The floors are the largest surfaces and an essential component of your home. Picking the best flooring type is a challenging and time-consuming task, particularly, with the availability of dozens of options. Selection between different house flooring types depends entirely on the buyer’s budget, lifestyle, and personal requirements. If you want to buy the best flooring option for your homes, don’t fret; we are here to make floorings understandable.
Flooring treatments are categorized into hardwood, softwood, synthetic, and composite. Each type possesses different characteristics and varies in terms of price. In this article by Baniyas Furniture, we will discuss all the pros and cons, installing costs and methods, durability and strengths, and different house flooring types.
The Best Flooring Option For Your Home in Dubai
The most commonly installed floorings nowadays are firm and solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, laminate wood flooring, vinyl flooring, LVT, vinyl sheet flooring, ceramic tiles, stone tiles, carpet tiles, and even niche products like bamboo flooring, cork flooring, and wood-look tiles.
Types Of Hardwood Floorings
Hardwood flooring comes in two types: solid hardwood flooring and engineered hardwood flooring. Both have pros and cons, so they have different features.
Solid Hardwood Flooring
Solid hardwood flooring is constructed using a single piece of solid wood throughout. It usually comes in strips 1.5 and 2.5 inches wide or boards 4 to 8 inches wide. These strips and planks are generally 0.75 inches thick. They come in prefinished and unfinished, depending upon their construction and your preferences and requirements.
Different Solid Wood Flooring Species/Types
Oak
It is the most common type of wood flooring, with a pinkish tone and grain pattern. Because of its warmth, texture, and colors, it feels very beautiful in the house.
Maple
Maple is another high-density, resilient hardwood flooring material featuring cleaner and lighter hues. It is much lighter and does not get stains more easily like oak.
Walnut
Another hardwood species is walnut, which comes in dark, lustrous tones and striking grain patterns. It gives a luxurious and royal appearance to every part of your home.
Hickory
If you want to showcase the intricate details of your floor, then hickory is the best option. It features closed, rough grains and offers strength, beauty, and versatility.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a unique, eco-friendly, and one of the most durable wood flooring options. This species type is usually cut down into strips or strands, dried, and machined into flooring planks.
Advantages Of Solid Hardwood
- It is extremely durable and long-lasting.
- Solid wood is versatile.
- It has classy colors, looks, and textures.
- If installed in planks that elevates the floor’s beauty to the next level.
Disadvantages Of Solid Hardwood
- It is susceptible to temperature, moisture, and humidity.
- Water can make it swell.
- It can be stained easily.
- It also gets wrecked easily.
- If you do not take care of it, it also gets scuffed.
Solid Wood Flooring Cost
According to different authentic sources, solid wood flooring costs up to $5-$10 per square foot on average with which installation charges are included. But luxury woods can cost up to $15.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
This type of flooring comprises an upper layer of hardwood and a lower core layer of high-density fiberboard or plywood. The engineered hardwood comes in planks or strips 12 inches wide and 0.375 to 0.5 inches thick.
Different Engineered Wood Flooring Types
HDF Core
High-density fiberboard is the core material for cork, laminate, and linoleum floors. This material is used to add stability and strength to different other flooring treatments.
SPF
A combination of quarter-sawn Spruce, Pine, and Fir, it is a softwood species cut and arranged into pickets. It offers resistance against contraction and expansion.
Plywood
It comprises various layers of veneer that are firmly glued and heated with strong pressure to form panels. The planks of this flooring feature a grainy texture.
Advantages of Engineered Wood Flooring
- It has the look, feel, and versatility of solid wood.
- It has wider planks or strips that can be customized.
- It is very resistant to warping and can go where solid wood can not.
- It is more environmentally friendly than solid wood.
Disadvantages Of Engineered Wood Flooring
- It is not very strong and durable.
- Susceptible to scratches and dents.
- Unlike solid wood, it can only be refinished one time or twice.
Engineered Wood Flooring Cost
At a domestic level, the cost of engineered wood flooring is the same as the cost of solid wood. Engineered wood is a good alternative to exotic solid wood, and it costs about $3 to $8 per square foot.
Resilient Products Flooring
These products are the fastest-growing segment in the world of flooring because of their durability, beauty, and modern manufacturing techniques; they are also cost-effective. These products include the following items:
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is manufactured from three layers. These layers are:
Base Layer or Core
A rigid and high-density fiberboard is used to make this layer.
Image Design Layer
Then, the next layer is a photorealistic layer of whatever finish you want to give them.
Wear Layer
It is a protective plastic layer that offers resistance against both wearing and fading.
Advantages of Laminate Flooring
- They are ultra-super durable.
- It is totally scratch-resistant.
- These floors are very easy to clean.
- They are highly resistant to UV rays.
- They are less expensive than wood.
Disadvantages of Laminate Flooring
- It is not waterproof and gets swelled if water approaches its base layer.
- It can’t be refinished or repaired.
- They feel plastic-like underfoot.
Laminate Flooring Cost
They can cost anywhere from $1 to $10 per foot, depending on your desired quality and type.
LVP and LVT Floorings
Vinyl plank and tile are durable, synthetic floor options that can elevate the look of any space. Like laminate flooring, laminate flooring is made up of different layers.
Advantages Of LVP and LVT Floorings
- They are comfortable under the foot.
- They are insanely durable.
- They make the room feel luxurious.
- It is completely stain-resistant.
- They are inexpensive as well.
Disadvantages Of LVP and LVT Floorings
- It is made from plastic, which is not eco-friendly.
- All plastic products can contain VOCs that are harmful to your health.
- It will get de-shaped if not installed properly or on a good floor.
LVP and LVT Flooring Cost
These types of floorings are budget-friendly choices. They cost between $1 to $5 before installation.
Tile Floorings
Tile flooring also comes in a great variety of materials. These are listed below:
- Stone Tile Flooring
- Ceramic Tile Flooring
- Porcelain Tile Flooring
- Cement Tile Floor
- Unglazed Tiles
- Glazed Tiles
Wood Look Tile Flooring
It is the most famous and selling tile nowadays because of its wood-like looks and superb durability. They have the benefits of porcelain or ceramic tiles as well.
Advantages Of Tile Floorings
- They are timeless and waterproof.
- They do not get any stains.
- They are easy to clean.
- Do not require any maintenance.
Disadvantages Of Tile Floorings
- Tiles are brittle so that they can crack.
- Tiles are slippery.
- They are a bit expensive.
Tile Flooring Cost
The inexpensive tiles cost up to $0.50 per square foot while the luxury tiles may cost up to $80 or more per square foot.
Soft Surface Floorings
Soft surface is a broad term that covers all carpets and carpet-oriented products. Due to many advancements in the carpet industry, there are many products that you can use for your flooring.
Carpet Tiles
Carpet tiles are self-adhesive, versatile modular pieces. You can choose different types of carpet tiles to enhance the elegance of your room.
Advantages Of Carpet Tiles
- They are versatile and reusable
- They are easy to install.
- These are inexpensive.
- Creative spaces for ideas.
Disadvantages Of Carpet Tiles
- You will get wonky and emerging edges if you do not line them up properly.
- They can get wet and stain very easily.
- Tiles can not be used in moisture-prone places.
Carpet Tiles Cost
The most modern peel-and-stick carpet tiles cost between $3 and $5. Since there is no installation cost, they are the most budget-friendly flooring type.
Wall-to-Wall Carpet Flooring
This type of flooring is also known as Broadloom flooring. It comes in three categories of piles: cut piles, loop piles, and cut-and-loop piles. It is usually made from nylon, wool, or polyester.
Advantages Of Broadloom Flooring
- wall-to-wall carpet is cozy, soft, and warm.
- It is slip-proof as well.
- It is also a self-explanatory type of flooring.
- You can enhance interior beauty using these carpets.
Disadvantages Of Broadloom Flooring
- Gets stains very easily.
- Very difficult to clean.
- Magnets of dirt, mites, & bacteria.
Broadloom Carpet Cost
Their cost varies from $4-$20 per square foot and more depending upon the stuff and material from which they are made.
To Sum Up!
Here, we’ve explained many types of flooring options along with their pros, cons, and costs. We hope you have enough knowledge to pick the best type of flooring for your home. Depending on your interior schemes, taste preferences, and budget requirements, you can easily choose flooring that aligns with your lifestyle.
