Nalle Custom Homes will walk every step of the way in helping you build your new custom home.
Of course when it comes to your new home, your literal first steps in design are fundamental. There are a wide variety of Flooring options to go through with many styles to choose from. Flooring is more than simply picking between carpet, wood, or tile. Innovation in the flooring industry is tying in categories of flooring types together allowing for flexibility in design and comfort.
Each, of course, still have their own advantages and below are a couple picture examples of projects we’ve done.
Wood
- Hardwood Flooring is a classic known for it’s durability and ability to create a flow between rooms for homes with an open design. Hardwood flooring comes in blanks and has a standard pattern. There are also different types and species that would leave a different finish, some of which include oak, maple, and black walnut.
- Pre-finished hardwood floors have benefited greatly from modern advancements, finishes may now include additives such as ceramics, aluminum oxide, and acrylic monomers that produce incredibly tough surfaces. A great advantage to solid wood is that it can be refinished many times over its lifespan.
- Engineered Wood features a top veneer of real wood backed by layers of cheaper plywood. This construction makes the flooring sturdy and stable, much less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity levels. Originally done with plywood backing, some recent varieties have base material made from recycled wood fiber mixed with stone dust to provide extra strength. This makes for a great choice for kitchens and basements, as well as for installation over in-floor heating systems.
- Laminate flooring offers low maintenance and a plethora of styles, colors and patterns. It has similar backing to engineered wood for stability; however, the big difference is that the top layer is not real wood but a plastic coating applied over a photograph. The look-alike finishes look indistinguishable from real wood and other materials such as stone, ceramic tile, even stained concrete. Laminates comes as planks or tiles. Most can be installed directly over old existing flooring without glue or nails, meaning no tear-out is necessary.
Tile
It’s hard to beat the variety that tile comes in with the many shapes, sizes, colors and textures to choose from. Cost varies widely, and you’ll find tile priced anywhere from $1 to $100 per square foot.
Ceramic tile is made from a mixture of clay and shale that is baked and hardened. It comes as one of four basic types:
- Glazed ceramic has a glass-like coating that is applied prior to firing. This coat is what allows the massive variety of colors and textures and helps make the material virtually maintenance-free.
- Quarry tile is unglazed ceramic tile, pigments added to the clay mixture create the colors. This type of tile has a slightly rough texture that is a better slip-resistance than glazed tile.
- Porcelain tile is fired at extremely high temperatures which results in a tile that’s especially hard and durable. Porcelain tile, available in a glazed or unglazed finish, is resistant to staining and is a good choice for exterior applications.
Carpet
Although tile can offer more variety carpeting is still quite versatile , featuring a ton of colors and textures. When judging carpet quality, a simple rule of thumb is to ask about the density of the fibers used to make the carpet — the more fibers per square inch, the more durable the carpet.
Most carpeting is made by pulling the fibers through a woven backing; then additional layers of backing are glued on to provide strength and thickness. A carpet pad adds cushioning and helps prolong the life of the carpet. Indoor/outdoor carpeting withstands weather and usually is installed without a pad. Carpets is also great in deadening sound.
- Wool carpeting is the standard of quality, because of it’s naturally durability and resistant to moisture and stains. It’s also considered to have the best feel against hands and bare feet. With the exception of wool, most carpets are made of synthetic fibers.
- Nylon is exceptionally strong and resistant to wear. A drawback is that it makes it easy to create static electricity, something you can treat to reduce.
- Acrylic carpet also known as “art wool” has similarities to wool, but with the additional resistance to wear, crushing and mildew, and it’s inhospitable for insects. On the flip-side, It has a tendency to become fuzzy as fibers deteriorate and to pill like polyester. Acrylic is easily stained by oil and grease.
- Polyester produces bright colors and is highly resistant to moisture, but stains can be difficult to remove.
- Polypropylene olefin is used for indoor/outdoor carpeting. It’s extremely resistant to stains, moisture and mildew.
Stone
For a touch of luxury, stone floor tile provides quality, at a premium price. You’ll pay from $2 to $100 per square foot for natural stone tiles made of granite, marble, limestone, slate and travertine.
The ability of stone to resist moisture and staining depends on its hardness. Softer stones such as sandstone and limestone must be finished every few years with a stone sealer. Harder stones, such as granite and marble, should be sealed every four to five years. Honed and polished stone tile can be slippery when wet, so choose stone that has a textured, skid-resistant surface for kitchens and master bath applications.
Whether with Tile or Stone, you can opt to add wood detailing.
Concrete
Not just for the outdoors, concrete can be a stylish choice for indoor floors. Its surface can be finished in various ways either with colors, stains, and aggregates. Concrete floors are extremely durable and easy to clean, and they resist water when properly sealed. It also works great with cutting the energy bills by absorbing heat. It is, however, important to note that hairline cracks can appear over time on concrete floors with heavy traffic. Indoor concrete floors do need to be resealed regularly and they have been known to produce an echo effect.
This is just a quick glance at your many options for flooring as each choice brings a bit more nuance to the overall design. Feel free to look back at some projects we’ve completed for an idea of what you may also like. As always Nalle Custom Homes will assist you every step of the way in creating your new home.