The first step in choosing a floor is deciding what look and feel you want for each room and throughout your home. Remember, your floor is a key design element... so you'll want to spend some time selecting the right materials. Whether that's wood, laminate, vinyl, carpet, cork, or ceramic. You're sure to find a flooring that's just right for you and your home. Let's review a few...
Solid Wood Flooring
Solid wood flooring is a surface that is fashioned with strips or planks of hardwood that are adhered to a subsurface such as plywood or concrete to form a stable floor. Solid wood flooring is typically made from species of hardwood trees such as Oak, Birch, Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Hickory and other species. Each type of wood offers differences in coloration and grain patterns.
Easy to clean. Solid wood flooring is easy to clean and is more resistant to spills and stains over other options.
Longer lasting. Solid wood flooring is designed to last a lifetime. Its easy to refinish in need be.
Versatile. Solid wood flooring seems to complement every color and decor scheme.
Improved air quality. Solid wood flooring offers no hiding places for allergens, dander, pollen and other matter that can reduce air quality and plague allergy sufferers.
Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered wood flooring uses boards that are made of layers rather than solid wood. The top layer of engineered wood flooring is typically made of a hardwood. Beneath this veneer are multiple layers of wood or plywood that help to form a very stable core which is less likely to expand or contract when exposed to changes in temperature and humidity.
• More stable. Engineered wood flooring is known for its durability in rooms where moisture may be present. The multiple layers of wood and plywood that make up an engineered floorboard help to keep the floor from expanding or contracting as temperatures and humidity rise and fall.
• Wider and longer. Engineered boards come in widths up to 10” and lengths up to 12’. The industry standard for engineered flooring is 3” wide by 3’ long.
• Carefully Crafted. Cali Bamboo's cutting-edge Hybrid™ engineered hardwood line leverages the power of Eco-Engineered™ technology to combine Fossilized® bamboo and sustainable eucalyptus for flooring that is 30% wider, but just as durable. It is manufactured using highly versatile T&G milling to offer flexible application throughout all levels of the home—even below grade rooms and basements.
• Long-lasting. With a thicker top layer (also called the “wear layer”), engineered wood flooring will last as long as most solid wood floors, while thinly engineered and mass-produced floors may have a very short life cycle.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Tile (LVT) Flooring
Luxury Vinyl flooring options have gained popularity recently because of their durability and variety of styles available. Like engineered flooring, it’s constructed in layers. The top layer is vinyl, the middle is a high density core board and usually there is an attached back underlayment (like cork or padding) for more cushioning.
• Versatile. LVP and LVT have been remastered with the most realistic hardwood grain patterns and commercial-grade durability. Making them a great option for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements.
• Easy to Clean. Its extra easy to clean and extremely water-resistant. It won’t sustain damage even if water sits on the surface for an extended amount of time. Just a simple two-bucket cleaning system will do.
• Affordable. The average cost for installation varies depending on the form.
• Durable. This is a product that is built to withstand commercial environments. It is far more durable than laminate.
• Easy Installation. LVT and LVP can be easily installed just like tile or wood planks. Many LVT/LVP manufacturers such as Cali Bamboo offer their LVP with an Interlocking system making it easier for DIY installation.
Tile Flooring
Tile flooring is a popular choice for moisture-prone areas like bathrooms and kitchens. The most common tile materials are ceramic or porcelain.
• Durable. Tile is extremely resilient when it comes to staining and wear, making it a good choice for high traffic areas.
• Long-lasting. When properly installed, ceramic and porcelain tile are some of the longest lasting flooring products on the market today.
• Improved Air Quality. Ceramic and porcelain tile are created with naturally occurring clay and minerals that are heated to high temperatures, so there are no volatile organics (VOCs) in the finished product that can be released into the air we breathe. In addition, there are adhesives and grouts available that contain zero, or very low VOCs.
• Hypoallergenic. Tile is inhospitable to dust mites, mold, germs, and bacteria and often used to replace carpet for people with allergies or asthma.
Carpet
Carpet is a favorite flooring option for homeowners, especially in bedrooms. There are many types of fiber used in carpet, but the most common are nylon, polyester, polypropylene, acrylic, and wool. Carpets are made by looping the fiber yarns through the backing material in a manner similar to how a button is sewn onto a shirt. These loops of fiber can then be left either intact, or cut at various angles and lengths. How the fiber loops are treated is known as the carpet pile.
• Provides Warmth. Carpet provides actual thermal insulation and resistance, or R-value. It retains warm air longer, which is great come winter time. Carpet also provides a comfortable place to sit, play, or work and gives a room an overall warmer feeling.
• Provides Cushion. Carpet is ideal for cushioning our footsteps, reducing slips and falls, and minimizing injuries when falls do occur. Carpet provides protection for the whole family, but especially for toddlers and older individuals.
• Reduces Noise. Big screen TVs and sound systems make our homes noisy places. Carpet helps to absorb these sounds. Adding a cushion pad beneath your carpet reduces noise even further. Carpet also works as a sound barrier between floors by helping to block sound transmission to rooms below. Carpet on stairs also helps mask the sound of constant foot traffic.
• Affordable. Depending on the type of carpet you purchase, carpeting often costs less than wood or tile floors.
• Versatile. It comes in a variety of colors, materials and textures to match any room or decor.
Cork Flooring
Cork flooring is a product made from the bark of the cork oak tree, a material which is ground, processed into sheets and baked in a kiln to produce tiles that serve as unique and modern flooring option.
• Reduces Noise. Cork flooring promises quieter, more comfortable floors. Cork has been proven to ease back and joint pain, making cork a smart option if you spend a lot of time on your feet. Cork flooring also functions as an extra safety precaution for the elderly or disabled who may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a fall.
• Provides Warmth. Cork has a 3.0 R-Value per inch of thickness, meaning it’s about as warm as a mid-weight puffy jacket.
• Renewable Resource. Cork is naturally renewable, and simply trimmed from the bark of the cork oak tree which then regenerates.
• Fire-resistant & Water-resistant. One of the greatest advantages of cork flooring lies in a naturally occurring, waxy substance it contains called suberin. Best of all, this natural substance acts as a natural fire retardant! Sure, cork will burn, but thanks to suberin, it’ll do it so slowly that it won’t produce flames, so it won’t spread fire as quickly.
• Antimicrobial & hypoallergenic. Suberin also makes cork naturally antimicrobial and hypoallergenic. Bacteria, dust mites, mold, mildew, pet dander, and small rodents hate this stuff. If anyone in your family has allergies, stop debating between carpet vs. laminate and go with a cork product instead.
Bamboo Flooring
A fast-renewing resource, bamboo is ready to harvest in 5 to 6 years, about one-tenth the time it takes red oak to mature. For strand woven bamboo flooring, the individual fibre strands are used. These are tightly compressed together with a resin to form a solid block of strand woven bamboo which is then machined into planks of flooring and sanded.
• Durable. Bamboo flooring that is of high quality will wear as well and last about as long as traditional hardwood floors. Especially Cali Bamboo's flooring which undergoes a proprietary Fossilized® manufacturing process that makes it twice the density of any other hardwood floor in the world.
• Versatile. One benefit of bamboo flooring is that it is available in a variety of styles and colors to match any room or decor. It can be installed over almost any subfloor and used in most rooms in your home. Bamboo is dimensionally stable, meaning that it can be used in rooms with fluctuating temperatures.
• Eco-friendly. It is a fast-growing grass that reaches maturity in a quarter of the time of hardwood trees. This makes it a sustainable and environmentally friendly choice.
• Easy Maintenance. Bamboo flooring is fairly low maintenance, as it can be easily cleaned with mild soap and a mop. (No special treatments necessary.) Bamboo floors can become discolored, dented, or scratched over time, but they are easy refinish as necessary by sanding down the surface and then reapplying finishing coats.
• Hypoallergenic. If you adopt a daily cleaning routine of sweeping away dust and dirt, there is nowhere for pet hair or other allergens to hide.
At Clean Indeed, we understand that new flooring is a big investment and we want you to be able to make an informed decision regarding which flooring option you choose. So after all this reading material your'e still not sure which flooring option is best for you or your home, just give us a call @ 515-441-1918 and we'll do our best to point you in the right direction! If you already know what you'd like and are ready to receive a free estimate, just click the button below to begin the process.
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