Updating flooring is one of the most visible and impactful parts of a remodel. The right material changes how a space looks, feels, wears over time, and even how it affects your home’s value. For Solid Remodels & Restorations clients, flooring decisions are made strategically—not just by what looks good on a sample board.
Main flooring types
Most residential projects focus on a core group of materials, each with strengths and trade-offs.
- Hardwood: Classic, warm, and excellent for resale value. Best in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms where moisture is low.
- Engineered wood: Real wood veneer over a stable core, more resistant to humidity than solid hardwood. Works well in existing homes, over concrete, and in spaces with moderate moisture like kitchens.
- Laminate: Budget-friendly, durable, and good at resisting scratches in high-traffic areas, but vulnerable to standing water.
- Luxury vinyl (LVP/LVT): Highly durable, fully waterproof, and designed to mimic wood or stone. Ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements.
- Tile (ceramic/porcelain): Extremely durable, water-resistant, and long-lasting, especially in wet areas such as bathrooms, showers, and entries.
- Carpet: Soft and warm underfoot, best for bedrooms and low-moisture areas where comfort and sound absorption matter most.
Each material can be the “best” choice in the right context; the key is matching performance to how you live.
What Type of Flooring is “Best”?
There is no single best flooring for every home or room. The most effective approach is to think “best for this space and lifestyle”.
- For kitchens and baths, waterproof, easy-clean materials like LVP/LVT or porcelain tile typically perform best.
- For living rooms and main-level spaces, hardwood or engineered wood create a high-end, timeless look, while LVP offers similar visuals with more moisture tolerance and lower maintenance.
- For basements, engineered wood or LVP usually outperform solid hardwood due to humidity and potential moisture.
- For bedrooms, carpet or engineered wood with area rugs can balance comfort, warmth, and style.
Durability and lifespan also matter. With proper care, hardwood can last 50+ years, tile 30+ years, vinyl 20–30 years, laminate 15–25 years, and carpet around 5–10 years. This is important when budgeting for long-term ownership.
How to Choose the Right Flooring
Instead of starting with color or trend, start with performance requirements for each room.
Ask these questions with your contractor:
- Moisture and spills: Is this a space where water, pets, or kids are a constant factor? If yes, lean toward LVP/LVT or tile
- Traffic and wear: Hallways, entries, and kitchens need high-durability surfaces; laminate, LVP, tile, or harder wood species work well there
- Maintenance expectations: If you prefer low-maintenance, waterproof flooring often requires only routine cleaning, while hardwood may need refinishing over time
- Comfort and acoustics: Bedrooms and upstairs spaces might benefit from the softness and sound dampening of carpet or cushioned underlay beneath hard surfaces
- Resale and aesthetics: Engineered or solid hardwood tends to be most attractive to buyers, while quality LVP is increasingly accepted as a stylish, practical alternative
A professional remodel contractor can help you weigh these factors against your budget and long-term plans so you are not just picking a pretty sample—you are choosing a system that works with the rest of your project.
How Solid Remodels Connects Flooring to Your Project
Flooring is never an isolated decision in a full remodel. It needs to coordinate with cabinets, trim, doors, stairs, and transitions between rooms. Solid Remodels & Restorations looks at:
- Subfloor condition and required prep before installation
- How floor heights affect doors, thresholds, and accessibility
- Durability needs in relation to your family’s lifestyle and pets
- Visual flow from room to room so the home feels cohesive, not patchwork
Instead of offering generic advice or DIY shortcuts, our team integrates flooring selection into the overall design and construction plan, ensuring the material you choose is properly installed and backed by professional standards.
If you are planning a remodel and want expert guidance on flooring that fits your home, lifestyle, and long-term goals, contact Solid Remodels & Restorations! Our team of professional home remodel contractors will help you select and install flooring that looks beautiful on day one—and still makes sense years down the road.