When you first walk into a room, you almost immediately form an impression of the space. Your eyes scan the interior around you and assess the space’s vibe and layout.
At some point during your initial judgment of the space, your eyes will land on the floor’s surface. As subtle as the floor may seem at first glance, the floor finish actually plays a big role in influencing the space’s overall aesthetics.
This design component can dictate how your guests perceive your space, whether it’s sleek and polished or natural and rustic. If you’re in the process of remodeling and uncertain about which floor finish to use, this guide outlines key considerations to help with your decision.
The following information covers how to select a floor finish that meets both practical and aesthetic requirements. The following section starts with an overview of floor types.
Get Familiar With The Main Floor Types
The first step to choosing an appropriate floor finish is understanding the different materials and types available. Each material has a distinct look, texture, and firmness that makes it different from the others, and knowing these properties can help you find the most suitable one for your building project.
A few examples of popular floor finishes include the following:.
- Carpet: Carpet provides insulation and a soft surface underfoot. It is available in various textures, sizes, and colours from a range of retailers.
- Hardwood: This natural floor finish has a classic and rustic appeal that makes it a great, versatile option for bedrooms and hallways. It’s warm, durable, and long-lasting when frequently sanded and maintained.
- Tiles: This floor finish comes in a wide variety of patterns and materials. Some common ones include ceramic, porcelain, and stone. This finish is highly resistant to water and durable.
- Laminate: A decent floor finish that works for budget-friendly builds. This flooring type mimics wood and floor tile in its physical appearance. However, it’s not as durable and long-lasting as them, especially when exposed to moisture.
- Vinyl: This flooring type is great for high-traffic areas as it’s affordable, durable, and easy to maintain. While versatile and cost-effective, vinyl is not as durable as hardwood and tiles and can easily chip when hit by heavy furniture.
- Engineered wood: A sustainably-manufactured floor tile that looks like hardwood but has improved moisture resistance.
- Concrete: This finish is often used as a subfloor base, but it can also work as flooring, depending on the aesthetics of the interior. This flooring type exudes an industrial vibe and can be polished and stamped for a high-end finish.
- Terrazzo: This stylish finish is unique in that it’s built with different materials, such as quartz, marble, and glass and formed into a single composite tile. This finish is durable and easy to clean.
The table below highlights details to help compare these floor types side by side based.
| Floor Type | Appearance | Durability | Best Placement | Standard Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet | Soft, cozy, available in many colors | Moderate – wears over time | Bedrooms, living rooms | Rolls: 12–15 ft wide; Tiles: 18×18 in |
| Hardwood | Natural, warm, classic or rustic | High – if maintained | Bedrooms, hallways, living spaces | Planks: 2.25–5 in wide, varying lengths |
| Tiles | Patterned, polished or matte | Very high | Bathrooms, kitchens, entryways | 12×12 in, 18×18 in, 12×24 in |
| Laminate | Mimics wood or tile look | Moderate | Bedrooms, hallways (not wet areas) | Planks: 7–12 in wide, varying lengths |
| Vinyl | Wood/tile look, wide color range | Moderate to good | High-traffic areas, kitchens, bathrooms | Sheets: 6–12 ft; Tiles/Planks: various sizes |
| Engineered Wood | Looks like hardwood | High | Hallways, living rooms, dining areas | Planks: 2.25–7 in wide, varying lengths |
| Concrete | Industrial, minimalist, polished/stamped | Very high | Modern open spaces, basements, lofts | Continuous surface |
| Terrazzo | Mixed pattern of marble/glass chips | Very high | Hallways, bathrooms, commercial spaces | Tiles: 12×12 in; Custom installations vary |
Table Data sourced from Choices Flooring Carpet and additional technical flooring references.
The right sheen for your room, therefore, would need you to classify the underlying purpose of the room before making a selection. Once you’re familiar with the various floor finishes, narrow down your options and pick your favourites.
Ideally, you create a selection of floor finishes that look great, are durable, are readily available, and fall below your budget cap. From there, you can continue your assessment to narrow down your floor finish options even further.
Consider Floor Placement and Room Utility
Experts don’t just pick a floor type based solely on its design. If that were the case, there’d be a lot of bathrooms with moisture-riddled and mouldy flooring.
Instead, they treat the flooring type and the room where it’s being installed as a unified decision. This ensures that the aesthetics and function of the room work in harmony with one another.
For instance, when considering the flooring of a bathroom, it’s important to ensure that the floor finish you use is water resistant. Tiles and vinyl flooring work best in that regard.
In contrast, when considering cosier areas like bedrooms and living areas, softer materials that can retain heat and cold, like carpet and hardwood, work best as floor finishes. For places that may experience a lot of foot traffic, you have to pick a floor finish that can withstand constant pressure—laminate and engineered wood are excellent picks for that.
Choosing a suitable finish contributes to both the durability and comfort of the flooring, supporting a consistent interior layout. A combination of durability and comfort supports consistency in both function and interior design
Choose the Level of Shine
Your floor’s sheen level plays a big role in influencing your space’s overall appearance. It’ll also impact how often you’ll need to maintain or clean the floor.
There are three main types of sheen you can choose for your flooring: matte, satin, and gloss. Here’s how each of the three fares:.
- Matte finish: This finish has the lowest visible reflection among the three. It’s often used in rustic and natural environments and is also good for concealing footprints and dirt.
- Satin finish: This finish has a soft and subtle sheen. It’s preferable in high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms due to its moisture resistance.
- Gloss finish: it reflects the most light and is commonly used in modern interiors that prioritize a high-shine appearance. That said, it needs frequent cleaning as it shows smudges easily.
If you don’t want to see glare or visible impurities in your room, matte and satin are ideal, with the latter being better for moisture-retaining rooms like kitchens. In contrast, if beauty and boldness are a priority, a gloss finish is the best option, as this finish has the shiniest and most polished look among the rest.
Uphold Proper Flooring Installation Practices
Choosing the right flooring type and sheen is great and all, but if the flooring hasn’t been installed properly, you could be dealing with structural issues like buckling, uneven surfaces, or premature wear in the not-so-distant future. As such, it’s important to set your flooring the right way above anything else.
In most cases, you’re letting a professional tile or floor installer perform this task for you, so ensure that you’ve picked the most qualified person for the job. Some essential practices that should be done to keep the floor in good condition include leaving expansion gaps to accommodate material movement in humid conditions, leveling the subfloor, acclimating flooring materials to the temperature of its intended room, and following the layout plan to ensure that there are no misalignments.
Following proper installation practices can improve the floor’s longevity and reduce the likelihood of future maintenance.
Choose Materials That Complement Interior Design
Choosing a flooring design that aligns with the interior style can support a visually consistent appearance. For instance, if you want your home to have a minimal vibe, then you should consider using light-toned timbre or laminate as the primary flooring option in your living spaces.
Conversely, if you want your home to look more industrial and modern, dark hardwoods are much more suitable. For interiors designed to feel warmer and more comfortable, carpets can enhance the overall ambiance.
Like bold and eccentric things? Patterned tiles are available in a variety of designs and can contribute to a more visually distinctive interior.
In any case, there are various materials and flooring types that can promote the visual harmony of your home. By choosing the ones with a matching colour palette and material to your home, you can make your place look more intentional and balanced.
These guidelines are intended to support more informed decisions during the design process.
