ASK THE EXPERT
FLOORING ALAN STEWART
OWNER, THE FLOOR SHOPPE
Q
WHAT’S THE BEST FLOORING FOR HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS IN MY HOME?
One of the most frequent questions our flooring sales professionals receive from our customers is, “What’s the best type of flooring to handle high traffic in my home?” The short answer is hard a surface—ceramic tile, porcelain tile, hardwood, or laminate. When I first started my business over 35 years ago wall-to-wall carpeting made up more than 90 percent of our sales and installations. Ceramic tile was used mainly for shower walls and tub surrounds. You
had a choice of either 4X4 or if you were lucky a 6X6 tile size. Sheet vinyl flooring was the go-to product for flooring areas that had the tendency to get wet or needed to be wiped frequently in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. What a difference three decades make. Today, you can find ceramic or porcelain tiles in an endless array of sizes, textures and colors. The main difference between a ceramic tile and a porcelain tile is the latter is much harder and chip resistant.
Typically, a porcelain tile will cost 10 to 12 percent more on average than ceramic and although harder to cut, cost no more to install. All things being equal, it is a better investment to spend a little more for the porcelain tile up front and have an installation that stays original looking longer. Choosing the right flooring product, however, is really determined by whom and how the area in which it is being installed is used. Our typical customer is an individual who more than likely is retired, very respectful of their home and its furnishings, and has purchased all types of flooring over the years. They have a pretty good idea of what they don’t want, but with all the new and improved technology in the flooring sector want to make sure they are making a sound educated decision. The product recommendation we make to a residential customer will be totally different than what we might suggest to our commercial clients.
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If you’re our typical customer, you may not need the hardest surface such as tile for your installation. However, there is a feeling of warmth only hardwood can add to a room. Still very durable, engineered hardwood flooring goes with any type of interior decor and can be refinished if necessary down the road. It’s less expensive than its look-alike cousin Laminate flooring, which has come a long way from its humble beginnings. At a little over half the cost of hardwood, laminate is now being produced to have the texture, color, and graining of all the most popular species of wood. So what’s the best product for your particular installation? That really depends on your lifestyle, budget, and expectations. For more information call The Floor Shoppe at 352.748.4811 or visit TheFloorShoppe.com.
