Flooring 101
How to Choose Between Engineered Hardwood,
Luxury Vinyl or Laminate
December 01, 2019
We often get asked by clients what the best flooring material is for them to use in their homes. It really depends on a few factors: 1) where it’s being installed, 2) who uses the space & 3) budget.
Engineered hardwood is a great way to get a luxurious feel in your home. It can be installed pretty much everywhere and give you great options on colours, plank size and texture; wide plank widths and custom hand finishes like scrapping add texture and interest, and the pre-finished colours are numerous and stylish. The hard, durable quality of pre-finished hardwood makes it a perfect option throughout the home even kitchens and entrances.
Laminate is a lower-priced option for the hardwood look. Colours and even textures are vast. It has a very similar look to engineered hardwood, however, it’s not as durable. It’s best used in low traffic areas where water is not an issue.
The new Luxury vinyl is one of our favourite budget-friendly products. We’ve used it in cottages, basements, and high traffic areas. Not only do the new vinyl planks wear incredibly well, don’t scratch, and withstand water, they also look amazing with great colours and textures. Of the three, they are also the easiest for a DIY install.
Hardwood in the Kitchen
We get asked all the time if you can use hardwood flooring in the kitchen and our answer is always a resounding yes! There are so many good reasons to use hardwood in the kitchen.
Our favourite is that hardwood is much easier on your body than hard tile. With so many great home chefs and family members helping out with the cooking, the slight inherent springiness in a hardwood floors means less fatigue and joint pain when working in the kitchen.
Driving the use of hardwood in the kitchen is the open concept trend of spaces in our homes. It’s always hard to change a flooring material without an architectural detail like a wall of archway and with our open concept kitchens, keeping the beautiful hardwood running through the home is a great option.
Clients’ other concern with using hardwood in the kitchen is durability, but with the finishes on today’s prefinished hardwood it is even more durable and practical.
How Do I Choose the Right Look in My Home
With so many great options of colour, texture and size in hardwood flooring today, clients are always asking us, “how do we choose the right look for our homes?” There are three things to consider:
1. Where is it going?
2. What is the style of your home?
3. What is the size of the rooms it’s going in?
5 Tips on How to Buy Carpet
With so many great options of colour, texture and size in hardwood flooring today, clients are always asking us, “how do we choose the right look for our homes?” There are three things to consider:
1. Best locations for carpet: A) Best in low traffic area B) Bedrooms C) Basements
2. Fibers—New invocations in synthetics give great hand
3. Weave — Cut & Loop Cut Pile Textured Frieze Loop
4. Underpadding—Extends life, adds softness
5. Expert installation:
Green Label Plus, PermaShield, ScentGuard,
Scotchgard Protector, SoilScreen, Stain
Control, Stainproof—Household Pets
