Learn the pros and cons of wood, stone, concrete, and carpet, along with essential buying tips.
Before a room is decorated, furnished, or simply moved into, it should have a solid floor. When chosen carefully, the best flooring options will set the stage for years of good looks, durability, and comfort. When choosing flooring, a little homework goes a long way.1wood floors You’ll want to consider the style of your home, your budget, the amount of wear and tear you anticipate it will need to endure, and the look and feel you want to create. From standard hardwood floors to stone or concrete, living room flooring options abound and offer many pros and cons.
As styles evolve, so do our options, says architect Bob Wetmore of Cornerstone Architects. With the rise of the soft contemporary movement, we often design with stained concrete floors or sleek engineered wood floors, he says. We also enjoy using cork flooring, which is very resilient to walk on and warm underfoot in the winter. One benefit of working with a trusted architect or contractor is that they can help you narrow down your options. But whether you’re going it alone or enlisting the services of a professional, experts agree on one thing: Don’t base your decision on a small sample in a showroom. See how it looks on a larger scale.
Compare samples side by side and try to see the product in the actual installation, says architect Robert Tuttle. Seeing a floor as a whole composition is sometimes very different than seeing it as a small sample. And then, of course, once you’ve chosen a material, proper installation is key. A strong, stable, substantial floor should feel like this. In living rooms in particular, a decorative rug will likely anchor the furnishings, but the flooring is the foundation on which the rest of the room rests.
Here are the pros and cons of the most popular living room flooring options.
Wood
When remodeling an older home, fortune sometimes smiles on the brave who can pull back a corner of tattered old carpet: There may be pristine hardwood underneath, which can often be sanded, stained, and sealed. With so many choices in stain color, the floor and the room as a whole can feel noticeably fresher, polished, and updated with minimal effort and expense. No large crews of workers, no expensive equipment purchases. Doing so much with so little can be incredibly satisfying.
But what if your wood floors are damaged or need to be refinished? One practical and economical option is to refinish them. Use what you have,” advises architect Carol Sundstrom. If you already have hardwood, consider refinishing and matching it. I prefer large continuous sections of one material rather than different flooring materials in each room, which reminds me of a patchwork quilt.
And if you need to start from scratch, you might want to broaden your horizons a bit. There are hardwood options that can be tailored to your space while adding a sense of age and patina. We love the warmth of reclaimed heart pine flooring, says Jeanne Frederick of Frederick + Frederick Architects. It’s durable because it’s repurposed from old beams removed from buildings that are being demolished. The boards are wide 8 inches to 12 inches and the patina is gorgeous.
Carpeting
While wall-to-wall carpeting is still a popular choice in bedrooms, it’s not so much in living rooms. I usually avoid using wall-to-wall carpeting in high-traffic or public areas unless my client specifically requests it, says designer Rachel Oliver. It’s usually less expensive than hardwood and many styles are easier to keep clean, but it can absorb odors and liquids in high-traffic areas and can also stain.”
However, Oliver has a trick for taking advantage of the cozy feel that wall-to-wall carpeting provides: In addition to the rugs she likes to scatter around the space, she sometimes has rugs cut and sized to the exact size needed for the room it provides all the comfort of carpeting but can be easily removed and cleaned or replaced.
As for sizing, Oliver recommends floating a large rug 12 to 24 inches from the perimeter of the room. It gives an even, clean look, she says. The right rug can give any home a high-end look, regardless of price, she says. There are even many indoor/outdoor rugs that are soft enough for babies and toddlers to play on. Natural jute, seagrass, and sisal rugs are popular, but can be hard on bare feet.
Stone
Stone has a strong, textured feel that works in public spaces, says Robert Tuttle. Not only is stone flooring desirable for certain architectural styles (think grand Old World rooms or sprawling modern expanses), it’s also completely appropriate and beautiful, and in some cases, relatively locally sourced. With its natural tones and unique characteristics formed years ago beneath the surface of the earth, stone flooring can be a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind, and very durable option. It can also be one of the more expensive options.
Using natural stone, like marble, slate, travertine or limestone, will require careful installation. Depending on the type of stone used, cracking, chipping, and staining can be some of the disadvantages if the area is not carefully prepared. Remember, stone flooring will be cool in warm climates and downright cool in cold weather.
Concrete
The appeal of minimalism and industrial-chic options makes the use of concrete a surprisingly popular option for indoor living spaces, where concrete flooring has moved out of the garage and into the home. Painting, staining, scouring, and polishing – just a few of the options available – enable an existing concrete slab to be dramatically transformed while still being fairly cost-effective. These floors can withstand anything, but the opposite is also true: Most can’t withstand much. If you drop something on a concrete floor, there’s a chance it could be damaged. The material doesn’t have any, but in living rooms, where we’re not on our feet very often, that may not be such a concern.
Also, concrete floors, by their very nature, reflect sound, says Bob Wetmore, who advises that careful consideration be given to the placement of rugs and sound-absorbing materials like draperies and furniture. But the main advantages of concrete floors are their durability and practicality. Using the right sealers, they usually only need a wet mop to clean.”
Whether you’re opting for the warmth and patina of hardwood, the beauty of stone, the modernity of concrete, or another type of flooring that speaks to you and your home’s architecture, weigh the pros and cons and seek expert advice. And finally, if you make a choice you regret, throw the rug over it. Chances are, you were going to do it anyway.
