There’s not much to compare to the excitement and exhilaration of remodeling your kitchen or bathroom. Remodeling is an opportunity to create and build your space the way you want it, with the design, features, fittings and facilities that you want. Choosing the right flooring for your remodel project is essential too. Your new flooring needs to both live up to your hopes and expectations for your new space while blending into your existing home. It’s also essential that your new flooring is attractive, functional, provides outstanding performance, and lasts for years to come. Here we look at some of the best flooring choices for the most popular home projects in the U.S. – bathroom and kitchen remodels.
Bathroom Remodel Flooring
Bathroom remodels are still one of the most popular remodel choices, and the market for bathroom remodels just grows year after year. A bathroom remodel allows you to update the features in an existing bathroom or perhaps add on an additional bathroom, ensuite or powder room. Bathroom remodel flooring needs to be resilient and waterproof, and to this end, the most popular choice is usually tile.
Porcelain tiles offer a fine and even texture, while ceramic tiles are made of the same natural clay with a more rustic quality. Natural stone and slate tiles offer outstanding effects and character that add class and refinement to any space. It’s important to remember that some tile varieties need to be sealed in order to maintain their performance and integrity.
Another increasingly popular contemporary option for bathroom flooring is polished concrete. This industrial look is easy to install and low maintenance, and is perfect for a modern home.
Kitchen Remodel
On par, or in close competition with the popularity of the bathroom remodel is the kitchen remodel. Whether you’re tired of cooking in a cramped space or wanting to open your living areas to connect your kitchen and dining areas for open plan living, a kitchen remodel can really transform the space we call “the heart of the home”.
Flooring for kitchen areas can be highly variable, from hardwood, to tile, to vinyl. The most important aspect to consider is a flooring type that both matches your home, and that is easy to clean. If you are building an open plan kitchen, dining and living area, you may choose to have hardwood floors throughout. Be sure to protect wood floors in the kitchen from spills and splashes with area mats. Durable and water-resistant finishes may be necessary to protect kitchen hardwood floors from water damage and wear. Most pre-finished wood floors have a durable ceramic oxide finish that makes them suitable for installation throughout the home.
Being waterproof and easy to clean, tiles are another popular choice for kitchen flooring, and can be extended into dining and living areas as well. Laminate flooring, Luxury Vinyl Tile and Engineered Wood floors can also be installed in the kitchen provided they are water resistant and installed with the correct subflooring.
For harder flooring types in the kitchen, be sure to place supportive mats in areas of heavy work, such as near the stovetop or sink. Extended standing on a hard kitchen floor can be tough on feet and joints. A popular new flooring option for kitchen remodels is cork. Being natural, waterproof, fire resistant and soft and springy, cork makes an ideal flooring choice for the kitchen.
Bathroom and kitchen remodels are still the most popular choice for updating homes while and adding to home value and your family’s quality of life. Choosing the right flooring for your remodel means meeting your design goals while also finding the perfect fit for your new space for years to come.
