Flooring for my new spaces.
Flooring has a way of pulling the entire room together. It can bring a sense of cohesiveness to multiple rooms as it flows through the spaces. A subtle floor may blend in seamlessly within your other décor where you hardly notice it or it can be a bold, dramatic statement that will wow your guests.
Floor options have multiplied in recent years given you an array of colors and material choices. Of course, they all come at different price points and with their own pros and cons. This blog we will go over some of the different options with you.
Site-Finished or Pre-Finished Hardwood.
We are all familiar with hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood comes in a variety of wood species most often we see Red Oak in the city of St. Louis, but you can also get white oak, walnut, cherry, pine, etc. Of course, they all come at different price points. Generally, hardwood is ¾” thick and comes in a variety of plank widths. Traditional plank width is 2 ¼” or 3 ¼” but more modern plank widths are coming anywhere up to 5” or more.
Site-finished flooring is what you would expect, the raw wood is brought to your home and installed. Then the flooring is sanded and stained. We often recommend this approach if a homeowner is looking to match an existing hardwood floor in their home.
Pre-finished flooring will arrive at your home with the stain already applied and ready for installation. There is no sanding or staining at your home. Since this flooring is factory finished the stain options are more limited; however, many options are available.
Engineered Wood Flooring.
Engineered wood flooring is created to look and feel like real hardwood. The construction of engineered flooring uses a thin layer of hardwood with a plywood backing to a thickness of about 3/8”. Engineered flooring comes in interlocking planks that can be installed floating or glued down depending on the substrate. Because there is only a thin layer of wood, engineered wood cannot be refinished as much solid hardwood. Some brands can be refinished one time, but you should always check with manufacture guidelines.
Engineered hardwood is prefinished and thus has a more limited selection of colors and wood to choose from. You can get more variety in plank widths to get a traditional or contemporary look to your wood floors – that, if installed properly will look just like solid hardwood.
Luxury Vinyl Plank or Tile.
Luxury vinyl is a durable material that mimics the look of wood or tile. This flooring is constructed of layers of underlayment, often cork, a mineral core that provides support and waterproofing, a design layer that showcases the look of wood or tile and a protective coating. The benefits of using a luxury vinyl is that it gives you the look of natural materials with the added benefits of being pet proof, scratch proof and water resistant. If you want the tile look but want a softer, warmer floor then Luxury Vinyl Tile may be for you. The variety of wood looks also come with texture to feel like you are walking on real hardwood. These flooring options are generally less expensive than the natural materials and are easier to install.
Tile
Tile is an option with almost endless possibilities. With designs ranging from monotone colors, marbling varieties, wood looks, art deco designs and natural stone looks you can certainly find anything you are looking for to make your space yours. Tile is versatile so that you can mix and match tile patterns, sizes, shapes and add a unique or plain grout color to make it your own. The only limitation with tile is your imagination. Being a colder flooring choice, you can also add heating elements beneath the tile floor to heat the areas you wish. We often have owners request heated flooring in their primary bathrooms.
Carpet
Generally speaking, this is your most cost-effective option for flooring. There are numerous styles, colors and patterns available and there is something for everyone. Carpet adds warmth to a room and gives an cozy feel to the spaces.
Whatever look you are heading towards on your renovation the flooring you choose can pull the entire space together. Working with our designers you can find the perfect floor for your application and within your budget.
