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Choosing the Right Flooring for Every Room
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Flooring is one of the biggest surfaces in your home, and one of the hardest to change later. The right choice depends on how each room is used, not only on how it looks.
Here is a room-by-room guide to the materials we recommend most often, with their strengths and trade-offs.
The Main Options
Engineered Wood
A real wood top layer on a stable core. It looks and feels like solid wood but handles changes in temperature and humidity better, and it works well with underfloor heating.
Porcelain Tile
Hard-wearing, water-resistant and easy to clean. Modern porcelain comes in wood-look and stone-look finishes, and large formats reduce grout lines.
Luxury Vinyl
Warm underfoot, quiet and waterproof. A practical, budget-friendly choice for busy family homes and basements.
Carpet
Soft and warm, with good sound insulation. Best kept to bedrooms and quiet spaces.
Room by Room
Kitchen: porcelain tile or luxury vinyl, for spills and heavy traffic.
Bathroom: porcelain tile with a slip-resistant finish.
Living room: engineered wood for warmth and character.
Bedrooms: engineered wood or carpet for comfort.
Basement: luxury vinyl, which handles moisture and cooler temperatures.
Hallway and entrance: porcelain tile, which takes mud, sand and wet shoes.
Choose flooring for the worst day in the room, not the best one.
One Floor or Many?
Using the same flooring through open-plan areas makes the home feel bigger and more connected. Too many changes of material on one level can make spaces feel broken up.
Where to Change Material
Change flooring at natural breaks, like a doorway or the edge of a kitchen, and keep the color tone similar across the floor.
Don't Forget What's Underneath
A level, dry subfloor is the key to a floor that lasts. Uneven or damp subfloors cause gaps, cracks and creaks. If you're planning underfloor heating, decide early, because it affects which flooring you can use.
Before You Decide
Ask for large samples and look at them in your own light.
Check how each material works with your heating.
Think about pets, kids and how you clean.
The right floor ties a renovation together and quietly does its job for years.
