Types of flooring and where each works best

The right floor depends on the room. A floor that looks great in a bedroom can be a poor choice for a laundry room, and a floor that shrugs off water may be harder to repair when one piece gets damaged. Before you pick a material, think about three things: how wet the room gets, how much traffic it sees, and how the floor gets fixed when something goes wrong.

This guide compares the six floors found in most homes. For what repairs and refinishing cost, see floor repair and refinishing.

The six floors at a glance

Floor	Works well in	How it handles water	How it's usually repaired
Solid hardwood	Living areas and bedrooms on or above ground level [1]	Spills should be wiped up right away; standing water damages it [6]	Sanded and refinished, many times over its life [1]
Engineered wood	Same rooms, plus basements [1]	Better than solid wood with humidity changes, but still wood on top [1]	Can be refinished, but fewer times than solid wood [1]
Luxury vinyl	Kitchens, baths, laundry rooms and basements [2]	The planks are waterproof; the floor under them isn't [2, 3]	Damaged planks or tiles are replaced
Laminate	Living areas, bedrooms, some kitchens	Water resistance varies by product; follow the maker's limits [4]	Scratches filled with color-matched filler; damaged planks replaced [5]
Tile	Bathrooms, kitchens, entries, laundry rooms	Porcelain tile absorbs very little water; cement grout is porous [7, 8]	Cracked tiles cut out and replaced; grout cleaned out and redone
Carpet	Bedrooms, family rooms, stairs	Wet carpet has to be dried within 24 to 48 hours [6]	Cleaned, re-stretched or patched

Solid hardwood

Solid hardwood is one piece of wood from top to bottom. The National Wood Flooring Association says it can go in any room on or above ground level, and that it can be sanded and refinished many times. [1] That's its biggest advantage: a worn, scratched hardwood floor can often look new again without replacing a single board.

The weak spot is water. Wood swells when it gets wet. The EPA's water damage guidance says to remove moisture from wood right away and dry it with fans and dehumidifiers. [6] That makes solid hardwood a risky choice for full bathrooms and other rooms that get wet often.

Common findings: worn flooring and gaps between planks.

Engineered wood

Engineered wood is built in layers, with a top layer of real hardwood glued over a base of other wood layers. Because the layers expand and contract less than solid wood, the NWFA says it is well suited to basements. [1]

The trade-off is refinishing. Engineered wood can be sanded and refinished, but not as many times as solid wood, because only the top layer is hardwood. [1] Not every engineered floor has a top layer thick enough to sand. The NWFA runs a program that certifies engineered products whose wear layer, the hardwood on top, is thick enough to be refinished. [11] Check the product before planning a refinish.

Luxury vinyl

Luxury vinyl comes as planks or tiles that look like wood or stone. Armstrong, a major maker, says its rigid core and luxury vinyl tile lines are 100% waterproof and suit kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mud rooms and basements. [2]

"Waterproof" has limits that are easy to miss. Armstrong notes that only the flooring material itself is waterproof, and moisture can still affect the subfloor underneath. [2] A restoration industry article points out that water can seep through seams and edges, especially on floating floors that click together, and that some waterproof warranties don't cover damage to the subfloor. [3] After a large leak, the planks may have to come up so the floor beneath can dry.

Vinyl can also fade or discolor in strong sunlight. [2] Armstrong recommends buying a few extra pieces when the floor is installed, so you have matching replacements later. [2]

Laminate

Laminate looks like wood or stone but is a manufactured plank with a protective top layer, not solid wood.

Water resistance varies a lot from one laminate to another, so read the product's warranty. Pergo's care guide, for example, tells owners not to use too much water when mopping and to clean up spills within 24 hours, or 72 hours for floors with its longer water warranty. [4]

Laminate isn't sanded like wood. Shaw Floors says minor scratches and dents are filled with color-matched filler, and a damaged plank is replaced by taking the floor apart row by row from the nearest wall. [5] Planks that have swelled from water usually have to be replaced. See floor moisture damage.

Tile

Ceramic and porcelain tile are the classic choice for wet rooms. Porcelain is a type of ceramic tile that, under the industry standard, has a water absorption of 0.5% or less. [7]

The tile is rarely the weak point. The grout between the tiles is. The Tile Council of North America says regular cement grout is porous and can absorb stains, and that sealing it is generally a very good idea. [8] Epoxy grout is almost as stain-proof as the tile itself. [8] Worn or missing grout lets water reach the floor underneath, so it's worth redoing.

A single cracked tile can usually be cut out and replaced if you can find a match. Keep leftover tiles from the installation. See cracked floor tiles and grout deterioration.

Carpet

Carpet is soft, warm and quiet, which makes it popular in bedrooms and on stairs. It's the least forgiving floor around water. The EPA says wet carpet and its backing should be dried within 24 to 48 hours, using a water extraction vacuum, fans and a dehumidifier. [6]

The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends vacuuming at least once a week and having carpet professionally deep cleaned every 12 to 18 months. [9] For spills, blot instead of scrubbing. [9] Over time, carpet can loosen and form ripples, which a carpet installer can fix by re-stretching it. See wrinkled carpet.

Things to check before replacing a floor

Find the cause first. A floor that's uneven, soft or squeaky may have a problem in the subfloor or framing underneath. Sloping floors can be a sign of foundation movement. See foundation and structure.
Fix any leak. Water damage near a dishwasher, toilet or tub usually comes from plumbing. A new floor over a leak won't last.
Be careful with old vinyl. The CPSC says some older vinyl floor tiles, the backing on vinyl sheet flooring, and their adhesives can contain asbestos. [10] Have old vinyl tested before it's sanded, scraped or torn out.
Ask what's under it. Some floors can go over an existing floor and some can't. Your installer should confirm the subfloor meets the product's requirements.

If you're also repainting, our guide to choosing interior paint covers sheens and colors, and our guide to drywall cracks and nail pops explains which wall cracks are worth a closer look.

HomeCloud is a licensed general contractor that evaluates homes and prices and does the repairs, including floor repair and refinishing.