Remodelling your home is an exciting time, and there are so many options to choose from to improve the look of your property. Installing new flooring is the perfect way to give rooms a new lease of life. Two types of flooring that are incredibly popular right now are hardwood and tile. Here we take a look at the pros and cons of both materials to help you make the best decision.
Hardwood
Pros:
Wood gives a clean, simple and inviting look to your room, and its charm lies in the fact it looks so natural. New hardwood flooring can look like part of your home’s original design.
Hardwood flooring is incredibly durable as long as you give it a bit of TLC now and then. If cared for properly hardwood flooring can last a lifetime.
Should you scratch your hardwood flooring it is repairable, as a simple sand and polish can bring it back to its former glory. If you suffer from allergies then hardwood flooring is a better option over carpet, which tends to trap dust and grime.
Cons:
Hardwood flooring takes a bit of maintenance, especially in high traffic areas. Walking on wooden boards is also noisy, there’s no sneaking around a house with hardwood flooring.
It’s not the most versatile flooring available as it shouldn’t be used in areas of high moisture such as bathrooms and kitchens. Water will soak into the boards and cause them to swell and crack. For inspiration, try companies such as wood floor warehouse, who stock everything from engineered hardwood to white laminate flooring.
Tile
Pros:
Tile is one of the most durable flooring material available and it’s also very easy to maintain. Tile is great when installed on top of underfloor heating and requires only light dusting and hoovering to keep clean. Tile is very adaptable and can be used in almost any room, and goes perfectly in wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Cons:
If your room doesn’t benefit from underfloor heating then tile flooring can be quite cold underfoot, so slippers or extra thick socks will be required. Tile can be tricky to install and may be a little too difficult for the casual DIYer. Tile doesn’t dampen sound in a room, so can lead to an echoing empty feel, while wet tiles are a slip hazard.