One of the most crucial areas in a home is the living room. Not only is it considered a space for mingling with family and guests, but it also impacts your wellbeing. Therefore, every component of its design must be meticulously considered to create a room optimal for connecting, leisure, socializing, and entertaining.
Aside from ensuring comfortable seating arrangements, choosing the right color of the walls, and putting up the best art for display, there’s another aspect that mustn’t be overlooked—the flooring. The style of your living room will catch people’s eyes first, but the flooring will catch their senses first.
So, which flooring should you choose for your living room? Consider the following flooring options for your living room:
- Wood
If there’s a flooring option that will never go out of style, it’d have to be wooden floors. Such flooring incorporates a natural aspect into living spaces. While there’s a huge array of wooden floors, solid hardwood and engineered wood are the most popular options.
Solid hardwood flooring is a piece of solid wood. Aside from providing a natural and warm appearance, it also has that stylish impression. Whether it’s a dark or light-colored hardwood, it can be furnished all over again so it can always look as bright as new. Plus, it may be swept, wiped, or vacuumed; it’s easy to clean.
On the other hand, engineered hardwood is simply wood. It features a smooth surface and a coated wear layer, making it an excellent alternative for living room flooring. It can also withstand strong foot activity and is available in various patterns and styles. Just like solid hardwood, it’s water-resistant and requires the same care. The sole distinction is that engineered hardwood can only be sanded once or twice.
If you choose wooden floors for your living room, don’t forget to consider your home’s interior design. For example, if you want to spice up your minimalist, neutral-looking living room, you can opt for patterned wooden floors, such as parquet flooring. According to Wooden Floors UK, its patterns are geometric and repetitive, giving your living space a dramatic appearance.
- Bamboo
Bamboo flooring is another alternative to wooden flooring. Homeowners favor such flooring not only for its aesthetic and functionality but also for its eco-friendliness.
Bamboo is relatively low-maintenance. You only need to sweep or vacuum it frequently to remove minor dirt particles. Besides that, bamboo is marginally more resistant to water damage than hardwoods.
- Carpets
Although some people think carpeted floors are old school, such flooring is still a lovely way to add warmth and coziness to a space. Carpets are appreciated for their soft underfoot feel, silky textures, and creative designs.
However, choosing carpets means you should be able to handle its maintenance, as well. Since it’s made of fabric, it isn’t waterproof and can get stained easily. Therefore, be cautious with water, as your family, especially your youngsters, may spill water. Carpet flooring may only be cleaned with a vacuum or dry cleaning.
- Porcelain Or Ceramic Tiles
If you want flooring with incredible elegance and a classic vibe, opt for porcelain and ceramic tiles. They’re renowned for their exceptional durability, attractive appearance, and simple maintenance. Since they’re durable and resistant to sharp elements, you need not worry about flooding or heavy traffic.
The primary disadvantages of porcelain and ceramic tiles are that they can be cold under bare feet, crack if not installed uniformly, and break after a hard crash. In some instances, they might also become slippery. Nevertheless, ceramic and porcelain tiles are easy to clean regardless of the circumstances.
- Vinyl
Originally, homeowners installed vinyl flooring in their kitchens and bathrooms. But now that vinyl flooring has improved a lot, they’re suitable for every kind of room, including living rooms.
The biggest advantage of vinyl flooring is its remarkable durability. They can withstand heavy foot traffic, give comfort to your feet, eliminate noise, are easy to maintain, and are designed to last a long time. Indeed, they’re an excellent option for living room flooring, particularly if you have children. Not just that, it’s water, stain, and mildew resistant, too. You can rest assured that vinyl flooring is constructed to withstand the busiest lifestyles.
- Laminate
There are numerous advantages to choosing laminate flooring, which is why it’s one of the most popular floors on the market today. Laminate flooring comprises several layers of veneered wood to increase its water and heat resistance. They’re affordable, durable, easy to install, and environmentally friendly.
However, it scratches readily and can’t withstand sharp objects, so you must exercise caution when installing it in your living room. Unlike wooden floors, they can’t be refinished several times; once ripped or worn, they must be replaced entirely.
The Bottom Line
Indeed, there are numerous flooring options available for the living room. The breadth of choosing one can be thrilling and overwhelming. But either way, all you need to do is compare how they look, how long they last, how easy they are to clean, and so on. After choosing a flooring that’s both practical and complementary to your home’s interiors, the result is an attractive floor that improves the aesthetic appeal of your entire living room.
