Wheaton Homeowner's Guide To Flooring Installation

Are you curious to learn more about flooring installation? Perhaps you just moved into a new home and want to change up your flooring. Or, maybe you’ve been living in your home for a while now and want to experience a change. Whatever the case may be, our flooring installation experts can help.

When it comes to choosing new flooring for your home, there are so many options that it can feel a bit overwhelming to know where to start. Maybe you already have an idea of the material you want to incorporate into your home, or maybe you are still exploring your options. Either way, it’s a good idea to not only consider your home’s aesthetic, but also what kind of flooring will work best for your household.

To help you choose the best flooring for your needs, our Wheaton handyman experts put together this flooring installation guide. As you continue reading, you’ll learn about the benefits and drawbacks of different flooring, key considerations for flooring installation, and how our skillful technicians can help make your flooring dreams a reality.

Flooring Installation: Different Kinds of Flooring

In this day and age, Wheaton homeowners are spoiled for choice when it comes to the kinds of flooring available for home renovation projects. To help you narrow down the flooring variety that would be best for your home, we’ve put together a list outlining a few of the most popular flooring options below:

Laminate

Laminate is made out of four synthetic layers that are fused together in a lamination process and covered in a photo applique to create the look of wood or tile. In the past, laminate floors had a more artificial look. However, new technologies have enabled laminate flooring to look as good as hardwood or ceramic tile. Additionally, laminate is very durable and resistant to scratches from pets and furniture—making it an excellent flooring installation option. However, laminate flooring is susceptible to moisture damage.

Laminate flooring can have quite a long lifespan if taken care of properly, lasting anywhere between 10 to 25 years depending on the level of care and foot traffic the flooring receives.

Vinyl

Invented in the 1930s, by the 1950s vinyl had quickly become one of the most popular materials for kitchen and bathroom floors. Vinyl is completely made out of plastic, unlike laminate which includes wood content. This makes it an inexpensive, low-maintenance, and durable flooring installation option. However, vinyl is difficult to repair and is bad for the environment.

Tile (Porcelain or Ceramic)

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are a very popular flooring installation choice. Tiles are especially popular for high-traffic areas like the bathroom, kitchen, or front foyer. Ceramic and porcelain tile are both made out of clay, however porcelain tiles are made with a denser variety. Both ceramic and porcelain tiles are very strong and durable, water resistant, available in a range of colors, and are relatively easy to repair.

Tile (Natural Stone)

In addition to man-made tiles like ceramic and porcelain, there are quite a few kinds of natural stone tile that can be installed for both flooring and back-splashes. Generally, natural stone tiles are sourced from a quarry. The stones are then cut into slabs, polished, and moved to a bulk tile manufacturer. These companies ship the basic tiles to other factories that cut the stone into different shapes and sizes. From there, the tiles are packed up and shipped to warehouses and showroom locations.

Natural stone tiling is a very luxurious flooring installation option. The main benefit of natural stone is that it’s very elegant and stylish. Most natural stone tiles are very durable. However, ceramic and porcelain tiles are also very strong for less cost.

A few commonly used types of natural stone tiling includes:

• Soapstone

• Travertine

• Limestone

• Slate

• Granite

• Marble

Hardwood

Hardwood floors are a very popular flooring installation option because they’re aesthetically appealing to many Wheaton homeowners and last a very long time. When properly maintained, hardwood floors can last a lifetime—if not longer. Some historic buildings that are more than 100-years-old can still have the original hardwood floors. While hardwood floors are durable and easy to clean, pets do not have a hard time scratching up this type of surface! An easy fix is to refinish your hardwood floors from time to time.

If you are considering installing hardwood flooring, there are a few options to think about:

• Finished: Finished floors are exactly that, finished. This hardwood flooring variety comes from the factory sanded and sealed. It can be installed and is ready to walk on.

• Unfinished: Unfinished hardwood is a great option if you want a custom stain applied, or if you are looking to match an existing floor color in your home.

• Solid: Solid hardwood is wood all the way through. It comes in slats that are 5/8” to 3/4” thick. Solid hardwood is very durable and can be sanded and refinished multiple times. However, solid hardwood can also warp when exposed to humidity.

• Engineered: Unlike solid hardwood, engineered hardwood is a veneer of real wood glued to several layers of plywood. While this makes it very durable and stable, engineered flooring can only be sanded and refinished once or twice since it only has a thin layer of hardwood on the top.

Carpet

If you’re thinking of installing carpet flooring into your home, you essentially have two choices: natural or synthetic fibers. We’ve outlined the pros and cons of both below:

• Synthetic Fibers: Synthetic materials are not found in nature. For example, nylon and polyester are both synthetic fibers. Most carpeting used nowadays is synthetic because synthetic materials are less expensive, more stain-resistant, and easier to clean. However, they are also much worse for the environment.

• Natural Fibers: Natural materials are found in nature. For example, cotton and wool are both natural fibers. While natural fibers tend to be more costly and harder to clean than synthetic fibers, they are much better for the environment.

Concrete

Concrete floors are exceptionally durable and can last a lifetime. However, it should be noted that this type of flooring can get cold and be slippery when wet. This flooring can look rather utilitarian, but it can also be thoroughly beautified! There are many unique ways to make concrete flooring unexpectedly beautiful:

• Overlay: Overlay is when a thin layer of concrete is put on top of an existing slab to make it look like new.

• Polish: Concrete can shine like glass after being polished with abrasive pads.

• Acid-Stained: Concrete will chemically react with certain acids to form a mottled surface that looks like marble or resin.

• Dyed: Unlike acid-staining, dying a concrete floor makes it one solid color.

• Texturized: Before it dries, concrete can be brushed, stamped, or embedded with materials like glass to give it a uniquely textured surface.

• Mural: Concrete floors work well as canvases for a variety of painting techniques.

Would you like to learn more about our flooring installation services? We invite you to give our flooring installation experts a call us or request a service online to get started today.

What to Think About Before Investing in Flooring Installation Services

There are a number of considerations to look at before choosing the right flooring for your home. After deciding on the best flooring option for you, our expert technicians at Mr. Handyman of Wheaton-Hinsdale are more than happy to help you get the floors of your dreams with our flooring installation services.

Where Will Your Floors Be Installed?

Different areas of your home have different flooring considerations. For instance, are you laying down flooring in a high-moisture environment, like your bathroom? Then, concrete, tile, or vinyl may be your best option if this is the case.

If you’re installing flooring in an area that gets a lot of sunlight, it’s best to choose fade-resistant materials like laminate or engineered hardwood.

Lastly, will your floors be in an area of high-traffic? If you are installing flooring in the kitchen or foyers, an option like hardwood floors or porcelain tile will be both durable and long-lasting.

Do You Need Pet-Friendly Floors?

If you have pets—particularly dogs—you need to have a scratch resistant floor. Although some floors may seem like they intuitively would be scratch resistant, this is not always the case. For example, hardwood floors are actually very easily scratched. A better choice for pet owners would be carpet, ceramic tile, or laminate flooring.

Do You Need Low Maintenance Flooring?

If you don’t have the time to invest in constantly maintaining your floors, then you need a flooring installation option that is easy to take care of. For instance, vinyl flooring is probably your best option. If you don’t like the look of vinyl, then laminate floors are a close second. One pro-tip to keep in mind when caring for your laminate flooring is that it should not be cleaned with a conventional mop as this could cause damage.

Does Your Family Have Allergies?

If your family has allergies to dust and dander, then it’s best to avoid carpet. Rather, hard, flat surfaces like tile and hardwood are easier to keep clean, which will keep allergens to a minimum.

What’s Your Style?

Aside from function, your personal taste and design vision is one of the most important considerations for what flooring you choose to have installed. For example, do you prefer a light and airy aesthetic? In that case, you might want to choose a lighter colored floor. Alternatively, dark floors add depth, warmth, and coziness to a room.

Another style consideration is if you would describe your tastes as traditional or contemporary. Thin flooring planks create a classic aesthetic, whereas wide planks look more modern. Additionally, wide planks or large tile squares can make a small space feel larger.

Mr. Handyman of Wheaton-Hinsdale Flooring Installation Services

Our qualified technicians possess an average of 15-years experience in the trades and offer a range of flooring installation services. Whether you want to swap out your carpets for tile or need to replace a section of flooring, our courteous and professional team can help you with any of your flooring installation needs.

Tile Installation and Repairs

The team at Mr. Handyman of Wheaton-Hinsdale is well versed at laying a range of different types of tile. Whether you want to remove dated vinyl from your bathroom and replace it with ceramic tiling; or, you want to update the tiles in your kitchen, we’ve got it covered. Our flooring installation experts can also assist with repairs and replacing old grout.

Laminate and Vinyl Floor Installation and Repairs

From repairing damaged vinyl to installing new laminate floors, our hardworking technicians can do it all. We can help you make your flooring installation dreams a reality with our years of experience and dedication to outstanding customer service.

Wood Flooring Installation and Repairs

Hardwood floors are an elegant and long-lasting flooring installation choice for Wheaton homeowners. Hardwood floors are also very durable—yet, still susceptible to damage from time to time. When your hardwood floors become damaged, our skillful team can help. We can replace damaged boards, refinish scratched flooring, or lay down completely new hardwood floors depending on what services you need.

Book a Mr. Handyman of Wheaton-Hinsdale Flooring Installation Expert

There is no flooring installation project too big or too small for the qualified and experienced technicians at Mr. Handyman of Wheaton-Hinsdale. Whether you want to put down new floors in every area of your home or your bathroom tiling needs an update, we have the skills, equipment, and professionalism to ensure your flooring installation job gets done right the first time.