The Best Flooring Material For Each Room In Your Home

From carpet to natural stone, there are many different materials that you can choose as a flooring surface. Different materials can be better suited to different rooms. If you’ve been thinking of installing new flooring in your home, here is some advice on some of the most practical solutions for each room.

Let’s start with the living room. This can often be a versatile space used for everything from entertaining guests to eating TV dinners. Those with kids and pets may want to prioritize an easy-to-clean flooring material in this room. However, cold hard floor options like ceramic and stone may not be a good option - they may be easy to clean, but don’t provide that relaxing atmosphere that you want in a living room. This is why soft and natural textures are sometimes preferred in a living room. Even if these materials aren’t always easy to clean, they can make the room feel comfortable for lounging in. Carpet is a popular choice, while hardwood and laminate are favored too (adding a large rug these hard floor options can help make the space more relaxing).

Best living room flooring options:

• Hardwood: Hardwood can give your living room a cozy rustic appearance. It’s also a long-lasting option, plus it could boost the value of your home.

• Laminate: Laminate can look just like natural timber, but it’s more affordable and lower maintenance - it’s easy to clean and does not have to be regularly sealed.

• Carpet: Carpet is the softest and warmest flooring option. It’s ideal for providing insulation, while also creating a sense of snugness.

Encouraging a relaxing atmosphere is even more important in a bedroom. As a result, cold hard floor materials like ceramic and stone may be even less suitable here (unless you live in a hot climate region and want to keep your bedroom cool). Having a flooring material that is easy to clean is also less important in this room than other rooms as it’s not somewhere that food or muddy shoes tend to go often. That said, it may still be important in a kid’s bedroom where messy play might occur. All in all, softness and warmth are likely to be priorities here.

Best bedroom flooring options:

• Carpet: On a cold night, being able to sink one’s toes into a warm carpet can make getting out of bed much easier. Meanwhile, the soft texture of carpet helps to add to the relaxing atmosphere of the room.

• Hardwood: The natural appearance of hardwood can also have a calming effect. It also stays warmer longer than many hard flooring surfaces, making it ideal for a bedroom.

• Vinyl: Using vinyl plank, it’s possible to imitate the rustic appearance of hardwood, while offering a spongier flooring surface.

Bathroom floors are more exposed to water than any other room in the home. As a result, choosing a water-proof flooring material is often a priority in this room. Carpet should be avoided at all costs, because it’s likely to harbor mold. Floors containing wood can meanwhile be at risk of rotting and warping when exposed to moisture. This makes options like ceramic tiles and vinyl a better choice in a bathroom. Consider investing in underfloor heating to make these cold surfaces more comfortable underfoot.

Best bathroom flooring options:

• Ceramic: Tiles made from ceramic like porcelain are very popular in bathrooms. They’re highly water-proof, durable and easy to clean.

• Vinyl: Vinyl is also water-proof, while being more affordable and comfortable underfoot. You can buy vinyl tiles that look like ceramic tiles.

• Natural stone: Natural stone materials like marble and slate are an upmarket tile option to consider. These tiles are similarly water-resistant and can last for decades, while adding value to your home. 

Kitchen floors are prone to crumbs and liquid spillages, so it’s important to choose a flooring solution that’s easy to clean. There can also be a lot of moisture in the air in a kitchen due to steam and running taps, so something waterproof is recommended. Carpets are a no-go in this room because they can get easily stained and are prone to mold. Hardwood can bring warmth to the ‘heart of the home’, but it may need to be regularly refinished to remove stains and could warp as the result of moisture. The most practical options typically end up being solutions like ceramic and laminate. A once popular low-cost and easy to clean option was linoleum, but this went out of style when vinyl became more widely available (vinyl is lower maintenance and more versatile).

Best kitchen flooring options:

• Ceramic: Due to being highly resistant to stains and spills, ceramic tile is a popular traditional flooring option in a kitchen. It’s also very durable.

• Vinyl: Vinyl has replaced linoleum as the most popular low-cost flooring option in a kitchen. It’s easy to clean, waterproof and comes in an endless range of styles.

• Laminate: Food debris can be easily cleaned off of a laminate floor. It’s a great choice for bringing an earthy wooden look to your kitchen floor, while being lower maintenance than hardwood.

As with the kitchen floor, the dining room can get a lot of food debris on it, so you ideally want a surface that you can quickly sweep or wipe down. Because there isn’t as much moisture in the air in this room, a hardwood floor can be more suitable in a dining room than a kitchen, providing you’re willing to occasionally refinish it. Laminate and ceramic are other good options for this room. Many modern kitchens and dining rooms are interconnected or all-in-one - using the same flooring surface could create a flow between both rooms.

Best dining room flooring options:

• Hardwood: For an elegant and classic look, choose hardwood flooring in your dining room. This material looks particularly great in period homes.

• Laminate: Laminate won’t stain as easily as hardwood, while providing a similar timber texture. It’s also more affordable.

• Ceramic: Ceramic tile is an easy-to-clean and durable flooring solution for a dining room. There are also many pretty patterns to explore that can give your dining room an ornate feel.

Garage floors often take a lot more abuse than flooring in other rooms in the home. If you park your car here, it’s essential that you choose a highly robust flooring material that can withstand the weight of a car. If you use this space as a workshop or a laundry room, being able to withstand spillages from liquids and chemicals could be key. One of the most popular garage flooring options is concrete, but this often isn’t the best solution - it looks crude, it’s not comfortable to walk on and it’s prone to stains. This is why it’s worth exploring other specialist garage flooring options made from materials like polypropylene or epoxy resin - such flooring materials are hard-wearing, while often being more comfortable and attractive than concrete.

Best garage flooring options:

• Rubber: Rubber is non-slip, easy to clean and provides cushioning for standing and working. It typically comes in the form of interlocking floor tiles that are easy to install oneself.

• Epoxy resin: If you’ve got more money to spend, an epoxy resin floor could be a suitable hard floor option for your garage. It’s resistant to stains and chemicals and has an attractive shiny appearance.

• Polypropylene: A polypropylene garage floor could be a robust and low-maintenance option. It has similar properties to rubber, but is cheaper.

Finally, it’s worth considering the hallway. This can be an overlooked space that has a big impact on the overall vibe of your home - it’s the first space people see when they enter your home and it helps connect other rooms. It’s often best to choose a hard-wearing flooring solution here and one that is easy to clean muddy footprints off (unless you’re willing to reinforce a strict shoes-off policy). A shiny surface can make this space brighter. However, you need to be careful of slippery materials like tile - especially on the stairs. Materials like hardwood, laminate and vinyl end up being the best choices. Rugs and stair runners may help to bring more comfort to these spaces.

Best hallway flooring options:

• Hardwood: You can impress guests on entry with the natural beauty of a hardwood floor. Hardwood is also known for being very hard-wearing, making it suitable for this high traffic space.

• Laminate: It’s very easy to clean muddy footprints off of laminate. Its wooden appearance meanwhile mimics the natural warmth of hardwood.

• Vinyl: Vinyl absorbs sound well making it great for stairs, while also being easy to clean. Choose vinyl plank for an imitation wood appearance.

Ultimately, there are many suitable flooring options for each room. As well as considering the practicality of each surface option, make sure to consider your budget and overall style of your home. You can choose a different flooring material for every room, however some homeowners prefer some consistency throughout. Vinyl and laminate tend to be the most versatile options and could be worth considering if you want to solely use one flooring material in all rooms.