In this blog post I cover all the three main flooring types and the rooms they work best in!
Carpet
Carpet is soft, cozy and helps sound proof a room. It's typically the most affordable flooring type per square foot.
Best In: Bedrooms, Closets, and Basements
There's something so comforting about waking up in the morning and having the first thing your feet land on be a pillow of carpet! Carpet is comfortable and quiet. Hardwood is hard on the joints, and that's not a good way to go to bed or wake up. Also, when you think about how you clean hardwood, which needs to be mopped, having carpet in a bedroom is the way to go. I certainly do not want to mop my bedroom floors! The same applies to closets. Carpet absorbs more noise, which makes falling asleep easier. Basements are great with carpet as well since they tend to be cold. The carpet adds warmth and a homie feeling to the space. However, if your basement is prone to flooding or getting any water in it, I would opt for polished concrete or epoxy floors.
I keep all carpet colors the same in each bedroom as well as the closet, unless I am designing a closet that's more like a dressing room. In a large, dressing room closet I may opt for a more luxurious, designer carpet that fits the taste of the fashionista whom the dressing room/closet is for.
Best On: Staircases
Stairs are the largest piece of architecture in a home, so dress it up with a fashionable carpet runner to make it a piece of artwork. I consider carpet runners to be like the pocket square of a good suit. The carpet runner is the place I choose a bold, fashion carpet that is likely too expensive or "fancy" to put in each bedroom. STARK Carpet Corporation makes beautifully designed carpets that can be made into stair runners. I personally love their Animal Print Collection.
Options: Material
Good: Polyester- This is typically what you find in apartments. It is the least expensive carpet option, and you should expect it to only last 7 years and up to 10 if you are lucky.
Better: Nylon- Is the most popular fiber type in the residential carpet industry today, and it is known for being fairly durable and easy to clean.
Best: Wool- A natural fiber carpet that will last the longest and come in the most beautiful neutral, natural colors. However, it can be harder to clean, so be sure to tell your carpet cleaner you have wool carpet as it can't get wet.
Options: Pile, Loops, and Cuts
Most of us are familiar with high pile carpets. They're the ones that show the vacuum lines and where you've walked. Although they tend to be super plush and cozy on your feet they will show foot prints and vacuum lines and mat down faster than a lower pile carpet. Low pile carpets hold their shape better, and you can get a thicker carpet pad to help make low pile carpets softer on foot.
The most popular carpet weave at this time is LCL or Loop Cut Loop. This means every other loop is cut, giving you the fluffy look of carpet without it being all shag carpet from the early 2000s. If you know you want to layer rugs on your carpet, then you should stick to all loop woven carpets without cuts. This will help prevent your rug from shifting. Your loop carpets also come in more pattern options, making them great for stair runners.
In short, carpet is essential to create warmth and comfort in the home.
Hardwood
There are two types of hardwood floors, solid hardwood flooring and engineered hardwood flooring. Within each solid and engineered there are various wood species each can be made from. The advantages of each vary, but what inevitably draws people to one over the other is specific features of each.
Solid Hardwood Flooring: Like the name implies is made of solid wood throughout its thickness.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring: Is made from a relatively thin layer of hardwood bonded over a substrate of high-quality plywood.
Pros. & Cons of Solid Hardwood Flooring and Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Solid hardwood can be stained on site, allowing you to choose from thousands upon thousands of color variations by mixing stains, while engineered hardwood comes in a limited number of colors. What's most popular about engineered hardwood flooring is it comes in wider planks than solid hardwood flooring, creating a more modern look and feel. Engineered hardwood is thought to be more durable, yet solid hardwood can be easier to repair say a plank is discolored or chipped. A little mixing of stain or wood filler will do the trick.
In an effort to keep this post short I won't go into all the species of wood like oak, maple, etc to choose from and their benefits. Just know one of the most popular since 2020 is white oak, as it is very neutral and natural in appearance. Additionally, lighter colors hide dirt, dust and pet hair much better than medium to dark toned hardwood floors.
Found this photo on Ebay! It was the best representation of white oak in a new home I could find. You can get a sample of it here.
Best In: Public spaces in the home. I.E. Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room, Hallways, etc.
Hardwood flooring is more durable than carpet, making it great for high traffic, public areas of the home. Opt for hardwood over tile in these spaces because hardwood is warmer and more welcoming, while tile is cold and can be very slippery when wet. If you are looking to have some fun with your hardwood, try a herringbone pattern in an entryway where there is a clear start and end to the room. If not, it's best to run hardwood in the same direction throughout the home.
Tile
There are hundreds of variations of tile. The looks and colors are limitless! I find tile flooring to be the most artistic and fun!
Types
Ceramic: The most sought after and most durable. Ceramic tiles are made from clay materials, quarried, prepared, then molded for use. Ceramic tile is extremely durable and comes in hundreds of styles, sizes and designs. But please do not choose the tile that looks like wood!
Porcelain: Very similar to ceramic tiles, but they are slightly more durable as they are manufactured from denser clay. Porcelain tiles can be installed in outdoor areas.
Mosaic: Usually used as accents in kitchen or bathrooms. Think the artistic, small backsplash designs in kitchens.
Marble: Arguably the most luxurious and expensive tile material. If you are seeking to add elegance and aesthetic value to your home, then marble tiles are for you. Yes, they are made from marble. Marble is very porous, making it prone to staining. Easily staining paired with the high cost, makes marble very uncommon in homes today.
Granite: Similar to marble with more variation in pattern and color. It is great for areas with heavy foot traffic. It can be polished to removed stains and scratches more easily than marble.
Sandstone: Mostly used in outdoor spaces as they are natural, durable and come in earthy colors.
Travertine: Is a type of limestone. The material is available in varying colors and comprises of pits and a rough texture produced by air bubbles and organic matter. It is known to be extremely durable, for the Romans used it to build large structures that still stand today. People use these tiles outdoors on walkways and pool decks.
Terrazzo: made from multiple material types such as marble, granite, quartz, and glass. It is incredibly slippery, so I suggest not using it in your home.
Onyx: manufactured from a translucent, calciferous onyx stone that resembles marble. Onyx tiles are produced using resin, mesh, or fiberglass backing to enhance their strength because naturally they are very weak.
Best In: Bathrooms and Laundry Rooms.
Bathrooms should always have tile flooring, as it can be waterproofed. Tile works wonderfully in laundry rooms as well, but they can also have hardwood flooring. Wherever there is a large amount of plumbing I suggest using tile. Because we all know toilets overflow, pipes can leak, and our husbands drip dry out of the shower!
Flooring 101 Complete!
Thanks for reading. I hope you feel like a flooring expert now. If you feel overwhelmed do not hesitate to reach out for assistance.
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