A home’s floor is, in many ways, the fifth wall of any room. Many people know exactly what they want on that “wall.” Case in point: Lorraine Krebs in Nelson County who had a couple non-negotiable house-hunting items. “I wanted hardwood floors,” she declares. “If there were stairs, I wanted hardwood steps. I wanted a hardwood entryway and real tile in the kitchen and bathroom.”
“There certainly is a trend toward hardwood floors,” confirms REALTOR® Sandra Collins, an Associate Broker with Roy Wheeler Realty Company who also says that, just like Krebs, many home buyers are very definite in what they want.
“Trends show up early in model homes,” Collins observes. “Right now flooring tends to be wide-plank, dark or grey, often manufactured flooring. You also see faux beat-up hardwood floors.”
She’s very enthusiastic about today’s floors. “They’re doing amazing things,” she points out. “We see luxury vinyl in some homes and you would honestly have to get down and touch it to see if you are dealing with ceramic tile or hardwood. It’s just an incredible look.”
Indeed, there is a remarkable variety of flooring available from the solid hardwoods of Colonial times to high-tech laminates, bamboo, and ceramic tile. Each has pros and cons and choices also depend on where in a home the floor will be. If you are replacing an existing floor, it can make a significant cost difference if the new choice can be “floated.” Floating means the new flooring can be installed without removing the old flooring and usually without needed glue or fasteners.
With the caveat that each flooring has a fairly wide range of prices, here is a quick primer on options. The dollar figure—from the World Floor Covering Association—is the lowest estimated cost per square foot installed. For the highest quality in each category the price can easily be several times as much.
VINYL is so tough that some manufacturers offer warranties of 15 or more years. Easy to clean, although subject to gouging and scratching, it can mimic stone or wood perfectly from a distance though not so much up close. It can often be installed over existing vinyl or linoleum, but once installed it’s difficult to remove. It’s available in tiles or planks that can be installed by experienced DIY-ers, but it is crucial to have a well-prepared base with no bumps. It also comes in rolls and can start as low as $1.
CARPET begins at $2 and comes in many materials, patterns, colors, and textures. It provides resilient footing and warmth. “Carpets in bedrooms are common even in homes with tile or hardwood elsewhere,” says REALTOR Collins, “although I find millennium buyers are less inclined to carpets because of fear of allergens for their kids.”
STAINED CONCRETE is very durable and starts around $2 for staining and sealing a new (easier) or existing concrete floor. Polished finishes come in a nearly endless variety of colors and shadings.
LAMINATE begins at around $3. It’s tough, comes in many styles and colors, even mimicking stone or wood. It can be dented fairly easily, however, and once the top layer is worn through, it needs to be replaced, so it’s not a good choice in heavy-traffic areas. Like vinyl, it comes in planks as well as rolls, and can often be floated.
LINOLEUM starts around $4, is considered “green” since it’s made from tree bark and linseed oil, and doesn’t scratch or dent easily, On the other hand, vinyl often costs a bit less, yet is more durable and easier to install.
CORK begins about $4. It’s durable, yet offers a bit of a cushion and warmth for feet in winter. It’s easier to install than other floorings and comes in panels, planks, or squares that often snap together without adhesive. It can be floated. Cork is sustainable, but it’s more sensitive to sunlight than other materials and is also vulnerable to denting.
ENGINEERED WOOD and BAMBOO both start around $4 and can offer the same beauty as solid-wood floors. They can sometimes be floated and some brands are snap-together. It can dent. Bamboo is sustainable and can be manufactured to mimic expensive hardwoods such as reclaimed maple or oak.
CERAMIC or PORCELAIN TILE starts around $4 for products that can be floated and around $8 for regular tile. It comes in nearly endless choices of shapes, colors, and prices from the “chicken-wire” tile popular in ice cream parlors of yore to the large squares increasingly popular today. “Some porcelain or ceramic tile looks just like wood,” REALTOR Collins says. “It’s really amazing.” If tile cracks, however, it can be expensive to restore.
HARDWOOD in solid form starts around $6 and wide planks are increasingly popular. More difficult to install than other materials, it’s subject to dents and also to discoloring from sunlight, however it can be refinished repeatedly—even with a different stain—and is a classic choice. These days it’s used in kitchens and even in entryways.
STONE flooring starts around $8. It is definitely a “statement” flooring, classically handsome and highly durable, although repairs can be difficult and expensive.
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By Marilyn Pribus
Marilyn Pribus and her husband live in Albemarle County near Charlottesville, with hardwood, tile, vinyl, and carpeted floors.