Flooring Home Improvement Projects – Hardwood, Laminate Or Eco-Friendly

Reflooring your home is quite a project, but it’s definitely the kind of home improvement project that will pay off in the long run. However, you can choose to do it one room at a time, but even then it will be quite a task. You may have doubts about the kind of floor you want in your home so let’s take a look at some of the options.

Hardwood Floors

The main reason for getting a hardwood floor is its classic, stylish look. If you’re living in an older house there’s a chance that there is already a hardwood floor beneath the carpets. Your choice of wood off course depends on the look you want for your floor, but the most popular type of wood is oak due to it endurance and elegance. Wood can be an expensive option though.

Laminate Floors

Laminate floors are certainly less expensive than hardwood floors and they do have several advantages. First of all they are very easy to install, but you have to make sure you do it properly to avoid future nuisances such as hollow sounds when stepping on the floor. The look of a laminate floor can come pretty close to that of a proper hardwood floor these days, however, when the wear and tear starts to show it’s not as easy to replace a single board as it is with hardwood floors. On the plus side laminate floors are usually made of recycled materials making them reasonably environmentally friendly.

Eco-Friendly Floors

Both laminate and hardwood floors are better options that carpets when it comes to protecting the environment so you’re definitely not making a bad choice by going with either of the two. However, there are other options like linoleum, bamboo or cork. Actually cork is not a new invention when it comes to flooring options, but it is seeing a resurgence in popularity these days. Still in the end there are a lot of factors to consider when making your decision.

Taking Your Pick

What matters the most and are you on a budget? In my opinion nothing beats the classic hardwood floor, but that is not exactly the least expensive option. You need to make a decision that meets your requirements for style and doesn’t break your budget.To be continued