What to consider when choosing?

Knowledge of key factors will help you decide on flooring for your apartment:

  • Location. It is logical to assume that the floors in the bathroom and bedroom will differ from each other, since the rooms imply different loads on the flooring.
  • Design. Appearance is an important component of finishing materials. And if the texture of wood can be achieved with parquet, laminate or tiles, then the choice of soft carpet flooring is much narrower.
  • Practicality. One floor covering in the apartment of a single neat girl or the house of a large family with small children and animals will serve differently. If you do not have extra time for regular cleaning, look for the easiest to care for option.
  • Climate. Oddly enough, but the process of changing seasons, maximum and minimum temperatures in the region, changes in humidity are important. Most types of floor coverings tend to accumulate excess moisture and swell, wood also contracts and decompresses with temperature changes.
  • Budget. You can’t skimp on floor coverings, but you don’t want to overpay either. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully select and correctly calculate the material, so as not to go beyond the estimate for repairs.

combination of tiles with floorboards parquet in the kitchen

Recommendations for different rooms

Modern floor coverings are more versatile, due to which it becomes possible to cover the entire apartment with a “single contour”. When choosing this method of laying, it is recommended to take the floor material based on the requirements of the most “difficult” rooms – the kitchen, hallway.

When choosing a separate type for each room, focus on the following recommendations:

  • Hallway, corridor. The main qualities are wear resistance, moisture resistance. The floor in walk-through rooms must withstand constant loads, and in the area of the entrance door also high humidity, dirt, dust that gets into the apartment through shoes. If the flooring is subject to deformation from water, it will have to be additionally protected with underlays, rugs. Often, to extend the service life of decorative trim, it is enough to lay a couple of square meters near the door with tiles, connecting it with laminate or parquet in the far part.
  • Living room. The surface in the hall should be mechanically resistant, pleasant for walking barefoot or playing on the floor. There are no special requirements for water protection, high-quality household flooring is enough.
  • Bedroom. Durability is not as important as tactility: getting up in the morning on cold tiles will definitely be unpleasant. The ideal option in the sleeping area is a carpet or wooden floor (natural or synthetic).
  • Children’s room. Resistance to anything fades into the background. It is more important that the coating is safe, environmentally friendly, tactile. The most suitable option is wood.
  • Kitchen. The material must be resistant to moisture, water, impacts (not damaged by a dropped cup), but at the same time comfortable. The most durable base is considered to be tiles, porcelain stoneware, self-leveling floors. But to make it pleasant to stand, complement the underfloor heating system.
  • Bathroom. The floor for wet rooms must be resistant to moisture. Plus, it is good if the material does not change in size from temperature changes. Tiles, porcelain stoneware, quartz vinyl are often chosen for finishing.
  • Balcony. For an unheated or open loggia, we choose items with a high margin of safety that are not afraid of absolutely anything. This can be tiles, quartz vinyl, concrete screed, decking.

black and white floor in the kitchen wooden floor in the interior

Main types of floors

It’s time to consider all the floor coverings separately, learn their pros, cons, requirements for the subfloor and performance characteristics.

Ceramic tiles

Laying tiles on the floor is one of the most durable and wear-resistant materials. Other advantages:

  • Safety. The environmentally friendly composition of the floor covering is absolutely harmless.
  • Water resistance. No type is afraid of moisture.
  • Hygiene. The surface does not absorb dirt, the tiles are easy to clean.
  • Large selection of colors, designs. The range includes single-color tiles, with a simple pattern, with a complex designer print, an unusual shade.

The disadvantages include the difficulty of transportation (fragility combined with heavy weight is not the best set). Incorrectly selected tiles can become slippery when water gets in. Any type of ceramics is cold, so it requires additional costs for laying underfloor heating.

Based on the listed characteristics, we conclude: ceramic tiles are appropriate to lay in damp areas – near the entrance group, in the kitchen work area, in the toilet, bathroom.

colored tiles on the floor in the kitchen

Porcelain tiles

Many people confuse ceramic tiles with porcelain granite, but the coatings have 3 main differences:

  • Size. There are many standard tile sizes – from 10 * 10 to 60 * 60. Porcelain tiles start from 60*60, but can also be 60*120.
  • Thickness. The maximum for tiles varies within 1 cm, the values for granite only start from 8-10 mm. Due to this, it is more durable, but at the same time heavier.
  • Painting. Tiles are glazed only on the outside, while porcelain tiles are painted “from the inside” over the entire thickness.

However, despite the differences, the pros and cons of the coatings are almost the same. Porcelain tiles are incredibly resistant to damage, moisture, and come in a variety of colors. But they are more frost-resistant, so they are ideal for unheated rooms.

The disadvantages include the same cold surface, visible seams, scratches, and difficulty in installation. It is better not to install floors yourself, but to entrust them to experienced craftsmen.

dark marble floor in the interior

Laminate

One of the most common floor coverings. To understand the advantages and disadvantages, it is enough to know the manufacturing technology.

So, laminate is a sandwich of several layers. From bottom to top: melamine backing, stabilizer, HDF board, kraft paper, decorative coating, protective layer.

Since all parts of the pie are literally saturated with glue, various resins, there is no need to talk about environmental friendliness. This is especially true for cheap laminate flooring without the appropriate safety certificates.

Other disadvantages: intolerance to high humidity or water, high requirements for the base, the possibility of swelling and creaking of floorboards.

Among the main advantages:

  • Decorative. A greater variety of colors and patterns.
  • Optimal price-quality ratio. You can find a covering at an affordable, average price.
  • Easy to install. The main thing is to choose the right underlay and prepare the base.
  • Durability. Provided the board is of high quality, installed correctly, and the operating requirements are met.

laminate in a private house

Linoleum

Unlike the previous ones, this flooring is sold in rolls, which is both a plus and a minus. The advantage is the speed of installation: spread it out, trim it, and you’re done!

The disadvantage is transportation: if the laminate boxes fit in a car, then a cargo taxi will be needed to transport a roll of linoleum, as well as movers to carry it to the floor.

The advantages include high thermal conductivity, decorativeness, and low cost. In addition to transportation, the disadvantages include its relative non-ecological nature: low-quality PVC can emit formaldehyde.

pros and cons of linoleum

Parquet

It has always been considered a symbol of wealth and exclusivity. It costs more than most floor coverings (especially if the decorative layer is made of valuable wood), but the cost is justified by 100% naturalness and durability.

The lamellas are made of natural wood, which determines the advantages of the finished floor: sound insulation, comfortable temperature without heating, the ability to repair damaged boards.

The second disadvantage of parquet after the price is the difficulty of maintenance. In addition to the fact that you will have to periodically renew the protective coating (wax or oil), you should take into account the cleaning features: some types cannot even be washed.

herringbone parquet installation

Floorboard

Another natural material, which differs from parquet mainly in its single-layer nature. Floorboards consist of only one layer – solid wood processed in a special way. In addition to naturalness, the advantages include beauty, ease of installation, and a wide range of sizes.

The disadvantages include the same care: the wood requires treatment with protectors against moisture, insects, mold, and mildew. It is recommended to wash the floors without excess water.

Because of the fear of water, neither parquet nor floorboards are laid in bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways near the door.

floorboard in the living room

Cork floor

An excellent option for environmentalists and connoisseurs of environmental friendliness: the bark of the cork tree (the raw material from which the flooring is made) is a renewable material. In addition, when pressing, the chips are glued together using their own resin, without the use of artificially produced adhesives.

Compared to other floor coverings, cork has an incredible number of advantages:

  • beautiful appearance;
  • pleasant body temperature;
  • excellent sound insulation;
  • cushioning when walking;
  • no static electricity (does not attract dust);
  • resistant to moisture, odors;
  • easy to clean.

There are also some negative aspects: soft cork sag under heavy furniture, and prolonged contact can leave a dent forever. The top layer of varnish needs to be renewed every 1-3 years.

cork floor in the bedroom

Carpet

Today, this type is one of the least popular in the CIS, although in the West, carpet is found in almost every home. The advantages are obvious: a roll carpet replaces a regular one. It is comfortable to walk on, in children’s rooms it is an ideal option for playing on the floor.

The disadvantages are also obvious: carpet is difficult to clean, is afraid of water, accumulates dust (not suitable for allergy sufferers!).

dark carpet in the interior

Self-leveling floor

In the 2000s, 3D floors literally exploded the market of finishing offers: it was prestigious to have a realistic image of a dolphin in the bathroom, and a flower meadow in the kitchen. Today, this type of design is no longer popular, but there are still single-color self-leveling floors on the market that have a lot of advantages.

First of all, it should be noted that they are 100% airtight — pouring with preliminary sealing of seams in the bathroom or kitchen eliminates the possibility of flooding neighbors. The self-leveling composition is also fire-resistant, resistant to mechanical impacts, and is not prone to abrasion. Together with underfloor heating, it is suitable for absolutely any room.

There is only one downside — the price. Floor preparation, the material itself, and the work are not cheap.

green self-leveling floor

Quartz-vinyl flooring

A new word in a wide variety of floors! PVC tiles are similar to laminate: the same layered cake, but the base is not HDF, but reliable quartz vinyl. By replacing chips with “stone”, the tiles do not have the disadvantages of being afraid of water and swelling.

Quartz vinyl is suitable for any room: it is heat-intensive, moisture-resistant, beautiful, and easy to install.

There are only 2 disadvantages: it can only be installed on a flat surface and is expensive.

gray floor in the living room

Combined floor

The idea behind the solution is simple: to combine aesthetics and practicality within the allocated budget, some people prefer to combine 2 types of coverings.

In most cases, tiles or porcelain tiles are combined with laminate, parquet, or floorboards. This is a great solution for hallways, large bathrooms, kitchens, studios.

tiles with laminate in the kitchen

What is the best flooring?

Let’s summarize:

cork flooring in the nursery

Consider the purchase of flooring material as an investment. By betting on durability, you will protect yourself from unnecessary expenses in the future.