In the previous article I briefly touched upon Laminate, Bamboo, Flexible and Vinyl Tile Flooring. In this second installment, I am going to explain about some other popular types of flooring to match your budget requirements. Cork was popular in the past and is now sealed with urethane making it moisture proof. It is also now available attached to plants as a floating floor. Wood Floors came back into style with the invention of urethane plastic topical finish. It can be purchased with the plastic finish already on it which makes for a clean and fast installation. You can immediately walk on it. Another method of installation is laying the virgin wood and then apply the plastic finish. This is, of course, more time consuming, messy, you can't walk on it for at least 24 hrs. and the smell can be toxic. The installer needs to wear special breathing equipment to prevent him/her from inhaling the fumes. People are often asked to leave the home for up to 3 days. The most popular wood floors are made of hard wood such as oak, maple, cherry and hickory. The drawback of wood floors is that they can be easily gouged and scratched by pets and toys. Tile and Stone floors are beautiful, durable, and long lived. They can crack if the adhesive isn't even or floors not level. These floors can be hard on dropped dishes and legs and backs. Area rugs can be used to soften them. Stone is strong but needs sealing from time to time to prevent stains. Ceramic Tiles are less expensive and quite popular but the color is only on the surface with white clay underneath. If the tile cracks or chips, white will show through. Porcelain tile and quarry tile have color throughout the whole tile so if cracked or chipped, the damage won't be quite as noticeable as ceramic tile. All tiles have grout lines around each tile and should be sealed as the grout will stain. White grout isn't recommended as it can yellow quite easily and shows dirt a lot easier. Colored grout is recommended. Concrete floors can be colored and has a durable surface when sealed. Installation takes a long time as several days are needed to prepare and cant be covered with cabinets for at least ten days to give it time to cure. Topical sealers will keep stains from penetrating but the surface can scratch. Penetrating sealers don't scratch as easily as topical sealers but can stain more easily. Sealers have to be applied from time to time. |
