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Best Kitchen Flooring Options For Your Home

July 30, 2021 by My Affordable Floors

Before deciding to renovate your kitchen, it’s important to consider what types of kitchen floors you’re going to use. While it’s fun to pick out cabinets, hardware, and countertops, your kitchen flooring is important, too! When you think about it, the floors are the one thing that stands out the most in a kitchen.

There are many types of kitchen floors, from budget-friendly vinyl to natural hardwood floors, there are plenty of affordable kitchen flooring options for you to choose from! It’s all about what the best kitchen flooring options for your home.

Here’s our list of kitchen flooring options to get you started:

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring is timeless and classic. It’s by far the most sought-after flooring. It brings an immediate sense of elegance and unmatched beauty to not only just your kitchen but your entire home.

Due to their gorgeous, warm aesthetic, hardwood floors are an incredibly desirable flooring material, and this is no exception for homebuyers. Installing hardwood in your kitchen can skyrocket the value of your home. Other kinds of flooring products come close but they can never completely replicate their glowing natural beauty. They’re also durable and guaranteed to last for centuries.

On the downside, hardwood floors require a good bit of maintenance. They’re more difficult to clean and susceptible to scratches. These types of floors are also incredibly porous, so when they’re exposed to water or moisture over the long term, they can warp. Lastly, there’s the cost of hardwood. High-quality hardwood flooring runs from $ 4 – $12 a sq. ft., so expect this material to be a bit harsher on the wallet.

If you’re thinking of installing hardwood in your home but feel it may be out of your budget, engineered hardwood is an option rather than solid natural hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood is more water-resistant, friendlier on your wallet, and better for the planet. Plus, it looks pretty close to the real thing!

Laminate

Laminate has been a go-to in the flooring world for quite some time now. Nowadays, there are tons of laminate designs to choose from, and they’ve become the perfect cost-efficient alternative to hardwood flooring.

While laminate flooring is not an exact match to wood, with the help of modern technology, it can look pretty close to the real thing. It’s also easy to install and takes no time at all to do as a quick DIY project, since laminate floors are made to lock together, making it consumer-friendly.

Laminate flooring is very affordable and will usually cost around $2 – $5 per sq. foot. That comes in significantly cheaper than other flooring types, and especially hardwood. It’s also a good investment as laminate flooring is typically pretty durable and very easy to replace.

Some of laminate flooring’s lesser qualities can be justified by its affordability. Of all the downsides of laminate flooring, installing it in your kitchen could result in it having to be replaced sooner rather than later. This is because laminate is not very moisture-resistant, so spills or any sort of contact with water over time can be detrimental to your laminate floors. Unfortunately, the lifespan of laminate and the risk of exposure to too much moisture can make it undesirable for a lot of homebuyers, which means it wouldn’t add a lot of value to your home.

In conclusion, laminate flooring is an amazing choice for someone who just wants flooring to get the job done. It’s affordable, it looks great, and it’s easy to install. However, because of its lack of durability and how prone it is to being damaged by moisture, it isn’t the most ideal material for a kitchen.

Vinyl

Vinyl is the most popular form of residential kitchen flooring. This is primarily because it’s very low-maintenance, moisture-resistant, budget-friendly, and long-lasting. It’s also pleasant to walk on due to the ability to insulate under the material. Even better, vinyl flooring is able to look better than ever these days due to advanced technology, giving you a seemingly limitless amount of options to choose from.

That being said, vinyl flooring does have its downsides. It’s a little easier to scratch than the alternatives such as tile. It’s also vulnerable to water penetrating the top layer of the flooring (the top of vinyl is water-resistant, underneath is not), so being rough with your floors or overcleaning could produce some unfortunate results. On top of this, vinyl flooring is rather difficult to repair.

To sum it up simply, vinyl flooring is an incredibly cost-efficient option for your kitchen and it doesn’t look too bad either! On the other hand, if you have pets or you’re in general a bit rough with your floors, it may not be the right choice for your kitchen.

Tile

Tile is a great flooring option for the kitchen. It not only looks elegant and clean, but it’s also a breeze to maintain and incredibly durable. There’s a vast selection of tile options to choose from-including quarry, marble, porcelain, and ceramic. To make matters even better, modern printing technology can generate pretty much any design you can think of on your tile floor! Tile is incredibly versatile, so it’s sure to fit the ideas you may have for your kitchen.

Tile flooring has a nearly impenetrable surface that’s extremely tough and durable. Tile flooring will last for an extremely long time, is water-resistance, and cannot easily be scratched. A tile floor needs very little cleaning unless something is spilled on it, making it the perfect material for kitchens. Perhaps the best part of this is that tile flooring is also cost-efficient; making it possible to get a quality porcelain tile for $4 per square feet or less!

Nothing is perfect, so there are of course a few cons that come with tile flooring. The biggest downside to tile is that it can get especially slick when wet, creating safety hazards in your kitchen, especially if your tile is glazed. Tile flooring is also susceptible to cracks and chips if heavier items are dropped on them. Lastly, older homeowners and those that suffer from knee or foot problems might have some difficulty standing tile, as they’re solid and rough surface and provide no support, unlike hardwood or vinyl flooring.

In all, tile is the ultimate option for kitchen floors. Though it has its flaws, it is still to this day the kitchen flooring option that offers the most durability, aesthetic value, and it can save you a lot of money compared to the other options!

My Affordable Floors is Here to Help Find The Right Kitchen Flooring Option For You

There are a lot of different flooring options and making a decision can be difficult, so if you’re looking to have new floors installed for your kitchen, we would love to help! Our ultimate goal is to meet your budget needs and providing you with the best kitchen flooring options for your home. If there is anything we can do to help you, please feel free to contact us!

Choosing Floors for Resale Value in Milwaukee

May 30, 2019 by My Affordable Floors

Whether or not you’re planning on reselling, choosing the flooring that boosts the value of your home is a must. However, with an abundance of options at a homeowner’s disposal, it can be hard to decide on one. So, we’re going to dive into the best floors for resale value.

Firstly, homeowners who choose hardwood floors will almost always see a return on their investment.

Resale Value of Hardwood Floors

Besides strength and elegance, a hardwood floor is the first thing people look for when buying a home. According to a report from The National Association of Realtors, homeowners who installed hardwood floors recovered 91 percent of their investment on average. Likewise, the report says that homeowners who refinished their hardwood floors saw a full return on their investment.

In addition, tile floors can increase a home’s value.

Resale Value of Tile Floors

Tile floors can help homeowners boost their home’s resale value. While hardwood floors will likely see the most return, tile is a breath of fresh air. According to a post from Realtor, homeowners can expect an average of 70 percent return on investing in ceramic tile and 55 percent on porcelain tile. Consequently, Realtor reports an average of 55 to 70 percent return for stone tile and less than 50 percent for marble. If you’re interested in tile, see our post on the benefits of installing ceramic tile!

While hardwood and tile reign supreme, they can be expensive. So, homeowners can benefit from installing carpeting in their home.

Resale Value of Carpet

Carpet does provide a comfy flooring option. However, it won’t help your home’s resale value. According to Home Advisor, homeowners who plan to sell will find better resale value with hardwood floors. That doesn’t mean that you should opt out of carpet flooring. Carpet is cheaper to install, easy to clean and works well in rooms with a lot of foot traffic.

Much like hardwood floors, laminate floors are a great way to mimic hardwood, but won’t see the same return.

Resale Value of Laminate Floors

Homeowners who aren’t in the market for hardwood floors can benefit from laminate floors. Laminate floors are multi-layered floors made from numerous materials. While they may be mistaken for hardwood, their resale value is up in the air. According to a post from Sapling, homeowners benefit more from installing natural hardwood rather than laminate. Homeowners have a better chance of reselling their home when they install hardwood.

Now that you have a good idea of what flooring options will boost the value of your home, you should reach out to a local flooring company to get started.

A Final Word on Floors and Resale Value

Whether or not you’re looking to sell your home, choosing a floor that will hold up is essential. No matter your plans for the future, installing good flooring will save you time and money in the long run. For your flooring needs, call on My Affordable Floors for flooring installation and repairs!

Where to Install Vinyl Flooring

December 23, 2018 by My Affordable Floors

Vinyl flooring offers a cost-effective alternative to floor your home. But where are the best places to install it? Whether it’s your house or your office, there’s a place for vinyl flooring.

This article explores what vinyl flooring is, the benefits of it, and the best places to install it.

What Is Vinyl Flooring?

Vinyl floors consist of tiles that are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), urethane, fiberglass, and foam gel.

A vinyl tile consists of three layers: the base layer, the visual layer, and the finish layer. These layers support one another to give you an absorbing and comfortable feeling that you don’t get with hardwood floors.

Pros of Vinyl Flooring

So many homeowners choose vinyl tiles for their homes because it offers so many benefits. For instance, vinyl tiles offer an inexpensive flooring material that works in any room of your home. Vinyl tile is also a low maintenance material, easy to install, and adds comfort when you walk. And HGTV says that vinyl tiles are the main replacement method for cracked tile and flooring.

If you’re not sure if vinyl is right for you, read 5 Bedroom Flooring Ideas That Aren’t Carpet to explore some other options.

Where Can I Install Vinyl Flooring?

Over an Existing Vinyl Floor

According to a video from FlooringMyLife, you can add a new layer of vinyl flooring over existing tile. It’s important to consult a manufacturer or professional if you are unsure about anything before installing, however.

Kitchens

In a room where messes occur on the daily, a vinyl tile may be the solution for keeping your floors clean. Vinyl flooring is a low-maintenance material that’s easy to clean. Vinyl floors are also pretty resilient to liquid absorption, making cleanups a stress-free chore. This liquid resistance of vinyl tiles makes it a great choice for messy spots.

The Bathroom

Bathrooms are susceptible to moisture getting trapped, and vinyl tile can help reduce that. Since vinyl flooring is almost maintenance free, it makes cleaning up wet messes from your post-shower walkthrough an easy clean.

It’s important to know that vinyl tiles are not entirely invisible to damage from water and normal wear. Most vinyl tile manufacturers carry extensive warranties for their products, however, so that doesn’t need to be a deal breaker.

Your Office

Having a business is a financial investment, and so is the way you present it. Unfortunately, having a nice floor can break the bank for some people. That’s where going vinyl can help. For instance, according to My Home Advisor, the average cost to install vinyl flooring is $357. Compare that to an average cost of 1,830 for natural stone tile and $4,240 for wood flooring.

Worried that a cheaper floor will reflect poorly on you? Fear not, vinyl tiles come in many designs that can mimic ceramic tile and even wood flooring.

What Type of Flooring Is Best for Me?

Your home is both a sanctuary and an on-going project. If you’re thinking about installing new flooring, call on My Affordable Floors. We can help you understand the many options available to you, and help you find the best ones for your lifestyle and budget.

5 Bedroom Flooring Ideas that Aren’t Carpet

November 21, 2018 by My Affordable Floors

The carpet boom of the 1950s and 60s still lingers in many bedrooms around America. Soft underfoot and warmer than wood or tile, stepping on a fluffy carpet first thing in the morning seems like the height of comfort.

But did you know that carpet can irritate allergies and trap pathogens like E. coli and staph? In fact, carpets are so good at harboring nasty things that they’re 4,000 times germier than a toilet seat!

Do you want a fresher start every day? Consider these great bedroom flooring ideas to get inspired.

modern bedroom with vinyl flooring

1. Hardwood

Hardwoods are the ultimate in high-end flooring. They’re so long-wearing that wood floors from the 1800s can be refinished and restored to their centuries-old glory.

They also provide a depth of natural beauty that you’d be hard-pressed to find with any other flooring. The variations in wood-tone and grain pattern add interest and class to your bedroom. There’s such variety with hardwoods that you’ll be able to customize yours to your exact tastes.

2. Luxury Vinyl Tile

Vinyl has come a long way from linoleum. Luxury vinyl tiles—LVT if you’re in the know—can mimic the look of about any style you’re going for. There are wood-look planks, marblelike square tiles, ceramic, slate, and even travertine.

Its three-layered composition makes it durable and water-resistant. If you’re looking for the best flooring for a bedroom in the basement, you can’t go wrong with LVT.

3. Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile, like vinyl tile, can be made to look like wood planks. Or you can go bold with a geometric or Moroccan tile. Your bedroom is your private haven, so make it what you want.

Even a simple tile laid in a chevron or herringbone pattern adds visual interest and elevates your bedroom style.

Tile is colder than wood or vinyl. If you’re down South, that’s a good thing. If you live up North—like in Milwaukee or northern Illinois—you’ll want to position a rug under your bed to lessen the morning chill. You’ll still get your fluffy, warm comfort that way.

4. Cork

Though cork floor tiles are nothing new, they are often overlooked. The Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, built in the 1920s, has a cork floor.

The natural substance is warm, springy, and soft. It offers insulation from noise and heat. Cork is anti-microbial and doesn’t stain if properly sealed. The nice thing about cork is that individual tiles are replaceable as they become damaged.

5. Painted Subfloor

If you’re looking for cheap flooring ideas for your bedroom, consider painting your subfloor. For real! After you remove the carpet and tack strips, give the subfloor a deep clean, sand the rough spots, and paint.

You can tape down a design or use stencils for more impact. The nice thing is, you can paint over it again or install a whole new floor when you’re ready to make that change.

Get Inspired by Bedroom Flooring Ideas

The alternative to carpet doesn’t have to be something cold and uninviting. There are bedroom flooring ideas that offer warmth and personality without sacrificing style and cleanliness. Are you ready to rip out your carpet yet?

If your bedroom needs a refresh, we can help! As flooring installation experts, we have a large selection of hardwoods, vinyl, and tile to offer, and the expertise to install them correctly. Call us for an in-home consultation.

The 5 Most Durable Flooring Options for High-Traffic Areas in Your Home

October 24, 2018 by My Affordable Floors

Most Durable Flooring Options

There’s something special and exciting about customizing your home to the exact way you want it. But before you start fawning over every flooring sample you can find, you need to make a list of must-haves.

For low-traffic areas of your home, aesthetics can be the deciding factor. When it comes to high-traffic areas like hallways and living rooms, though, you also need to look for the most durable flooring options. That is, unless you want to go through the whole process again in a few years.

In the long run, choosing one of the more durable types of flooring for your home can end up saving you considerable time and money.

Various decorative tiles samples

Most Durable Flooring Options for High-Traffic Areas

Whether your floors will face kids, pets, high heels, work boots, or a little of everything, your best bet is to go with one of these options:

Natural Stone Tile

Tile floors are known for their clean look and long-lasting quality. Keep in mind that some materials are harder than others, though, so your best bet is to look for natural stone tile floors like travertine.

Bamboo Hardwood

As beautiful as hardwood is, most types are best suited for low-traffic rooms. Bamboo, however, is a wonderful exception. The adhesives and coatings manufacturers use make bamboo a force to be reckoned with when it comes to scratches.

For the most durable bamboo hardwood flooring, look for options that are strand-woven. Stick to high-end, high-quality varieties as well.

Laminate Hardwood

If you love the look of hardwood floors, another durable option is laminate flooring. It’s more scratch-resistant than natural hardwood, so it will stand up against paws and claws. However, keep in mind that laminate is susceptible to moisture damage. So, it’s not often a good choice for bathrooms and other high-moisture areas.

High-Quality Vinyl

Before you dismiss it as an outdated choice, today’s vinyl flooring is nothing like your grandmother’s kitchen floors from the 1970s.

Modern vinyl comes in higher-quality options. It’s also available in a nearly endless array of styles. For instance, some of the most popular choices are made to mimic hardwood flooring and tile floors.

Berber Carpet

It should come as no surprise that carpet isn’t as durable as its harder counterparts. Still, we recognize that some homeowners love the comfort and warmth they get from a carpeted floor.

If you have your heart set on carpeting but you want durability, go for Berber carpet. This style uses short loops for a clean and flat look. It’s easier to clean and holds up better against high traffic than high-pile carpets too.

Choosing Your Flooring With the Future in Mind

In an ideal world, you’d be able to choose your favorite flooring options based on looks alone. The reality of homeownership, however, is that unless you have an unlimited budget, you need to find options that will hold up against the wear and tear of daily life.

The good news is that today there are plenty of great-looking options available in durable and low-maintenance materials. With the ideas above, you can get started finding the most durable flooring for your home.

For more guidance in your flooring design, contact our home flooring experts, who can recommend the ideal options for each room of your house. We have a long history of creating gorgeous, durable floors in Wisconsin and Illinois.

What’s the Best Kind of Flooring for Homes with Dogs?

February 27, 2018 by My Affordable Floors

Are your old floors in dire need of a revamp? Well, don’t forget about your pets. When looking for affordable flooring, you’ll need a solution that suits every member of your family… including pets.

44% of U.S. households now have a dog, and while they’re adorable creatures, they sure can be a handful. In fact, dogs are notorious for making a mess, and your flooring is first in the firing line. So, choose your material wisely, or you could be faced with unsightly stains and discolorations, for years to come. But what is the best flooring for dogs?

Here are three of the best flooring solutions for a happy home—and one bonus option you should avoid at all costs.

jack russel puppy on white carpet

The Best Flooring for Dogs

The following three options are all excellent flooring choices. Read on to find out why.

Luxury Vinyl

Luxury vinyl may be the best flooring for dogs and dog owners in Milwaukee. There certainly are plenty of advantages for pet owners, including:

Low cost
Easy to clean
Highly resistant (won’t scratch or stain)
Inaudible to walk on

In fact, the only real downside to vinyl is that it may start to dull over time. To combat this, we suggest opting for a thick finish layer with an aluminum oxide coating.

Your dog will love it, too. As luxury vinyl can use radiant heating coils, your best friend will keep cool through the summer and stay toasty warm in the winter.

Luxury vinyl is also textured enough to prevent turning your home into a skating rink. In fact, it’s a perfect balance, allowing claws to grip without damaging the surface.

Laminate

For pet mess, laminate flooring gets an A+.

It’s low maintenance and easy to clean, so you needn’t worry about catching an accident before it stains, either. For those with dogs who seem to knock over everything, laminate is ideal.

The only problem is your little guy or gal might not think so. The slickness of the surface means your dog can slide a bit too much, as there’s no traction for their paws. So, if your pet’s a fast mover, don’t be surprised if he or she collides with your cabinets while bouncing through the house. They’ll be no scratches or scuffs to worry about, though!

Carpeting

Lay down carpeting and your dog will be your biggest fan (for at least 10 minutes). Carpeting is perfect for your canine to roll around on, slobber all over, and generally have a good time with. But be careful: Carpeting is the hardest flooring to clean, by a large margin.

So, if you’ve got a messy pup who’s not house-trained or an older dog who’s known to cause a scene, you’d be advised to give carpeting a miss.

Carpets can also start smelling over time and hair shedding is very apparent. Not good.

(Not) Hardwood

We had to include hardwood flooring here, but only as a warning. It’s definitely not the best flooring for dogs. Hardwood may look beautiful, but trust us, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Wood flooring + loveable dog = disaster

Your pet’s nails will dent wooden surfaces, and a nail trim just won’t do enough to stop the damage. Stains are a nightmare, too. Substances tend to disappear straight into the grain, which could require costly refinishing jobs. Avoid hardwood and save yourself an inevitable headache.

Best Flooring for Dogs in Your Milwaukee Home?

In our humble opinion, luxury vinyl takes the cake. It’s affordable, resistant to scratches, and cleans easily. That said, you can’t go wrong with a laminate surface, either!

Are you looking for a dazzling new floor? Then get in touch today for a free estimate!

5 Tips on How to Clean & Maintain Vinyl Tile Flooring

February 20, 2018 by My Affordable Floors

Vinyl tile flooring can be an economic and beautiful option for your home. To keep it looking its best, however, you need to understand how to clean vinyl tile.

Read on for our top tips for keeping your flooring as beautiful as the day you had it installed!

white vinyl tile floor

1. Clean Your Vinyl Tile Flooring Often

The best way to maintain vinyl tile flooring? Clean it often. Don’t wait for sticky messes to build up before you tackle them. Some tips:

Milwaukee flooring experts recommend sweeping your floor each evening. This will remove any dirt or grime that has accumulated during that day—which, in turn, will make cleaning the floor easier.
Use a dry dust mop, or even a vacuum, to clean your vinyl tiles regularly. Wipe up any spills or muddy footprints as soon as possible.

By preventing dirt from becoming ground into the flooring, you can help maintain its beauty and extend its lifespan.

2. Use the Right Products

Regular sweeping of your vinyl tile flooring will also enable you to use gentle cleaners. Most of the time, a mop dampened with warm (not hot!) water is all you need to restore your floor’s sheen. In fact, using soap can actually make your vinyl tile dirtier over time! Soap leaves behind a film that can attract and trap dirt particles. Our tips:

If you do require a cleaning product, make sure you use one that is safe for your flooring and is as gentle as possible (while still getting the job done). An all-purpose household cleaner, diluted in water, should work just fine.
It’s also a good idea to employ a two-mop system: one for soapy water and one to use for rinsing the floor. Be sure to dry the floor thoroughly after mopping, since excess water can loosen vinyl tiles’ glue over time. This will eventually cause the tiles to curl or crack.

3. Treat Scuff Marks

What to do when you see scuff marks on your tile flooring? First, try your usual method of mopping to see if that makes a difference. If a gentle cleaner doesn’t take care of the marks, try the baby oil method:

Apply just a few drops of baby oil to the scuff mark with a cloth.
Let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it off. The scuffs should be easy to remove.
Just be sure to clean the oil off thoroughly, so that no one slips and hurts themselves.

4. Take Care of Your Furniture

Heavy furniture and kitchen appliances can leave dents in vinyl tile flooring if you’re not careful. Prevent such dents by using floor protectors, sometimes known as protective feet, for your furniture and appliances. These can be found at a hardware store.

Remember: Never use chairs or carts with casters on a vinyl floor. The casters can cause damage to the flooring.

5. Wax On? No, Wax Off!

Most vinyl flooring these days is of the no-wax variety. And no really means no! Do not apply wax, and use only cleaners that are designed for no-wax floors.

Contact Us for a Vinyl Tile Flooring Estimate

This type of flooring is a popular one, and with good reason. It’s easy to care for, long-lasting, and aesthetically pleasing. If your old floor could use a makeover, why not consider luxury vinyl tile from My Affordable Floors?