the flooring tends to wear faster than in other places in the house that see less activity.
So, if you are planning renovations or moving into a new house, you may want to pay closer attention to the flooring choice you make for the family room.
Here are five flooring options you can choose from for your family room.
Hardwood
Hardwood is without doubt one of the popular flooring options today, and that is for a good reason. For one, it goes well with any interior décor.
Secondly, it is long-lasting. Once installed, you only have to refinish to remove scratches and dents. This is not a complicated process.
For environmentally-conscious homeowners, hardwood is a great flooring option since it is a renewable resource. However, be sure you only buy sustainably harvested woods.
Engineered Hardwoods
As the name implied, this type of hardwoods is made from combining a thin top layer of authentic hardwood with several layers of plywoods underneath.
As a result, they are more stable and less prone to changing temperature than solid hardwood.
Engineered hardwoods give you the same solid hardwood look but at a more affordable price.
When installing, you can nail them directly over the floor or for some that are flat enough over old floorboards, hence saving you the cost and time to rip the old boards off.
Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles are a versatile flooring option available today. It comes in a wide range of colours, design, shapes, textures, and sizes, which makes it a perfect floor type for any room in the home.
Ceramic tiles have little to no negative impact on the environment since they are made from a mixture of clay and shale and then fired in a kiln.
However, they are often cold and hard to feel underfoot. Hence you may want to consider throwing in an area rug like a natural jute rug to add some warmth, especially during the colder months.
When selecting the ceramic tiles for your home, be sure to go for those that have anti-slip finishes and meet slip-resistance standards.
Vinyl
Vinyl is a resilient flooring option. Usually made from flexible PVC (polyvinyl chloride) material that feels softer underfoot than tiles and woods.
They come cushioned – with a layer of thin felt foam – that gives it the soft feel and in a wide variety of designs and colours.
Vinyl is durable and maintenance-free, which means you do not have to worry about changing them after only a couple of years.
Carpets
Carpets are probably the best-known flooring options on this list. They are versatile, comes in a wide range of colours and texture, and install easily.
They are made from a variety of material including nylon, wool, polyester, acrylic and polypropylene. An excellent way to determine the quality of carpet to use is to check the fibres per square inch – the more threads, the higher the quality and longer it will last.
However, many homeowners prefer to use carpets in their family room, living room and bedrooms because of its warmth, softness and quietness when walked on.
But be sure to avoid using in areas prone to moisture like bathroom and kitchen as frequent moisture and spills could quickly ruin your carpet.
