Finding the Right Floor Covering for Each Room

No matter the room in the house, there's hardly a more important feature than the floor. This feature essentially comes down to floor coverings. Laminate flooring or hardwood, plush carpet or stone tile, whatever floor covering you choose will give certain advantages and disadvantages. These pros and cons should be weighed according to each room in the house and your personal tastes.

Floor coverings should be one of the more carefully contemplated decisions you make for your home. Their high visibility makes a floor covering a definitive decorating statement. The continual wear of human contact requires a sensible, reliable installation. Without balancing the importance of décor and practicality, you probably won't be as satisfied with floor coverings as you could be.

Bathrooms
Ceramic or stone tiling offer some of the most durable floors available with a nice variety of coloring and tile size and design. Linoleum can still give you the kind of durability for typical bathroom use. It may not offer the same warmth as ceramic tiling, but it can give you a similar appearance for a more affordable price. A small bathroom floor may be a nice place to splurge, given the limited square footage will help control the price. Plus, you should consider how important a bathroom is to you in relation to other rooms in your home. This can also help you decide where to put your money.

Kitchens
Tiling or linoleum can also be a viable option for your kitchen, but hardwood or laminate flooring is usually the standard for a more high-end installation. Kitchens are right on the boundary for moisture risk to hardwood flooring. If you're thinking of a hardwood floor for this area, just make sure you find a durable wood and take care with the installation and finish. If you like the look of a hardwood floor but are wary of the price, a laminate floor is probably your best bet.

Bedrooms
The bedroom is all personal preferences. The least public room in your home should be about what you like and what feels good under your feet. The soft feel of a plush carpet may cushion your bare feet and help put you in the right mood for a good night's sleep. If you prefer the warmth and elegance of a hardwood or laminate flooring, you can feel the security and pleasure of your slippers sliding across the floor.

Living/Family Rooms
This room is usually all about your family and guests. Do you have kids that like to pop down on the floor in front of the tv? Carpet will help facilitate that atmosphere. If you have kids or pets that may be accident prone, carpet tile will allow you to replace small areas of carpeting, instead of simply trying to move your couch over any unsightly stains. For more mature entertaining, a hardwood or laminate floor probably gives the room a more conversational ambiance.

Basements
A basement floor covering is often one of the rooms that causes the most stress for the homeowner and it probably shouldn't. You know you need a high performance floor covering for the moisture and other hardships the floor must endure, but you may not feel like investing a lot of money in this area, either. Simply put, don't use a floor covering. Concrete staining can imitate almost any other flooring, is almost always the cheapest option, and can be smoothed and insulated to provide a warm, sleek floor that doesn't in any way match people's preconceived notions of what concrete can be.