Flooring type for stylish home renovations

Best options of flooring type for your home – Explore the floor types, benefits, challenges and how to choose the best flooring material from stone, tiles, laminate, wood and vinyl

It doesn’t matter whether your home is large or small – Flooring is and always will be the most significant aspect of your home. There are many reasons for this, and let me take you through one step at a time.

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If you fall, I will be there.

Floor

Now, you know the role of the flooring tile during and after your home renovation. As you head to the market to purchase flooring tiles, a different story begins. You see, the market offers several types of flooring materials. Floors such as vitrified tile, ceramic tiles; stone tile, or laminate flooring, vinyl rolls, carpets – the lists are never-ending and cleary very exhausting for any buyer. Each of these floorings has its costs, pros, and cons. Every type of floor is meant for a specific kind of need. That’s all you need to know. Understand your requirements for cost. Pin down your preference of features such as colour, touch, durability. And with these key factors, you will zoom down the entire market’s inventory to a handful of options. Then it’s just about choosing that one flooring option that sings your style of home decor.

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Flooring cost

Before we get into the various flooring options, let’s quickly note that the cost of flooring material such as stone or tile is separate from the installation cost. Typically, installed floor cost at your home is the sum of flooring tile cost, transport cost from the showroom to your home, and the installation cost. It’s essential to keep the overall cost in mind while choosing a flooring option. So, now let’s look at the popular flooring options and see what they offer.

Stone flooring 

The stone flooring gives a natural look for your home with a luxe appeal. The best examples of stone flooring are marble, granite, slate, and sandstone. Among these, marble and granite are the most popular ones. 

Pros 

• The most durable flooring option
• Easy to clean and hardly attracts any dust
• Gives a unique look to your home since each stone is different
• The best investment option and increases your home’s value

Cons

• Quite difficult to install; it is custom cut to your room size
• Needs proper care and regular polishing
• Feels cold during rainy and winter seasons
• Some stones tend to stain or crack, even with water moisture permanently

 Usually, stone flooring costs around Rs. 200/sqft to Rs. 5,000/sqft. Do note that this is only the tile cost; your contractor will charge for the laying and installing separately.

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Tile flooring 

These days, most people are installing tile flooring in their homes. It is made up of different materials and comes in various sizes. The vitrified, ceramic, and porcelain are the most popular tile flooring.

Pros

• Known for easy fitting and low care
• Offers quick laying and finishing time
• Stain-resistant and water-proof
• Offers various colours and patterns

Cons

• Attracts dirt easily in the grout at joints
• Standing for a long time might cause pain in the legs
• Tend to lose shine and look after ten years of use
• May cause level variation in the floor due to a manufacturing defect

Tile flooring costs widely vary as per brand, type and size. Vitrified tile starts at Rs 55/sqft; Ceramic tiles begin at Rs. 20/sqft. A good quality tile will cost Rs 75/sqft for 2ftx2ft size, while larger tile sizes can go as high as Rs650/sqft.

Picked for you: Five Popular Flooring Tile Alternates

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 Laminate flooring

Laminates are synthetic flooring that is gaining much fame these days. It offers top-class interior decor for your home at a fair price. The most common types are engineered wood and fibreboard. Typically, laminates come with a smooth or grooved matte finish or a dull gloss.

Pros 

• Well-known for simple fitting and longer shelf life
• Suitable for placing on another tiled surface as well
• Any dirt can be removed with much ease

Cons

• Much prone to swelling and warping
• Does not add any value for your home

The laminate flooring costs Rs. 75/sqft onwards, including installation cost.

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Wood flooring 

One of the costliest and high-quality flooring option is the wood. It gives a luxe and eternal appeal for your home. And, it never goes out of fashion. 

Pros

• Stand up against heavy foot traffic
• Offers long term durability
• Improves acoustics and indoor air quality
• Increases the resale value of your home

Cons

• Expands in summer and shrinks during winter
• Unfit for higher moist areas
• High recurring cost of regular polishing and care
• Old and dry wooden floors tend to make creaking sounds

Wood flooring costs Rs 350/sqft for fitting alone while the buying cost depends on what type of wood material you are using. 

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Vinyl or Linoleum flooring

These flooring options adds excellent comfort and warm appeal for your home. These are the floors you see in the gymnasiums or many commercial spaces. It is a great fit for wet areas such as the lobby areas, kitchen or bathrooms. Linoleum floors offer matt and high gloss options with many prints and patterns. You can consider these to be the wallpaper equivalent for floors.

Pros 

• Least-price and comes in many colours and patterns
• Replacing is much more comfortable in case of damage

Cons

• Can get discoloured by chemicals
• Easy to get dented or scraped

The Vinyl or Linoleum flooring mats costs Rs. 200/sqft onwards. 

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Instead of using one flooring type for all the rooms, you can consider changing the flooring as per the place. For instance, stone flooring is an excellent option for the living area, while low-maintenance tiles or laminate is an excellent fit for the bedrooms. This mix-n-match idea is genuinely an exciting design element for your home. Plus, it also helps you stay light on your pocket.