Some materials can simulate wood and resist damage in high-traffic areas such as kitchens, halls, and other busy spaces. Here’s the rundown.
Durability is an important consideration when choosing a floor for your kitchen or hallway. However, you don’t want to sacrifice aesthetics in the name of durability. You should also choose easy-to-clean flooring for high-traffic areas. Objects dragging or falling may cause havoc in some rooms. If you work from home, your workspace may require thicker skin to handle the constant back-and-forth chair dragging. Balancing durability, simplicity of cleaning, elegance and cost is a difficult task. First, we’ll look at the most important aspects to consider when choosing high-traffic flooring. And then, we’ll go over the best flooring options for these busy zones of a home.
Which one do you have or want to install?
Features to Consider
Consider the following things before making your ultimate decision.
- Durability: Flooring in high-traffic areas should be durable. The material should not give in easily to feet traffic, dragging objects or falling goods. The impact could also be caused by your fluffy friend’s claws or children playing. Each of these circumstances necessitates the use of long-lasting flooring material.
- Easy to Maintain: Dirt, wear and tear are all consequences of high traffic. As a result, the floor should be simple to maintain. The floor should be able to tolerate routine cleaning. Some floors may distort or take a long time to dry, making them unsuitable for high-traffic areas.
- Cost: Flooring does not have to cost an arm and a leg. The ideal flooring for high-traffic areas should take price into account as well. Another aspect to consider is the expense of upkeep.
- Elegance: You do not have to sacrifice the floor’s visual attractiveness. More eyes on the floor mean more traffic. The floor should be pleasing to the eyes. Guests’ initial engagement with your home may occur in high-traffic places. As a result, you want to make an excellent first impression.
- Comfort: You should ensure that the floor is pleasant for the users. Warmth and anti-slip are two important comfort factors to consider in high-traffic locations.
- High Resistance: Water, heat and abrasion resistance should be at the top of your requirements for high-traffic floors.
Tile
One of the main reasons that ceramic tile has been used for over 5,000 years is its longevity. The hardness of the tile determines its classification. This assists customers in determining where it can be used. Tile is rated on a 1–5 scale using the Porcelain Enamel Institute standards, with 5 being the hardest and most durable. Choose a tile that is rated 4 or 5 on the PEI chart if you intend to use it in a high-traffic area. This high-traffic flooring will provide you with many decades of tough, stylish performance. With a variety of wood appearance tiles now accessible, modern production and design have brought tile to a whole new level.
Tile flooring is durable, water-resistant and scratch-resistant. As a result, it is well-suited to high-traffic locations. Tile flooring is not only long-lasting but also simple to maintain. The best tile flooring for high-traffic areas will retain its appearance even after 20 years of use. Tiles are also environmentally beneficial. Also remember that if something heavy falls on the tile, it may chip or crack. Regardless, tiles are suitable for high-traffic areas. They are incredibly adaptable and come in a variety of designs. They are also not affected by wetness.
Laminate
You can’t go wrong with laminate flooring if you want something long-lasting, pleasant and affordable. However, if there will be water in the vicinity, like in a kitchen or bathroom, avoid this flooring. Laminate flooring imitates wood flooring, stone flooring, tile flooring and other types of floors by applying a photographic image on a laminated wood base. Nonetheless, laminate flooring is extremely long-lasting. It can withstand children’s toys, pet paws and heavy foot traffic. If you pick laminate for high-traffic areas, seek a product with a thick melamine resin wear layer. Options range from 6 to 15mm, with 12mm or 15mm laminate flooring being preferable where there will be a lot of foot traffic.
When compared to tiles, laminate provides more comfort and convenience for installation. Many manufacturers are also creating visually appealing pieces, making them ideal for high-traffic areas of the home. It has a bounce to it and holds heat well. Foyers, entryways and main hallways are examples of high-traffic spaces in the home. They might be considerably more numerous in commercial contexts.
Luxury Vinyl
Luxury vinyl flooring is another choice to consider when looking for flooring options for high-traffic areas. It has layers of protection that keep it protected from dents, scratches, scuffs, UV discoloration and stains. As a result, it’s a good choice for high-traffic locations. LVF, or luxury vinyl flooring, is available in tiles and planks that are extremely tough and long-lasting. Premium brands can be made to seem like stone, tile or even wood. Even the greatest of these goods, however, appear artificial up close. It also has the advantage of being easy to clean and waterproof. LVF is significantly less expensive than hardwood. It also provides a variety of styles.
Solid Wood
If you are concerned about the market value of your property, hardwood flooring is an excellent option. Its appealing and comfortable properties make it appropriate for most household settings. Although wood is easily scuffed, it can be polished to eliminate these marks. You can refinish solid hardwood up to seven times if you invest in it. Wood frequently fails to withstand dampness. It should not be used in moist environments. However, wood is both fashionable and comfortable to walk on.
Concrete
Are you seeking business flooring that can withstand high traffic? Concrete flooring is an excellent option. It is highly long-lasting, simple to maintain and sturdy. Aside from the industrial finish of concrete flooring, producers have created elegant residential choices. Concrete flooring does not have to have the appearance of a sidewalk or a parking lot. Acid-stained, etched, stamped and colored concrete, as well as concrete floors with embedded tiles, stone and other elements, are all available today. Concrete flooring, for example, can be made to look like real stone flooring such as granite by utilizing an acid-staining method. Make a concrete floor that looks like flagstone pavers by using the right stamp and color. It is extremely robust and resistant to scratches, and it holds up well when anything big falls on it. However, because it does not hold heat effectively, it can be frigid and hard. It also has a firm underfoot sensation.
Natural Stone
Of course, if you have the funds, there’s no reason to construct concrete flooring that resembles natural stone when you can simply install the actual thing. The materials and installation costs are both pretty high, but the natural aesthetic is something exceptional. Natural stone is tough. They are also lovely and have a long lifespan. Natural beauty can be found in limestone, granite, and sandstone. However, the cost varies depending on the type of stone used.
As you can see, there are a variety of materials to consider when searching for the finest flooring for high-traffic areas. Though each has significant drawbacks, they are sturdy enough to be installed in a variety of high-traffic places. If you want to install new flooring in these traffic areas, let Valor Home Services know. Team Valor has been in the flooring industry for over 25 years. We know everything you need to know about each flooring type and are the top stress-free installation experts in the area. For more information or to book an appointment, call our office today.
