Flooring for Your Home: Everything You Need to Know

Will you install the flooring yourself or have it professionally installed?
While we always recommend having your flooring installed by a professional, we understand and respect the DIY drive to save on costs. Keep in mind, some flooring options are harder to install than others or may have specific manufacturer installation requirements, so it is important to discuss this with our professional team beforehand.

Will your flooring be installed in an area with high moisture (bathroom, basement, laundry room etc.)?
Over time, moisture/water can ruin certain flooring options. With this in mind, it’s important to know where exactly you need flooring in your home to ensure you select the right flooring for the job. For areas with high humidity, we recommend choosing one of the following options:

• Porcelain Tile
• Ceramic Tile
• Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)

Is your home a high traffic home (children, pets, parties, etc.)?
Because durability varies significantly between flooring options, it is best to consider your lifestyle when deciding between materials. For areas needing higher durability, we recommend the following options:

• Tile Flooring
• Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)
• Hardwood Flooring
• Laminate

Do you want flooring that requires little maintenance?
Do you want to be able to clean your floors in 15 minutes or spend a couple hours keeping everything updated? Maintenance is always something to consider. If you’re looking for flooring with little time to clean and low maintenance, we recommend the following:

• Porcelain Tile
• Ceramic Tile
• Hardwood Flooring
• Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)
• Laminate

You’ve completed ACo’s flooring checklist and now you’re ready to move on to selecting a flooring option.

Below are the most popular types of flooring for your home options:

• Hardwood — Hardwood is popular largely because of its organic texture and the beauty it brings to your home. Hardwood flooring is a good option because it adds to your home’s value, brings warmth and class to your space, can be treated for long-term durability, and comes in wide ranging styles, colors, and textures.
• Laminate — Many homeowners love laminate because it is designed to look like hardwood without the higher price tag. Due to its layered design, this material is durable and resistant to fading, impact and indentation – some varieties are even water resistant.
• Luxury Vinyl Plank — LVP is an excellent choice and is often placed in high-traffic spaces due to its resiliency and easy-to-clean surfaces. It also gives homeowners the look they want as it is designed to mimic the appearance of both stone and wood. LVP is waterproof and a great option if you have kids or pets.
• Tile — Tile has been known to last a lifetime, all while offering those who purchase the material with beautiful and versatile options. Its greatest benefits include the fact that it is scratch, water, and fade resistant. Not only that, but tile also offers hundreds of options in style because of the endless amounts of stonework.
• Carpet — Carpet is by far one of the most popular options due to the warmth and coziness it brings to your home. The versatility of carpet also affords homeowners with varying tastes an extensive variety of styles, colors, patterns, and textures.
• Concrete — Concrete floors are most commonly used in basements, patios, and garages, but have more recently been added to indoor rooms where owners seek utility flooring. This relatively inexpensive option is extremely durable with a surprising number of decorative options to choose from.
• Cork — This flooring material provides a soft and comfortable surface to walk on and is available in many varieties for both color and style. Cork trees regenerate their bark after being harvested and last for centuries — making it a renewable resource that many owners prefer.
• Bamboo — Bamboo flooring is a surprising option for homeowners because this incredible material can be installed in thinner strips or thicker planks and mimics hardwood feel when fully dried. It is also becoming more popular due to its eco-friendly nature. It can grow within 7 years as opposed to 40-50 years traditionally seen with trees.

The three most common types of kitchen flooring options we install are:

Hardwood

• Benefits: Hardwood is a beautiful and long-lasting material that many new homebuyers seek out in their search. It comes in several types of wood and colors including walnut, cherry, and oak among others.
• Considerations: This lovely finished product may be highly coveted, but it can be slightly more expensive due to material and installation costs.

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) or Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)

• Benefits: Luxury Vinyl Plank is a smart choice for homes with high traffic areas located near water sources or homes with pets. It has become a popular option due to its inexpensive qualities, especially compared to hardwood. It can also be made to look like wood and stone and is water resistant and does not easily scratch.
• Considerations: While this is a nice choice, it does not offer the feeling of walking on wood flooring. It also cannot be sanded or refurbished.

Porcelain or Ceramic Tile

• Benefits: Tile is available in a versatile range of styles and colors that can be arranged in beautiful patterns to suit your style. It is also one of the most durable flooring options and can last a lifetime when properly cared for.
• Considerations: This is one of your most expensive options for both materials and labor, and installation can take longer than other types of flooring. Tile can also be a bit cold, especially during our Midwest winters. If you go with tile, consider adding radiant heat beneath your floors to keep your kitchen cozy year-round.

ACo offers many options for kitchen flooring that you may not have considered such as large format tile or custom wide plank hardwood. Your options truly are nearly endless.

Are you ready to tackle a home improvement project while practicing social distancing, but aren’t sure where to start? ACo is here to help. Using video conferencing, in home measuring apps, virtual reality, and even our flooring visualizer, our designers will guide you through design and installation of your project from afar.

If you want to explore and be inspired, you can also select from the app’s many sample rooms. Select a category (kitchen, living room, bathroom, shared spaces, etc.), choose a room, and play.