Choosing Flooring Options

When building the subfloor of your small house the type of floor finish for each room was taken into consideration and the floor built accordingly. There are many different types of flooring materials to choose from and some require a more solid subfloor than others. For instance, tile will require a more solid subfloor to prevent cracking in both the grout and the tile. Laminate flooring, linoleum, or carpet can stand a more flexible subfloor.

Assuming flooring material has been taken into consideration during the construction of the subfloor, it is now time to actually select they type of material for each room of your small house. There are so many options available it is difficult to decide where to begin. From tile, to carpet, to wood, laminate, vinyl and many others, all in different styles, textures, and colors.

The flooring I installed everywhere was the inexpensive wood parquet flooring you glue down. I installed this type of flooring in all rooms except in the bathrooms and by the entrances where I put self-adhesive vinyl squares. It's really not a bad flooring option for $1 per square foot. Although I did find out later that it's pretty soft and shows scrapes fairly easily. My dog's claws really did a number on it after awhile so probably next time I would put in regular wood flooring, probably oak or maple, which is also timeless in style.

Another point to consider when installing flooring is the possibility of choosing eco-friendly flooring such as hardwood that comes from sustainable forests that protect the habitat of our wildlife as well as our environment. It might take some digging, but most metro areas have a "green" flooring and building material supplier. Its especially nice going to a showroom and seeing in person what these materials are like before ordering them. The place to go in the Fox Valley (WI) is SK Flooring.

Other materials rendered as eco-friendly include bamboo, cork, true linoleum or marmoleum which can be used in a variety of places such as tabletops and counters in addition to flooring. These types of flooring also tend to be very resilient and can be produced to resemble other materials such as wood or slate without harming any trees or wildlife habitats.

When choosing flooring, like all other aspects of your small house, you must take your lifestyle into consideration. The amount of traffic your flooring will receive, whether or not you have pets, kids, a swimming pool, or any other factors that are going to place wear and tear on the flooring you choose. Many times a floor design will be appealing but not the most practical when it comes to the everyday home lifestyle. The other side of the coin is that the flooring does not have to be unattractive to be practical thanks to modern technology and the choices it now provides for us.

Lifestyle and time for maintenance should play a role in your choice of flooring. You will want to ask yourself some of these questions when choosing flooring and consider the maintenance and everyday use that will be involved with your choice. Most flooring will last for years and years with moderate use and proper care and some low maintenance flooring will last for the life of your home. The main decision points are cost, style, practicality, and durability.

Stay tuned for more pictures.....