The right flooring adds a lot to a luxury home’s interior design. However, choosing the right floor material requires careful consideration.
Carpet is a great option for bedrooms and family rooms. It also offers superior noise absorption and is scuff-resistant. Linoleum is making a comeback, especially the textured varieties that resemble natural materials.
1. Exotic Hardwood
With exotic hardwood flooring, you have a lot of options to choose from. This category of wood includes species sourced from around the world, typically in tropical areas. These unique woods feature vivid colors that lend a sophisticated and modern look to a room. Exotic hardwoods are also more durable than domestic woods.
Brazilian cherry is one of the most popular types of exotic hardwood. It has a lustrous quality and comes in varying shades of reds and browns with flecks of black that add depth to a space. This beautiful wood is also very strong, with a Janka rating of 3680. Another option is Santos mahogany, which is actually a different species from the true mahogany that is used to make furniture. It has a similar color and grain pattern but is even stronger than real mahogany.
Other options in the exotic hardwood category include acacia, morado rosewood and merbau. The latter is a popular choice for outdoor decking but is also a great flooring material. It isn’t as sensitive to sunlight as some other woods, and it can be refinished several times over the years without showing wear.
The drawback to many exotic hardwoods is that they come from forested regions of the world and harvesting them causes deforestation. If you choose this type of hardwood, ensure that the tree species is certified by an organization like the Forest Stewardship Council or Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Laminate flooring offers an eco-friendly alternative to exotic wood floors, with the added advantage of being more affordable than traditional hardwood. Brands such as Armstrong offer laminate floors with hand-scraped surfaces and grain patterns that mimic the look of these hardwood species. The only downside to laminate is that it can’t be refinished as often as wood.
2. Tile
For years tile has been a favored flooring pick for bathrooms and mudrooms, but its durability and design versatility have made it an increasingly popular option for every room in the home. Whether it’s a herringbone, offset or stacked pattern, tile can easily accommodate different aesthetic preferences without losing its signature look and feel.
Porcelain tile is a versatile choice for any space. It can be glazed in a range of colors and textures to match any design style. For example, glazed terracotta tile can make a historic house feel warm and cozy while adding an elegant and classic look to a modern kitchen or living area. Bleached wood floors are also a timeless and classic flooring choice. These floors are bleached to lighten the color for a soft, subtle effect. If you’re interested in a more natural, organic appearance, cork is another great option. This floor is harvested without killing the tree, making it an environmentally friendly choice.
Vinyl is another versatile option for any space. The latest vinyl flooring products are able to visually mimic the look of many other materials, including wood and stone. Rigid core luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is an especially good choice for high traffic areas as it has a tough waterproof exterior, protective wear layers and can resist heavy furniture or dropped utensils.
While it may be expensive to use, a gorgeous new tile floor can greatly increase the value of your home. For an even more impressive impact, hire a mosaic artist to create a custom work of art for your floor. Whether it’s an abstract piece for the entryway or an intricate patterned design for your master bathroom, this type of customization will surely impress.
3. Vinyl
A beautiful floor adds value to a home, but it can be difficult to maintain and care for in busy homes with children and pets. Wood floors, in particular, can be scratched and damaged easily. But a few aspirational top quality flooring options are available that look like real hardwood, but cost significantly less to buy and install.
Vinyl has earned a bad reputation for being cheap and outdated, but that’s no longer true. The newest luxury vinyl tile and planks (LVP) are engineered to mimic high-end stone and hardwood flooring while offering water resistance, durability and boosted noise and thermal insulation. They’re available in a wide array of colors and patterns, so it’s easy to find something that complements any interior design theme.
The most popular luxury vinyl products include the Mannington Adura Max flooring, which looks and feels like a natural hardwood but is waterproof thanks to its Hydroloc core. The planks also feature Microban technology to keep mildew, mold and odors at bay. It’s the perfect option for bathrooms and kitchens.
Another great choice for luxury vinyl is the Lifelock herringbone pattern. It’s an embossed style that’s a departure from traditional vinyl and a nice way to add visual interest to any space. This vinyl plank is available in multiple colors and features a 4 mil layer, which is thicker than most other LVPs on the market.
Cork is another flooring option that’s more environmentally conscious. This flooring is harvested without killing the tree, and it’s soft underfoot. Cork is often used in utilitarian rooms, such as the laundry room or workout gym. It’s available in a wide range of styles and colors, but it’s typically most valued for its natural texture and subdued color scheme.
4. Cork
Cork is an ecologically friendly flooring choice, harvested without damaging the Quercus suber tree (the tree regenerates its bark after harvesting). As a sustainable material, cork floors are more environmentally responsible than wood or vinyl. Cork floors are also soft underfoot and provide good thermal insulating properties.
Cork flooring comes in a wide variety of looks, colors and textures. It’s available in both direct glue-down tiles and click-lock style planks on a backer board. In 2019, waterproof cork planks came to market, making it possible to install a whole-house cork floor, including in bathrooms and laundry rooms.
The classic speckled look of cork is still a popular option, but manufacturers such as WE Cork have used high definition digital printing technology to produce hardwood and stone tile aesthetics on a cork substrate. The result is a comfortable, quiet flooring option that works well in high traffic areas of the home.
Because of its cellular structure, cork is resilient and comfortable underfoot. A cubic inch of cork contains about 200 million air cells, which gives it a springy texture and reduces foot fatigue. Cork is also acoustically neutral, so it helps dampen sound reverberation within a room.
Sweeping, vacuuming, and occasional mopping with water or a mild wood floor cleaner are all that’s needed to keep cork floors looking great. The textural pattern of cork floors masks small scratches and marks, unlike the stark contrast of marring on wood floors.
The one downside of this softer flooring option is that it can be damaged by sharp objects or heavy furniture, and it tends to fade in bright sunlight. Manufacturers use UV protectants in some of their topcoats to mitigate fading, but it’s best to avoid installing a dark cork floor in a room that gets a lot of sun.
5. Natural Stone
The classic look of natural stone brings a touch of luxury to rooms and adds value to your home. These floors are popular in bathrooms, foyers, hallways, living areas, and paved outdoor spaces.
Stone floors are durable and will last a long time. They will withstand heavy foot traffic and are easy to clean. The cgp polished concrete flooring shares the same characteristic. Stone tiles are available in a wide range of colors and sizes. Choose from textured slate, smooth marble, and dramatic flagstones. These floors can also be honed or polished for your desired finish. Detailed mosaics exude elegance and rough-hewn pieces accentuate the natural style of stone settings.
Some of the most luxurious and high-end flooring options are made from naturally occurring rock like granite, limestone, travertine, and sandstone. These stones are harder than other types of tile, so they are not as susceptible to chipping or scratching. Stone tile also holds heat well, so it can be used in rooms with radiant heat.
One of the downsides to stone is that it is a porous material and may need to be sealed frequently to prevent staining. The absorption rate is a good indicator of how porous the stone is, with darker shades being much less absorbent than lighter ones.
A great tip is to ask your contractor if the stone you are choosing is calibrated or uncalibrated. The difference is that calibrated slate will have been leveled and will not require ‘bedding up’ on installation. Uncalibrated slate requires ‘bedding up’ to ensure a flat surface and will have an uneven appearance. Uncalibrated slate is cheaper but will require more regular maintenance as it can be difficult to clean. Talk to your flooring specialist to decide what is right for you and your family.
