Hardwood Flooring Vs Linoleum Which is Right for Your Home? Hint- You Need Both!

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The flooring throughout your home is in disrepair and needs to be replaced. Although you certainly have a lot of options, hardwood and linoleum are your two best options in terms of price and durability. And, although you might think that you must choose one or the other, the truth is that both types of flooring are needed in your home. Here are three reasons why you need both types of flooring.

Linoleum Goes Where Hardwood Cannot

Wood flooring is beautiful, hypoallergenic, and extremely durable. Because of this, it’s a perfect option for living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways. However, hardwood flooring isn’t suited to damp environments like bathrooms, kitchens, or basements. For these areas, you need waterproof flooring, such as linoleum.

Linoleum flooring is not porous and therefore does not easily absorb water. In areas where water and dampness are likely to occur (such as bathroom flooring), this is a huge plus. Hardwood wouldn’t work well in this area, because it can absorb water and humidity, which will cause it to swell and warp over time.

Linoleum can resist stains too, making it the perfect choice for kitchen flooring, where food spills are common. Because linoleum has a smooth, non-porous surface, cleaning up spills is easy and doesn’t require any special cleaners.

Hardwood Flooring Can Last a Lifetime

You probably wouldn’t want linoleum flooring in every room of your house, especially if most of your home is carpeted. However, replacing your old carpet with hardwood flooring is a smart move for several reasons.

  1. On average, carpeting lasts about 5 years at most. Hardwood flooring, on the other hand, will last a lifetime.
  2. If damaged, carpeting must be replaced; it cannot be repaired. The same is true of linoleum, which is why it isn’t recommended high traffic areas, or areas in which heavy furniture (like sofas, beds, and dressers) will be placed. Wood floors can be refinished many times, eliminating surface scratches, dents, and stains should they occur.
  3. Hardwood floors cost roughly $6,000 on average. Carpeting prices begin at roughly $1,200 and increase from there depending on the type of carpeting and padding you select. While this is initially cheaper than hardwood flooring, remember that you will need new carpeting every 5 years. Therefore, hardwood flooring is the cheaper option because it lasts a lifetime.

Linoleum Styles Allow a Cohesive Hardwood Look Throughout Your Home

While it’s true that hardwood flooring shouldn’t be used in areas where water is an issue and linoleum isn’t suited to high traffic areas, using both types of flooring allows you to create a cohesive flooring style throughout your home.

Modern linoleum is made from vinyl flooring materials, which can be made to mimic the same patterns and grains as your hardwood floors. You can also choose from a wide variety of styles and colors that compliment your wood floors if a perfect or near perfect match isn’t desired.

As you can see, you really do need both types of flooring in your home. Both hardwood and linoleum flooring have their strengths, which are perfectly suited to fulfill the needs of every room in your home.
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