What Floor Covering Is Best For You?

Floor covering comes in many styles; laminates, pre-finished hardwood, solid vinyl tile, ceramic tile and carpet.  They offer many qualities and benefits to you depending upon your need for durability, warmth and comfort.

 Using Laminate Floor Covering

First, let's look at laminate floors.  Laminate is made up of several different layers of resin materials that are thermo-fused together. They are designed to look like wood or ceramic. There is a wear layer of melamine (just like a kitchen  counter top) that has aluminum oxide topically applied to eliminate signs of damage. The backing layer and inner layer are really what secures the product and are measured from 8mm to 12mm in thickness.  The higher rating the better the laminate. Laminate floors are extremely durable but are a bit noisy as you are walking across a hard surface that is floating above the substrate with an underlay below. The better the underlay - the better the moisture and soundproofing capabilities. Your kids and pets will do well with a laminate floor.

Prefinished Wood Floor Covering

Pre- Finished Hardwood is engineered out of veneers of real wood with the desired species ply on the top layer.  These plies of wood are cross applied in manufacturing to give the pre -finished wood floor strength in structure and durability.  The top layer is finished with 4-5 coats of polyurethane baked into the wood at high heat and aluminum oxide added for extra resistance to scratches and damage. Pre-finished Wood floors can come in low luster looks as well as high shiny finishes.  The beauty of real wood is the best quality of this floor covering as it makes the area covered in wood warm and inviting and is soft underfoot.  Regular vacuuming or dusting with a white mop keeps the floor beautiful to admire and shows off the furniture and other textures in the room.

Working With Carpet

Carpet is the most economical of the floor covering offered. It offers warmth and a feeling of cohesiveness to a setting.  Carpet is extruded out of liquid into a fiber that is tufted to a backing. A latex is applied to the primary backing and adheres to the final backing to add durability. Carpet fibers can be constructed of either Polyester or Nylon.  Nylon has always been known as the stronger of the two fibers but Polyesters have great inherent stain resistance.  Nylon manufactures tout the Stainmaster and Antron Fiber construction. They have the 6.6 fiber that is structurally the strongest fiber made.  There are thousands of styles and colors to choose to make your rooms an inviting place filled with warmth and color.

Ceramic Tile Floor Covering

Ceramic Tile is made from clay fired in kilns for durability.  The better the clay the better the tile whether it be ceramic or porcelain in nature.  Porcelain tiles are stronger and wear longer and can be installed in settings of change in temperature.  There are many designs to select whether it is squares of mosaic small two inch tiles or 18-20 inch tiles for large areas.  There are glass tiles and subway tiles of different sizes.  Your imagination is your limit in choosing a tile floor.  They are extremely durable but can be cold to the touch and breakables suffer when dropped on ceramic. Tile floors are made of resins that are fused together under high heat. From vinyl composition tiles to solid vinyl tiles there is a large array of styles.  Solid vinyl tiles are very durable and do not require the buffing and waxing that a vinyl composition tile requires. Solid vinyls come in either square ceramic looks or hardwood.  They are embossed to mimic the look of real tile and wood. You have to touch them sometimes to see that they are really solid vinyl and not the real McCoy! You see that each floor covering product has its merits and considerations.  The durability and wearability come in to play in every situation. The feeling of warmth and touch also are considered in  deciding what floor covering is best for you.  Together we can look at your environment, your design ideas and color distinctions, the price and quality, and find the perfect floor covering for you!