Durability is a crucial factor when purchasing new flooring; after all, you walk all over this sizable investment. When looking at flooring and determining durability, you should review critical factors such as impact resistance, humidity, finish, and maintenance. You want to ensure your flooring can handle the normal wear and tear it will receive each day.
In spaces like bathrooms, kitchens, sunrooms, and basements, you’ll need floors that won’t warp because of water and humidity. Pay attention to the finish. It might not be the best bet for your kitchen if it stains easily. Finally, you’ll want to review if particular cleaning methods affect performance and how that fits into your budget and lifestyle.
Below we look at eight flooring options and how they fare for durability.
Vinyl Flooring for high-traffic areas
Vinyl flooring, also known as resilient flooring, is a highly durable multi-layer flooring option. The fastest-growing category of flooring, it ranges from inexpensive, DIY-friendly peel-and-stick tiles to luxury vinyl tile (LVT), which consists of many layers, including a design layer with a high-definition printed image. Vinyl comes in various colors and patterns to resemble anything from wood to natural stone and concrete.
You can install vinyl flooring in any room of the house, including high-traffic areas, basements, and bathrooms. Because seams are a major factor contributing to flooring deterioration, sheet vinyl is a great option for small rooms and places like hallways and kitchens.
Vinyl flooring is extremely easy to maintain, with both water-resistant and spill-resistant qualities. Also, many products feature thicker wear layers and protective coatings that boost stain and scratch resistance and offer UV resistance. Rigid core LVT is highly durable and can stand up to heavy furniture and high heels with no problem.
You can’t refinish vinyl flooring; replacement is the only choice once it wears out. However, if the damaged area is small and you’ve used a click-an-lock vinyl tile or plank format, you can replace the damaged section with new material relatively quickly. If you need to do a complete replacement, sheet vinyl is the least expensive option, but you may not be able to achieve your design goals. Luxury vinyl tile and plank may have the design you seek, but high-quality products can rival wood flooring costs, with average prices between $2 to $6 per square foot installed.
Laminate Flooring for high-traffic areas
Laminate flooring is an excellent option for busy households with lots of traffic. Because of its durability and cost, laminate is a perfect floor for bedrooms, hallways, kitchens, laundry rooms, or anywhere else you want the look of hardwood.
An engineered product made of high-density fiberboard or plywood core, it uses a photo to mimic the look of hardwood or stone and adds a protective plastic coating. The plastic topcoat is extremely resistant to scratches and dents, making laminate one of the most durable flooring options.
Laminate flooring is resistant to sunlight and fading. While it is possible to buy waterproof laminate flooring, you’ll need to research to find exactly what you need. You can’t refinish laminate, so it’s not a forever floor.
The cost to install laminate flooring is often the least expensive of all types of flooring, and it often comes as a DIY-friendly “floating” floor system with planks that snap together. The cost is $3 to $7 per square foot installed.
Hardwood Flooring for high-traffic areas
Hardwood flooring has long been a favorite of homeowners because of its warmth and beauty. There are two main types: solid wood flooring, which consists of a solid piece of wood, and engineered wood flooring, in which a thin veneer of natural wood is bonded to layers of structural plywood.
You can use hardwood floors anywhere though they are prone to scratching and can show a lot of wear and tear, so there may be better options for high-traffic areas.
Wood hardness can affect how well the floors hold up. For instance, a soft wood like pine will dent and ding easily. It’s also subject to expanding and contracting with changes in humidity levels, so you might want to consider whether it’s your best bet for a kitchen and bathroom.
Hardwood flooring is also more susceptible to fading or yellowing in sunlight, though many now incorporate UV protection, microbial protection, and compounds for superior scratch resistance.
Unlike vinyl and laminate, hardwoods can be re-sanded and refinished every 3-7 years, so well-maintained floors can last decades or even centuries.
Wood flooring is usually the most expensive option. Solid wood flooring costs $5 to $10 per square foot, while engineered wood flooring costs $4 to $9 per square foot installed.
Ceramic Tile Flooring for high-traffic areas
Tile floors have a classic look and are available in countless colors and design configurations, from mosaics to large-format tiles with minimal grout lines.
There are two types, glazed and unglazed. Glazed tiles have a topcoat that makes them resistant to stains and water damage. Unglazed tiles are more affordable but also more porous and susceptible to stains and water absorption. Because of this, you may need to use extra sealant.
Ceramic tiles can crack, especially if you drop something heavy on them. Poor installation or drastic temperature and humidity changes also cause cracks.
Tile holds up well against scratches and spills and is a low-maintenance option. If a tile cracks, you can replace it without disturbing the rest of your floor. Tile generally costs between $4 to $15 per square foot, installed.
Porcelain Tile Flooring for high-traffic areas
Made from clay, porcelain tiles are highly resistant to moisture. As a result, they’re a perfect flooring choice for bathrooms, basements, and kitchens since they won’t buckle under a lot of humidity and water exposure. They are also slip resistant when wet.
Porcelain is resistant to wear, scratches, stains, and fading in sunlight. But like ceramic tile, poor installation can lead to cracks, as can heavy items dropped on the floor. Of course, you still have the option to replace one tile instead of the entire floor.
Porcelain tile costs the same as solid wood flooring, about $5 to $10 per square foot, installed.
Natural Stone Flooring for high-traffic areas
Stone is another flooring material that almost always adds value to a home. Three types of stone are used for flooring:
- Sedimentary stone, such as travertine
- Igneous stone, like granite
- Metamorphic stone, including marble or slate
Stone floors aren’t soft underfoot and may not be the best option for kitchens where a dropped dish is sure to break.
Stone lasts thousands of years in nature, so its durability is unquestionable, though some can look worn sooner than expected. As with ceramic and porcelain tiles, you need to correctly seal and install natural stone to resist stains and prevent cracking.
Stone flooring requires professional installation and is on the higher end of flooring costs, averaging $3 to $7 per square foot installed.
Bamboo Flooring for high-traffic areas
Bamboo is a new, eco-friendly alternative to hardwood floors and is available in planks and strips with various grain patterns. Bamboo is a type of grass and makes for a surprisingly tough floor, sometimes harder than hardwoods.
Bamboo floors are great for kitchens, hallways, and dining rooms. And while it is more moisture-resistant than wood, it still does not make a great floor for a bathroom where it will be susceptible to water damage and excess moisture.
Higher-quality bamboo flooring with 7-8 coats of a tough aluminum oxide finish will be very scratch-resistant; however, less-expensive bamboo flooring with only three to four coats of finish will wear quickly.
Quality bamboo will cost $6-$8 per square foot.
Concrete Flooring for high-traffic areas
Concrete floors have grown in popularity for use on floors and countertops. A poured-in-place concrete floor can be gray or dyed, and it can also take on different surface treatments to create a unique look.
While concrete might not fit all of the areas of your home, it can be great for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry areas that need moisture- and scratch-resistant flooring.
Concrete is durable and easy to maintain. But it’s cold unless you install radiant heating, and it can be uncomfortable unless you use lots of mats or area rugs. Those same rugs will also help dampen sound.
You also need to reseal concrete every year or so to prevent stains. The cost with installation is $3 to $8 per square foot.
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LX Hausys offers vinyl flooring, one of the most durable flooring options on the market. If you’d like assistance with your flooring, our experts are happy to help. Please complete our contact form, and one of our flooring professionals will respond promptly.