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Choosing flooring for your home, but not sure what type of flooring to opt for? There are many different types of flooring to select from. Some of the main types include:

  • Carpet
  • Laminate
  • Hardwood
  • Ceramic tiles
  • Natural stone
  • Vinyl
  • Linoleum

Different types of flooring each have their pros and cons. In order to choose the right flooring, you need to consider which factors are important to you. This post weighs up some of the important factors, as well as highlighting the best types of flooring for meeting these specs.

Comfort

Best option: carpet, laminate and hardwood

For many people, nothing beats sinking your toes into a carpet. They are undoubtedly the cosiest flooring option. Laminate and hardwood aren’t as soft, but can provide a spinginess that can be healthy for our joints (particularly flooring that incorporates cork). 

Natural stone and ceramic tiles offer the least amount of comfort – falling on these surfaces can be painful, so they may not be as suitable for homes with young kids or people with mobility issues.

Warmth

Best option: carpet

Carpet is a great insulator and will keep a room warmer longer. It is the best option for homes in cold areas.

Natural stone is the coldest flooring material. While you may want to avoid this in colder areas, it can be a suitable option in homes located in warmer climates due to its ability to stay cool.  

Soundproofing

Best option: carpet

If you want to muffle the pitter-patter of kids’s feet, carpet is a good option. It has great sound insulation properties and is typically used in apartments for this reason.

Laminate, hardwood, natural stone and ceramic tiles are the loudest options. If you have young kids or pets, or live in an apartment and want to keep downstairs neighbours happy, you may want to be careful of choosing these options.

Cleaning

Best options: linoleum, vinyl, laminate or ceramic tile

Cleaning floors can be a chore, but it can be a lot easier if you choose a material like linoleum, vinyl, laminate or ceramic tile. You can easily sweep these surfaces clean. Spillages can meanwhile be easily wiped clean with a cloth or mop without too much worry of stains developing. 

Carpet is typically the hardest type of flooring to clean because debris and allergens can get trapped in the fibres. Short pile is a better option than deep pile, but you may still want to put down rugs in mess-prone areas. This is something for parents and pet owners to carefully consider.

Water resistance

Best options: vinyl or ceramic tile

The best bathroom flooring solutions are ceramic tile and vinyl. This is because they are pretty much waterproof. Natural stone is a close second, but only if it’s sealed

The worst options are hardwood and carpet. Too much moisture and steam can cause hardwood to warp or rot, while carpet can be prone to mold growth. These flooring options are avoided in bathrooms for this reason, and should be avoided in other wet areas too.

Durability

Best options: natural stone or hardwood

When it comes to handling wear and tear well, natural stone and hardwood are the most long-lasting options. Both can last for over 100 years if looked after.

As for other flooring options: Linoleum lasts 20 – 40 years, ceramic tiles lasts 10 – 20 years, laminate flooring can last 10 – 30 years (depending on quality), vinyl flooring typically lasts 10 – 20 years and carpet lasts 5 – 15 years. 

Naturality

Best options: natural stone or hardwood

If you want a natural flooring option, then natural stone and hardwood are the best options. Check out companies like Suburban Flooring for some great hardwood options.

Other options may contain a mix of natural and synthetic materials (such as laminate). Vinyl is the most fully synthetic option and is sometimes avoided by lovers of natural materials for the amount of VOCs it gives off. It is however recyclable. 

Range of styles

Best options: carpet or vinyl

Carpet and vinyl come in a huge range of colours and patterns. Vinyl is arguably the most diverse as it can be designed to resemble hardwood or stone.

Pure linoleum only comes in a few variations as is probably the most limited in terms of style, although it can be mixed with synthetic materials to give it extra hues. 

Ease of installation

Best option: vinyl or laminate

If you’re looking for a flooring solution that you can easily install yourself, choose vinyl or laminate. These can be easily cut to size and laid over existing flooring. Sites like The Spruce feature easy guides on installing this type of flooring.

Hardwood flooring, natural stone tiles and ceramic tiles are meanwhile some of the trickiest and most time-consuming flooring solutions to install. If you’re not DIY-savvy, you may want to hire a professional for these flooring choices. 

Cost

Best option: vinyl or laminate

On a tight budget? The most affordable flooring options are vinyl and laminate. Vinyl can get a bit more expensive when you look into luxury options, but basic vinyl is about the same cost as laminate.

What is the most expensive flooring choice? Most likely a luxury natural stone option such as marble or granite. These flooring choices may add a lot of value to your home however.