Flooring Choices
Written by Elizabeth Wood
Editor In Chief, United Home Improvement

Selecting a floor to enhance your home’s appearance, while giving you a great feel, requires you to do your homework. There are several flooring materials to choose from. It all depends on the quality you desire, level of maintenance, the amount of money you are willing to spend, and the overall appearance you are looking for.

• Laminate Floors: Offer you the beautiful, authentic look of hardwood combined with easy care to suit everyone’s active lifestyle. Similar to laminate countertops, laminate floors are extremely durable. They are easy to install and can be conveniently placed over nearly any sub floor. Easily maintained.

• Hardwood Floors: Hardwood will never go out of style. They will add to the resale value of your home, but also they offer great benefits such as eliminating trapped dust and pollen that many other floors absorb. You can put your own creativity into hardwood by selecting from a wide range of stains. By adding a rich glow, hardwood floors will compliment any room. However, they do require a certain amount of maintenance.

• Cork Flooring: Cork flooring will cut down on your heating and cooling bills. They drown out noise and satisfy aching feet with its cushion quality. Made from a renewable source, cork is environmentally friendly and resistant to mold and mildew. Keep in mind that cork is affected by direct sunlight causing it to fade over time.

• Bamboo Flooring: Bamboo floors are emerging as a new flooring product. Make note that bamboo is a grass, not a wood. It regenerates at a faster speed than any other plant. Bamboo offers a unique and distinctive look that will spice up any room. The best part of bamboo flooring is that it is a highly sustainable material and easy to care for.

• Vinyl Flooring: New technology has improved vinyl tiles to make them more durable and easy to maintain. With countless colors and designs to choose form, vinyl floors will compliment any decor. They come in either sheet or tile form, both of which are resilient, silent, and comfortable. The appearance of vinyl floors depend on the wear layer. The thickness of wear layer varies.

• Carpet Flooring: Carpet offers a soft landing and helps to absorb noise. You can chose between many different colors, textures and padding support. Carpet will last you many years, as long as you make sure to regularly vacuum and shampoo it. Carpet is also a wonderful way to hide imperfections with sub flooring.

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