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Hardwood flooring is undoubtedly the most popular flooring option in North America and in other parts of the world as well. It’s been used for centuries and is well-known for its durability, beauty and warm appearance.
It’s a favorite of many homeowners, but that doesn’t mean that wood flooring is always the best option to go with. We’re going to take a look at how wood flooring stacks up against other options like laminate flooring, vinyl, tile, stone, carpet and more to see how it fares when compared to each of these options and then it should be a whole lot easier deciding if wood flooring is the right tool for the job when you’re trying to dress up a section of your home.
Why Flooring Plays the Major in the Home Renovation?
Flooring is a major component of any home renovation because it’s one of the first things that people notice when they walk into a room. The feel of flooring and the look of flooring are both noticed by everyone in the room because you are in contact with the flooring the entire time.
If the flooring feels cold, people will immediately notice that. If it feels warm or soft, that will get noticed as well. Elegant flooring can help dress up an otherwise plain room, while low quality flooring can take away from a space.
All these different reasons explain exactly why it’s so important to choose a good quality flooring that matches your space appropriately. If you aren’t taking the time to pick a solid flooring option that’s going to compliment your space nicely, you’re taking away from your home and leaving yourself with lower quality options overall. Do yourself a favor and invest in good quality flooring that you can be proud of, and also get stuff that fits your space appropriately.
Carpet Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring
Carpet flooring and hardwood flooring are two of the most common types of flooring used in homes around the country today. Each has quite a few advantages to consider, but they come with disadvantages as well. It’s important to think about what each has going for it before you decide on the type of flooring that you’ll use in your home.
Pros:
Good for Allergies – Wood flooring is better for those with allergies than carpet is because carpet flooring traps chemicals, dust, pollen and everything else in its fibers. Wood flooring can be wiped clean and it doesn’t harbor all those little particles that will mess with your allergies if left to sit there.
Easier to Clean – wood flooring is faster and easier to clean than carpet is and it can be wiped down less frequently than carpet must be vacuumed. It is important to be careful what you use to clean your wood flooring with though because it is easier to damage than carpet.
Beautiful – It’s hard to argue against the fact that wood flooring is one of the most beautiful flooring options available today. It shows natural grains and warm colors that carpet often can’t match. When compared side-by-side wood flooring is the much nicer looking of the two.
Promotes Higher Resale Value – Wood flooring also helps raise resale values much more than carpet flooring does. Wood flooring is often looked at as a benefit, while carpet flooring can actually lower resale values in homes depending on what is used.
Cons:
More Expensive – Wood flooring made from solid wood is significantly more expensive than carpet flooring is. This makes it less appealing in low cost homes.
Harder and Colder – Though somewhat warm and forgiving when compared to something like tile, compared to carpet wood flooring is harder and colder to the touch. This makes it less of a comfort option to use within your home.
Prone to Scratching – If you have pets with long nails or you move furniture around frequently you’ll notice how easy it is to scratch wood flooring. This is a real problem that carpet flooring users don’t have to deal with.
Tile Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring
Tile flooring and wood flooring are both used regularly in homes today, though tile and wood are often used in very different spaces. Each has its own strengths and it’s important to realize what those are to help you decide which is best for different uses.
Pros:
Lighter – Wood flooring is significantly lighter than tile flooring is. This means that it can go into the upstairs of a home or in rooms that aren’t as strong as what tile requires.
Easier to Install – Tile flooring can be difficult and time consuming to install, that’s not the case with wood flooring. It goes down easily and locks into place much faster than tile flooring does for most people.
Warmer – Wood is more of an insulator and that’s why wood flooring tends to feel much warmer than tile flooring does to the touch. This makes it more comfortable to be on.
Softer – Just as wood flooring is warmer, it is also softer than tile flooring. It’s definitely the preferred option in spaces where you’ll be standing regularly.
Cons:
Not Moisture Resistant – Wood flooring is not at all moisture resistant and a poor choice for use in bathrooms and kitchens or basements. Tile flooring is the much better option when installed in a damp location, which is why it’s so commonly found in bathrooms.
Easily Scratched – Wood flooring is relatively soft when compared to tile. That means it scratches much more easily and can be damaged from things that wouldn’t harm tile flooring. It’s not always the best option for homes that have large animals.
Laminate Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring
Laminate flooring and wood flooring are often considered side-by-side because they are similar looking products. They are very different from one another though and after a detailed comparison you’ll be able to see where one type of flooring has the advantage over the others.
Pros:
More Durable – Since wood flooring is made from solid wood, rather than a bunch of glued together layers it is more durable and long-lasting than laminate flooring is. It can be counted on to last for decades longer than laminate flooring.
Nicer Looking – There’s no question that wood flooring is nicer looking than laminate flooring, though different laminate products are getting better and better looking over time. If you want the best looking flooring you’ll have to spend the money to get a wood flooring.
Can be Refinished – Wood flooring can be refinished if it gets scratched making it look like new once again. Laminate flooring cannot be refinished and must be replaced if it gets scratched. That’s a serious advantage to using solid hardwoods.
Cons:
More Expensive – The main downfall of wood flooring when compared to laminate flooring is the cost. Wood flooring is significantly more expensive than laminate flooring. In some instances it’s two times more expensive than laminate and that’s a price difference that many homeowners aren’t willing to pay.
More Difficult Installation – Laminate flooring is supremely easy to install and a full room can be put down in a single day in many instances. Wood flooring is more time-consuming to install because it requires fasteners and sometimes adhesives as well. When you want something fast and simple to install laminate flooring is the way to go.
Vinyl Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring
Vinyl flooring is very different than hardwood flooring, so it should come as no surprise that the materials have very different properties and behave differently as well. If you’re thinking of flooring a space in your home, you should be able to easily decide which of these two options is the best for your chosen location.
Pros:
Long Lasting – Vinyl flooring can’t compete with hardwoods for long lasting performance. Wood flooring will last for decades or even more than a century when cared for properly. That’s not true of vinyls.
Nicer Looking – There’s nothing like the look of hardwoods. Sure vinyl flooring is much nicer looking than it once was, and it even resembles high quality materials like hardwoods, marbles, tiles and more, but hardwood looks nicer.
Can be Refinished – Vinyl flooring must be replaced after it’s scraped and scuffed and worn out. Wood flooring can be beat up terribly and then sanded down to look good once again. This helps it last for much longer than vinyl flooring can, making it into the better long-term flooring option.
Cons:
More Expensive – Wood flooring is quite a bit more expensive than vinyl flooring. That’s one of the main reasons that people consider vinyl flooring options instead.
More Upkeep – Wood flooring requires significantly more upkeep than vinyl flooring does over time. That’s because vinyl flooring is designed to be installed and then left in place until it’s removed. You don’t have to coat the floors, sand them down or do anything to them other than wipe then down once and awhile. Wood floors require coating, special cleaning practices, and refinishing now and again to keep them looking good.
Stone Flooring vs Hardwood Flooring
Stone flooring and wood floors are very different from one another, which makes them easy to differentiate between. Chances are good that situations good for wood flooring would be poor for stone flooring. That’s why it’s good to know about the properties of each type of flooring so that you know when you are making a major mistake and when you are using the flooring option to its advantage.
Stone flooring for instance is very heavy and not the best option for use on a second floor. Wood flooring isn’t very good with moisture and probably wouldn’t be great for use in a bathroom. Consider their differences and you’ll know which option is best.
Pros:
More Affordable – Generally speaking wood flooring is cheaper than stone flooring for the materials and the installation. This is one of the only flooring comparisons where wood flooring ends up being cheaper.
Warmer and Softer – Wood flooring is warmer and softer to the touch than stone flooring, making it more pleasant to walk on for much of the year. This is why it’s used in living rooms, dance rooms and more spaces where everyone wants to be comfortable.
Easier to Install – Laying stone flooring is hard work and also very time-consuming. That’s not true of wood flooring. It goes down much faster and is easier to work with as well.
More Versatile Appearance – Though you can choose many different colors and styles of stone flooring, you have more versatile options when it comes to wood flooring because of all the different finishes that you can use. With different stains, paints, oils and polyurethane coatings you can change the way your flooring looks to suit your tastes. Stone flooring isn’t quite as flexible.
Lightweight – Compared to stone flooring wood is very lightweight. If you have a room in your home with a weaker frame system wood would work and stone would not.
Cons:
Less Durable – Wood floors won’t hold up as well as stone floors do. They are damaged by sunlight, easier to scrape and scuff and just wear out faster. Stone is one of the few floor options that will outlast wood when cared for properly.
Not Moisture Resistant – Stone flooring stands up to moisture very well and is used in garden rooms, bathrooms and kitchens far more than wood flooring is for that very reason. IF you have a space that’s going to get wet regularly, wood is not the right kind of floor for you.
Wood flooring is an excellent option for use in many areas of your home, but it’s not the best type of flooring for all situations. There are times when each of the other flooring types works better or has an advantage over wood flooring. That’s why it’s so important to understand the different properties of flooring so you can get the right product for use in your own home. Choose poorly and you’ll end up with something that’s not going to meet your needs, or not going to meet your needs as well as another solution would.
