So you’re thinking of selling your home and putting new floors in, especially since you’ve heard the statistics on hardwood flooring: home buyers are more likely to spend up to $2,000 more if it has wooden flooring and that over half of Americans are considering adding hardwood flooring to their houses at some point, according to a study done by Market Watch. If everyone is doing it, it must be lucrative, right? Wrong. For that extra $2,000 a potential buyer might spend, the average cost to put in hardwood floors in the first place is about $5,800. And that’s the average price. While hardwood flooring might look classy and sophisticated, there are other options out there that can achieve the same look, while keeping some pennies in your bank. We’ll discuss ceramic tile, laminate tile flooring, and vinyl flooring.
Why to Love Ceramic Tile Flooring
For bathrooms, kitchens, or high traffic areas of your home, ceramic tile flooring might just be your dream floor. It’s durable, easy to maintain, comes in a variety of patterns or styles, and is light on the wallet. If you have highly allergic people living in your home, ceramic doesn’t trap allergens like carpet. and makes it easy to spot and get rid of. Ceramic tile flooring is a great option for kitchen flooring, bathroom flooring, or a foyer, as it’s water resistant (think snow, sludge, and rain), easy to clean (a pro if you have a lot of muddy feet and paws tramping in), and can often open up a room with light colors.
The Benefits of Laminate Flooring
If you’re redoing your floors as a DIY project, laminate flooring might be the right pick for you. It comes in easy packaging–manageable strips as well as tile options–and is one of the easiest floors to install. Additionally, it imitates more sought after looks (like hardwood!) well, is easy to clean, and is easygoing on your bank account. You won’t need any special chemicals to clean it–in fact, just a broom or a damp cloth will do, making it another ideal type of floor for busy parents or individuals. It’s also mold-and bacteria resistant, meaning you won’t have to worry about those growing if you live in a humid climate.
Choosing Vinyl Flooring
Like the other two flooring options mentioned, vinyl flooring is also inexpensive, durable, and easy to maintain. However, there are perhaps even more design options available with vinyl than with laminate and are often scratch and dent resistant. Unlike ceramic, vinyl is a bit more comfortable to stand on for longer periods of time, as some come with a padded layer underneath. Vinyl flooring isn’t quite as easy to install as laminate flooring, but it may last a bit longer, as laminate can go over any type of flooring and can start to look shoddy if not done properly. Vinyl flooring can be a bit more reliable in its installation.
Hardwood floors are beautiful, but can cause a lot of worry about having them scratched or otherwise damaged, are more high-maintenance than other options, and can be difficult to install. Ask yourself if it’s worth the hassle and the money, especially after considering other viable options available on the market.